I guess I slept well last night. No horrifying dreams, for a nice change of pace.
I decided to start the day by taking Benji out and scootering over to the wild animal reserve in Gaochun. On my way over, I felt a slight sense of bliss. I've never been to Vermont, but the trees I saw on my trip made me think of Vermont. I think I would like it there. I think Vermont may have been the artist retreat I was imagining when I moved to China. I should have taught English in Vermont.
I couldn't find the entrance to the animal reserve. I wanted to see a tiger, but I guess not today. The air is mildly fresh though, by China standards. My ride was somewhat pleasant. On my way back to my apartment though, I also felt boredom. David Byrne has a song called Big Country about the beauty of nature and how it's not enough. It's about missing the city while being stuck in absolute beauty. This peaceful, serene life isn't for me. I couldn't live like that, no siree.
When I come home and make my rice today, I accidentally used vinegar instead of soy sauce. I added some soy sauce after, but it was too late. The damage was done. This is probably my worst rice dish.
I have an interview with a school in Suzhou. It's not as big as Shanghai or Beijing, but I'm hopeful it could be a nice fit.
Still no response from Metal. I fucked it up, didn't I?
I get to work at am given a new schedule and at first it seems like my hours look like they are significantly cut for this next week. Then I look more closely. All my classes have been pushed to Sunday. I will be working almost non-stop from 8 to 5 with only three breaks, one for five minutes, one fore ten, and then finally an hour long break from two to three. I want to create a stink, but I don't think there is anything in Chinese law or in my contract that can back me up that this is slightly unreasonable. I have to pick my battles, this is not one to fight.
At least Peter has relaxed and has started to goof around with me again. Someone brought in tea boiled eggs, and Peter convinces me to taste them. I tell him I'm not really a fan of hard boiled eggs and he says these taste better. They do not. I can't finish it and have to spit it out. This makes Peter laugh pretty hard. He also shows me that he ordered an Oxford dictionary for very cheap. I tell him that the dictionary is always cheap.
"Doesn't everyone buy them in America?"
"No, not really."
Boss lady showed up at work again today. She got Peter to translate.
"Are there any musicals for children in America?"
"Oh yes, there are tons. Charlotte's Web, Oliver, Annie."
"Do you think our students could do one of them?"
"No I don't think so."
She then forces me to go dance during the sing along again even though I am on break. I go, but I feel shit about it. I won't be doing this anymore. I can't just be tapped on the shoulder to dance and sing, god dammit. If they want me to work, put it on my god damn schedule. I will be putting my foot down on this.
Peter always seems incredibly stressed. He always power walks from the office to his classes and back. He looks like one of those aging women with weights in her hand strolling through the park when he does this.
I teach another one of Sakey's classes today. When she gives me the lesson plan for her class, I suddenly go goo goo eyed and just stare into her eyes. God she is so beautiful. Sakey, she's my one and only. It'll work out with her for sure. I shouldn't flirt with co-workers though. And she barely speaks English. Never mind, forget it.
After work, I get another call from Suzhou. It seems like they like me an want to offer me at a fairly good rate. It's just outside of Shanghai, so I message Katie to make sure that the city is reasonable. Katie tells me that the city is shit and there is nothing to do there either.
I'm still hungry, so I make some more rice (sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this batch.) I don't accidentally add vinegar so it's better than my morning rice, but it's still just rice and soy sauce and oyster sauce. Speaking of which, I am starting to run low on soy sauce and oyster sauce. This worries me. I should have bought more sauce instead of trying to get Metal's number, especially since she isn't accepting my friend request. But it's too late to look back now, I just have to keep moving forward.
According to the expat threads, a bridge collapsed somewhere near Nanjing today. Three people died. The expat community is in mourning, even though no one knows anyone involved. Apparently three big trucks drove on a shitty bridge at the same time. A fair amount of product was lost as well.
I'm feeling restless so I take decide to just take Benji out for a late night ride. I blast 90's hip hop in my head phones as I drive down through the empty alleyways of Gaochun. It's after 10, so the streets are completely empty. Despite being incredibly lonely, I am overcome with an incredible sense of freedom. It's just me out here. I can do whatever I want and I really don't have to answer to anyone. I couldn't answer to anyone even if I wanted too. Sure, I'm stuck in a stupid school with a stupid job, but my hours are really pretty short. I don't have friends, but I have 90's hip hop. Maybe I can't ask for much more than that.