Lovever

That night and into the next morning, I get back into my blog/ciggy/stupid comedians in stupid cars getting stupid coffee grind. I'm too stuffed from the hot pot to eat again that night, all I need for sustenance is work.

At around seven, I finish cigarettes and decide to quit again. I had my fall from grace, but cigarettes are gross and I don't need them to right. It's been tough, but I can't feel sorry for myself anymore. So that's it, no more cigarettes. My dear readers (I think it's just you, mom and Tommy Fleming) can keep me accountable. As I'm sure you have noticed, I am being extremely honest and try to leave out no details, so if I smoke again you can give me a very hard time. I am allowed to get drunk alone a few more times though, that may need to happen again if I have a particularly bad day.

When I wake up the next morning, I am craving coffee like crazy (Fuck you Jerry), so I decide to walk down to the McDonald's next to the subway. I was going to try Pancakes Come again, but read recently to try to eat vegan at least one day a week and have decided today is the day. On my walk over, I notice this little empty restaurant called Lovever and decide to stop in.

The extra ve makes it all the sexier

The place is empty but very fancy looking. An old man approaches me and seats me. I order a cup of coffee and then the old man brings me the menu. I see a cup of coffee is 28 yuan, but it's too late, I've already ordered. When he comes back, because I'm eating vegan, I order some french fries. Then I pour cream in my coffee and begin to slurp it down. This is by far the best coffee I have had on my trip so far. I might have to come here again.

So Fucking Hot

The french fries are very greasy and the ketchup is very sweet, but at least there is a lot of it. I didn't have dinner the night before so I am very hungry. This restaurant, although empty, is very fancy looking. The chairs are all upholstered with purple velvet and the chairs frames are painted in gold. It seems like the kind of place you would bring a high class prostitute. (Not that I'd know) The old man also brings out a beaker with more coffee, which I couldn't be more thankful for.

Give it to me Baby

I finish my second cup of coffee, but am still craving more caffeine (I am sleeping horribly on my very thin mattress and my back is constantly sore.) I decide to keep walking to McDonald's to get a third cup of coffee. Because I am still eating vegan today, I order a pineapple pie (okay), a taro pie (not okay) and a veggie cup (filled with sesame dressing). After heavily creaming my coffee, (which is served to my by the two pigs pictured below) I walk back to my apartment to continue blogging.

Oink Oink

While blogging, even though, my window is closed, a giant wasp suddenly flies in the room. Terrified, I quickly open the window to let it out. I look again at the giant hole in my wall and notice it leads directly outside. I was unable to snag a photo of the wasp, but I did get this photo of the hole.

Wasp Hole (which is also a great band name)

When I get to work that afternoon, Josie shows me a photo of the new mattress she is getting me. I am thrilled. Everyone at work comments on how I seem to be in a much better mood today. I think being so close to being caught up on my blog is really helping me.

I ask Josie again about my toilet and she tries to explain to me again that it isn't broken. So I, again, try to explain to her that its very annoying. She claims the plumber refuses to come and look at it because it's not broken but I find that hard to believe. Plumbers don't mind getting paid. Josie than explains that all the toilets in china shriek. I ask than ask both Josie and Peter if their toilet's shriek. They both have to admit they don't.

I mention to Peter that I want to go to Nanjing during my break and ask him to help me book my hotel. He refuses, saying it will be the same price if I just do it in person. I know everyone is sick of helping me, but I don't know Chinese. I have even asked about taking a Chinese class and they have both said there aren't any. (Peter said he might have some Chinese Kindergarten book I can look at.) Josie enters and says I should only get a hotel Monday night and not stay Sunday or Tuesday night, which really isn't any of her god damn business. I tell her I plan on staying in some youth hostels to save some money. Josie explains that I won't be able to stay at many hotels in Nanjing, including the youth hostels, because I am using my passport as an ID instead of China Residence card. She then lets me know that we may have to go get my residence permit on Monday. Why doesn't she lead with that? These people are so frustrating.

I text Salma that I am going to Nanjing on Monday and she says that she and her friends will meet up with me an show me around. I am very excited about this.

I also, stupidly, text Anne. We are getting dinner Saturday night.

Josie translates from the owner of the school some notes for me. She tells me to do the warmup songs at the beginning of the classes and to have the students repeat what I say in the classroom. I am already doing both of these things. The owner then comes up to me, grabs my shoulders, and stares in my eyes while grinning. This owner likes/touches me way too much.

I'm sure watching me teach one of these classes may be interesting, but explaining them is so annoying. Today I taught the kids good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and good night. Meanwhile, the kids pretended to fall our of their chairs and laugh. These kids are like 4 years old, I'm sure none of them want to be in an English class right now. They just want to play. And it's my job to say "Stop playing children, hey, stop playing. Cat. Cat. Repeat after me. Cat. Meow"

For dinner, I try to order a vegan rice dish with onions, tofu, and mushrooms but I can't get my order to go through. I show my phone to Peter, who says I need to add two more things and then quickly adds something and orders it for me. I have no idea what Peter has ordered or if it's vegan. When the food comes and I open it, Josie is shocked.

"Where is the rice?"

"Uh I don't know, I didn't know what I was ordering."

Because Peter helped me order, Josie makes Peter go downstairs and buy some rice for me. Peter is not happy about this at all. I try to say it's no big deal, I'll eat it anyway, but it's too late, Peter is gone. When Peter gets back, I joke that Peter didn't order me rice on purpose because I accidentally ate his lunch last week. No one finds this even remotely funny. Everyone but Peter does laugh, though, when I tell them about seeing Peter holding his girlfriends hand. If Peter didn't hate me before, he definitely does now.

Josie asks me which of the teachers, other than Peter, speaks the best English. I tell her I don't know because none of them have ever talked to me.

After work, I stop at that liquor store to get a Gatorade. They have orange today, a real American flavor. I buy it and drink the whole thing very quickly. It's not as good as I remember it to me. I like the blueberry more. I'm so Chinese now.