Failed lunch date, dinner with the kids, raspberry pepsi the old woman in the shop.

Today I had to review my stuff for the conference and Immediately starting to get fed up with it now.  The lesson times keep changing, more details are being trickled down and lots of mistakes are being made....and nobody cares.  That's China, or at least Jiangkou.  Take today for instance.  After having already issued a 'final' timetable a few days ago, last night they issued the another ' final' timetable. I checked it.  It was full of mistakes, again.  I discreetly pointed this out to one to one of the bosses, so we have another one today.  I'm not sure what I am teaching or when and can't be bothered to sort it out because it will only change again.  I don't like that.  Plus, it seems that many of the teachers have a very poor standard of English.  It might have been good to know that before the lessons were planned! Moan over.
Anyway, in the middle of all this, restaurant boss lady asked what I was up to.  I had already told her last night, but I told her again. "Couldn't you just come to lunch at my restaurant?" she asked.  Honestly, it was the last thing I wanted to do, but I said "Yes."...After all she has been good to me.  It took me about twenty minutes on foot to get there.  It was about 28 degrees with 82% humidity.  I arrived soaked.  I met the staff and was given a seat and some water.  I waited and waited.  Then something happened I don't know what, but people were trying to tell me something.  The long and short of it was that she was not able to come.  It is at times like this that I get quite annoyed.  They have decided that I can't speak Chinese because they speak a dialect, so no amount of effort will convince them that I can speak Chinese.  I know my Chinese is not good, but everywhere apart from Jiangkou, they understand it.  They don't even seem to be able to read Chinese from Google translate on my phone.  That frustrates me quite considerably.  So as I got more frustrated, so more people came over.  Eventually there were about eight of them.  And this is the strange thing: they all stood around like rabbits in front of car headlights.  Here was someone who looked upset and angry.  They wanted to help, but it was like they had never seen someone angry or frustrated before.  However, after a lot of toing and froing, they decided on a solution.  Because restaurant boss lady wasn't there to have dinner with me, then perhaps I would like dinner with this other woman!  I kind of see the logic.  I declined politely and went home.  On the way I stopped for some beef noodles.  Then went home.

At home I did some more prep work and fell asleep on the sofa.  I woke up grumpy.  I'd not drunk enough today.  Then my phone buzzed.  It was restaurant boss lady.  Her question in translation was "Where is fanjingshan park?".  I ignored it.  She knows where it is, and I'd already told her that I was going there later this evening.
Strangely the park was quiet.  Then it rained and most people headed off.  I went to one of my usual restaurants 'Happy Beginnings' and ordered some food some kids spotted me and came over to chat.  I so wish I could speak more Chinese!  They are so lovely!

After this I headed home.  I stopped at the supermarket to get a drink.  Pepsi Cherry.  I bought a can and started to drink it.  Tasted strange.  It was Pepsi Raspberry ndw one on me, and not too bad!

Nearer to home, I picked up a bean lolly ice.  The old woman wanted to tell me something, but she spoke the local dialect and I didn't.  I showed her how the text to speak features worked in my phone.  She didn't understand.  It's a shame.  I walked home.