43. Errrr Yuk.

An Education

It’s a beautiful 26 degrees day in Shanghai, but I find myself in a very unfamiliar place. 

I am in the Shanghai library. 

I was in the area and having got my library card last week I decided to give the place a browse.

I’m undecided over this place. All the books in the foreign section are course related, like economics, biology, physics, etc. Anyway I picked one book out of the economic section, titled Is economic growth sustainable, and two books out of sociology, World Regional Urban Development and Ways of Living and gave them a read.

I was reading the latter on a free table that had taken me a while to find, when a couple approached the girl claimed I was sitting in her hubbys seat.

 To my utter surprise I stood my ground ‘Wo xianzai zuo zheli’ I stated. They only had a mouse mat to claim the boy was sitting there anyway. So the girl despite her ‘We like to sit together’ pleas sat in the seat next to me and the boy jogged on.

I then got all-British puffed out my cheeks and packed my books giving the boy a steely glance as he returned to ‘his’ seat. I want to keep up relations after all.

This place is not even that packed; people just get a table and just pass out on it. Ridiculous.

I soon found another table, checked with the girl leaving, who had not passed out, that it was cool before planting and carrying on my education of things other than China.

May sound change but it felt great to read some essay, reference filled work. Learnt a few facts like China has 89 cities with over 1 million people and Shanghai is over 2000 years old.

No such Yuk

Before the library I’d had a private lesson with my oldest student, Yuk. Yes that’s his English or Chinese name.

I usually get along quite well with Yuk. But basically Yuk was not in my good books today. It didn't help that he lived up to his name by burping throughout the lesson.

Now I will tell you the story of why he was originally in the book but I fear I will sound like a dick so I must say now we are on good terms.

So it stemmed from Monday night where my captain asked for a few extra players. I asked Yuk. He said Yes. Then the captain said we had too many, from which I texted Yuk to say Sorry mate, maybe another time.

He had in these lessons told me how he loved football, he played in the centre of the park, pulled the strings etc. I was thinking big things. 

Anyway back to Monday, he went against what I said and came along to our football league match with a view to play. Originally he had said he would watch our game. But he came along and then went and put kit on!

I put myself in goal for this match so had no say on subs. We were 2-0 up against the team just above us in the league but a tidal wave of subs cost us any leadership/structure on the pitch. Without being harsh Yuk had a shocker, we conceded 4 goals in the 10 minutes he was on and lost the game 5-3.

Admittedly I was in goal and maybe should have had better communication but there was no defence. Literal shambles.

Anyway in the lesson today he ended up being 45 mins late. Ay kurumba! So in a fit of spite/ being a helpful teacher, I taught him every phrase/idiom you use on a football pitch from ‘on my head son’, to ‘get tight to him’, to ‘go on have a pop’ to ‘lets up the tempo lads’.

VeryCD

Since that football capitulation I haven’t felt myself. I became quite fatigued during the course of the week and ended up going to bed after my last lesson on Thursday at 4:40pm not to get out of bed till 3pm the next day.

In that time I watched 6 episodes of Walking Dead, and when I realised that the show was a bit slow I watched 4 episodes of Game of Thrones. I'm now on episode 8. These viewings were interspersed with sleep, lots of water and also The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

I have this incredible website to thank for this viewathon. VeryCD.com. Every TV show or recent film you would want to watch is on here. Amazingly its only available in China.

Perks of Being in China ay!