China in a nut shell My dealings with China

So my first blog of the new year! Let me tell you about my businesses from the end of last year all the way up to this very minute! Christmas time is our first stop! On Christmas Eve I went for a few drinks with a new teacher in my school. We went to a local bar and for a few quite ones but for some reason the drinking soon escalated and Crystal even joined us! Crystal had her first tequila shots and it was a good time. At around 10 we decided to go to the new teachers friends place miles away. We tried the metro but on a Saturday night you cannot move anywhere. Not good for a tipsy Crystal…so she took a few spews in the nearest trash cans. SO FUNNY! There were hundreds of people shuffling about trying to get on a train just 2 metres away which were already full of people. We decided to get a taxi and that was another disaster! 1 hour of trying and all we had to show for it was a few beers from the shop. Back to the metro and we were off! The party was full of foreigners which was a little scary. Oh man, I did one of the stupidest things I have ever done. I went into the kitchen and some people were talking and this one black guy from the U.K. was talking about his holiday in Jamaica SO I put on my worst accent and said something stupid I don't remember probably “beer can”. Everyone went quite and then give me shit for a list of things. I wanted to die! Still do. Just like this cringe worthy awkward moments in movies. Swiftly after the building security came and closed down the party so I stole some beer from the fridge and went home, never to return. My friend also moved to another city to start in a new school so we don’t meet a lot anymore. Christmas day I sported a moderate hangover so there was no drinking. Crystal had me up at 8 o’clock to open Christmas presents. Crystal really liked hers, I think, and mine were just what I wanted, a sports bag and iPod shuffle (for more sporting action). The girls from school had all gotten m presents so I had quite a few to open! In the afternoon Crystals sisters and one of her brothers came round and we had some hotpot and some chat. Delicious, I love hotpot! Man I’m hungry right now actually. They left by 3 and the rest of the day was spent online talking to my family! I was quite home sick but it was good to see them for so long. No beer all day! I would have killed some bucks fizz in the evening though, damn you CHRIS! New Year is a short story. I stayed at home. Watched the countdown show on T.V with Crystal then went to bed. Now for some work related news. A new, new teacher has started at my school! Well a few did but then there were multiple sackings and I was getting a little nervous they would start wielding the axe all too readily but I am still here! So first there was Andy came for a few weeks and then he moved to a new school. Then a girl called Sammy who came for 7 days and then on the seventh day she rested! Haha some bible humour ;) No not really, she came to work to do her classes and they said “oh [sorry] we don’t need [our souls or] you anymore” so she cried and everyone agreed the company is run by massive . Out of the blue as well, she was doing an alright job I thought and the day before she even told me she liked it here and looked forward to staying. They hired 2 new teachers to replace her and Craig (the other full time teacher who went home over Christmas because of a sick grandpa and our school thought he wouldn’t return because he fights with the school so much) BUT Craig did return so they fired one of the new teachers before he ever taught a class. So now there are 3 full time teachers at my school: Me, Craig and Jaret. Jaret is Canadian and an alright guy but far FAR too rich, handsome and cool. I don’t want to say more because it makes me sad, oh so sad. I got paid fully this month and oh boy was it great! I had all this money in my bank that I could spend at anytime! Chinese New Year coming up and a trip to my old city planned it was going to be pimp BUT alas NIGHTMARE!!! I have finished my part time job now. I did not like waking up so early or the commute or the pay but the schools and kids were great so I will miss them. I got my last 2 month’s salary from them too so I am super rich! BUT DISASTER!!! Chinese New Year is coming up. Class finished on the 15th and today is actually my last day of work before the holidays. The classes went well and I am slowly getting more students. With the New Year coming up the school organised a big event for the company to boost morale and show they care. We had a party on everyone’s day off that we had to attend…It was in a massive KTV room and there were shows and games and presentations galore. I won the ‘star teacher’ award and they gave me, ONLY me, a set of scales. Everyone else who won anything got a soup cooker or some nice wine or something. Suggesting much? They do like their fat jokes. After that us foreigners went for some (dozen) beers whilst the other girls from school had to go back to school to prepare for a test made by and for our school, which they were taking the next day. That makes it 17 days in a row they have not had a day off. No extra pay or holidays in lieu...So tomorrow is MY first day of the holidays BUT TERRIBLE NEWS! I will now tell you why there is so much bad news. I LOST MY WALLET! Dum dum duuuuuuum. Yes I was drunk and yes it was stupid. Thank you high and mighty observers. This is the first time I have lost my wallet and the next day I was 100% sure I would find it. The bar was 5 minutes from home and I lost it in a secure, rich person complex at around 2 a.m. so I spoke to everyone I met and it hasn’t turned up. This I thought still wasn’t a big problem. I can just go and get a new bank card. All the other cards I can replace as well. NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I went to the bank where I opened my account, with my face and my passport AND I was dealing with the man who originally opened my bank account. I have to wait 7 days to get my new card, “no problem” I said, I will just take some money out now then. “NO” “I’m sorry?” “NO” 7 days no money over the Chinese new year where the bank will be closed for around another week or so, so effectively around 14 days and no way to get any of my money. Why couldn’t they give me my money? Because they could not be sure I was me…ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?! I can’t use my online banking, transfer, anything. No way to speed it up. What I think is the second worst think about all this (after not believing I am me with all the evidence) is that if I was sober and lost my card or it was stolen this would still be happening to me. Chinese banking is so so soooooo stupid! 7 days is ‘waiting time’ where if no government office call and say there is a problem then they believe I am me. So if nothing changes they then believe I am me. I was so angry that I was calm you know what I mean? So now I am at work and was just given the strangest offer. Go and work at another school or stay and here and rest. I don’t know what the catch is but I feel like I am might get in trouble for choosing to stay and rest. So I am taking the risk, huzza! What did everyone else do for new year? Anyone have any good resolutions? I have none this year, I am getting lazy! Much love, Sam xxx