Had to write after the response to the last one! Didn't realise I'd sounded quite so
forlorn when I wrote it – thanks for all the notes of support and encouragement you've sent. I don't spend my days wallowing in misery – just shed some tears when Don phones or sometimes in
the middle of e-mails! Good thing I know I'm not pregnant – must be hormones!!
Got my passport back and changed some money – good thing my contract is in RMB because the AUD is sinking fast in comparison. 640 when I left home, 579
last week and 556 today! I might hang on to the rmb and forget about AUD! Learnt not to go to the Bank of China at lunch time – seems it's the time for
businesses and people exchanging USD, after holidays I guess. The latter involves looking for water-marks, examination with a magnifying glass, feeling,
and several times calling for a second or third opinion on the authenticity of the notes! Meanwhile, the poor customers just wait – one of the few (probably the
only) place I've seen a real queue! I was almost on the bus steps the other day when 3 young people just pushed in front – normal and accepted behaviour here.
Hadn't long got back from the bank when I got a call from the school to go down and pick up the balance of this
month's pay! Could have saved myself the trouble of converting my AUD! Apparently, when I asked for my passport
this morning, I must have given the impression I needed money! Well, I did, but not in the sense they took it! Payday is usually the 10th
of the month, so now I'll be VERY broke by May's payday! I really appreciate their thoughtfulness though.
Found out that we get the first week of May and October off and from July 20th
to Aug 25th. Then there's more holidays in Jan/Feb. Wonder if I get paid for that last lot? That would be a tad cheeky seeing my contract ends at
the end of Feb! Don should be able to come for the October break so that will be good. Will have to tee up with the
locals the best places to head in a week. Also found out, just as an aside, that they don't have leg-waxing in
Nantong so looks like it's back to shaving. I'll have legs like Norman Gunston's chin!
Forgot to mention yesterday about the stuffed animals I took to class. I had several stuffed toys and some
postcards of Aussie birds and animals. They were being passed around the class and I was asking "where is the
……" or "who has the ….." – and the fairy penguin failed to appear! After repeating the questions a couple of times it
appeared from under one of the girl's coats! I suspect he very nearly found a new mum!
Barb is looking for a Girl Guides group to swap badges with Soph's and Tay's group, so if anyone reading this
knows whether there are guides in China and, if so, where I can get in touch with them, I'd appreciate the info!
Now I really must get into next week's lesson plans or I'll have to come back early from Suzhou to do them!
