So, I stumbled into Serena, my friend and TA, online last night. I had been meaning to call her because she had missed my class with her on Sunday, and the sub TA told me that she had an emergency. Having not heard anything from the school, I assumed it was a minor emergency. I was wrong.
Turns out when she was in class with me on Saturday her father seems to have suffered a heart-attack and has died. I met her mother a few times, but never met her father, but I can only imagine what this means for her family. In fact, I can’t imagine what it means to her family. I think her mother is retired, and her father was the one bringing in the income. I felt a bit foolish offering my sympathies, it always just sounds so empty – I mean…
Anyway, I think my laundry has finished spinning “dry” – time to put it on the radiators and see about heading into Dalian. I think Emma and I are going there today – she to visit some friends, me to see about some DVDs.. (yes, yes, I know it’s a sickness) and some new slacks. I think I’m picking a bad to do any shopping, as it’s Women’s Day… and aparently that translates to loads of deals for women, and f’all for us blokes. Ah… the celebration of equality and womanhood.
Things have warmed up quite a bit the last two days, and I’ve officially switched to Spring-jacket mode. I have that knot in my stomach that I’ll be taking my winter coat of the hanger again soon enough… but it’s been just beautiful out.
Oh, I was also told yesterday that Emma will be taking over my A5/A6 class, which initially bummed me out a bit as I like teaching the adults. But turns out that it was to make time for me to teach an English class to a business in Kaifaqu. I’ll be teaching 20 or so employees of one of Dalian’s largest companies about four hours a week, plus I get picked up in a car and driven to Kaifaqu… haha, too cool.
