24/09/03

Wednesday, my day off, so in keeping with tradition, someone had workers start smashing bricks outside my window at 8 this morning, was fantastic!! What made things better was the fact that they were actually doing this in the back of a truck, so they could have chosen the most remote part of the campus, but they chose the small plot of grass behind our building. The kind of things that make it all worth it!

Enough whining, things have been going well. The last few days teaching have been good, the books have finally arrived, so after next week (which is a holiday) we should actually be able to start following some kind of curriculum, which will be good. Sunday night we all went into town to a restaurant by the sea. It had been planned that we would go for a walk along the water after dinner, unfortunately Sunday afternoon’s rain quickly changed hands and became Sunday evening’s rain, and had gathered some interest, so that put a halt to any outdoor plans. Dinner was good, not as good as the restaurant near the campus we had visited the previous week but. Afterwards to compensate for the rain, Chris (Mr. Organization) decided to take us to the DVD store.

After organizing a bunch of cars/taxis, we got to his preferred store. Copy DVDs/VCDs/CDs all over the place, ranging from 1 RMB to 40 RMB (20c to $8).

I picked up X-Men 2, The Matrix Reloaded and Bad Boys 2, for 21 RMB. After a little while we went back to the apartment, I shared a cab with Chris, Echo (Chris’ girlfriend) and Adam. When we got back Chris got involved in a bit of an argument with the taxi driver, a typical example of a local working his tactics.... he had twisted the agreement we’d made to get an extra 10 RMB, that’s Shantou for you.

I got back up to the room and began to figure out how the DVD pricing system worked. The cheapest range, which I had picked, were filmed in theatres (great quality theatre filming, possibly a Seinfeld, but theatre filmed all same), and had been burned onto DVD. I figured to actually get a copy DVD you had to pay 20 RMB, I would test my theory next time out. I then sat there and watched Man Utd. Vs. Arsenal, which wasn’t a bad game, and actually got pretty fiery in the last 5 mins. By the time that was over it was 1.15am, and I had to be up at 7. Lights out.

Monday and Tuesday have been fairly routine. I can notice changes in some of the students already. The majority of them have not actually spoken a lot of English before, in their High School they focused on Reading and Writing, partly due to huge classes, partly due to bad teachers. Now I have them speaking quite a bit, they rate of improvement is quite noticeable. The office is starting to look like an office. The printer arrived yesterday, so the computer is in business. We have a fridge, water cooler (which doesn’t actually cool water, but warms it, good scenery all the same), and a bunch of desks and chairs.

Les and I have been continually hitting up our little restaurant for meals just outside the east gate. I think they are beginning to realize we are not just tourists, but long term regulars. On Monday at lunchtime, we were sitting there when the guy that seems to run the place came out with two little eggcups filled with a clear liquid, and motioned it was a gift from him to us. Les warned me to drink slowly. I took one sip, and can now comfortably say that I have as good an understanding as I ever will, about the taste of pure alcohol. As soon as it was in your mouth it seemed to dissolve. We both decided to wait for a moment of privacy and discard this concoction in a manner which would preserve our eyesight, and did so.

On the home front everything is actually pretty good. The internet is still down, and Chris told me last night that in the Chinese version of the notice they have posted downstairs regarding the problem, it actually says the repairs may take up to a month to complete, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Money and Co. are supposed to be here later in the afternoon to fix some things up (what, is beyond me), but I plan to be gone. Not the most exciting of entries, actually possibly the most boring, ah well, I will try and get into some more trouble for next time.

- Sam