KST went to get the Chinese embassy to get a visa to go and see his sick wife. They couldn’t do it, so he arranged to fly to London today, and get his visa at the embassy there. But when he tried to leave today, he was unable to. I haven’t seen him since he got back to get the full story, but this is all rather worrisome: is our status in this country so fucked up that they won’t actually let us leave? TOHH, thank God! managed to go.

The new classroom block is taking shape. We moved into the new staffroom today – very pleasant. It makes the temporary-temporary staff room look like a cave. The main corridor looks the part now, with decent Italian manufactured benches dotted along its length. DoS handed me a price list for snacks which will be available in th teaching blockl from Sunday – which is great news, there are no shops or cafes within easy reach of the college, and I’m getting bored with my constant succession of cheese- egg-tuna sandwiches. Really, it’s all coming together.

The internal politics become more involved. Together with details about beefburgers and fizz drinks, DoS handed me a note inviting me to comment on Johnny-Go-Between’s “performance” at the meeting the other day. It’s true that he was nervous and put up a poor show generally. I’ve warmed to him, though, because, as promised he came up with details of playgroups which make the longer term prospect of my wife and daughter coming out for an extended period much more realistic.

Nobody else came away with a favourable impression, however. And it seems a bit odd to invite junior staff to comment on the presentation and preparation skills of a manager... I won’t get involved. If management have the knives out for him, that’s their business, but I won’t sharpen them.

Also, it’s becoming clear that HD is a wee shite. Well, I realised that months ago, back in Blighty. He seems to drop LM in it at every turn. At least, I’m told, as he escorted TOHH to the airport on Tuesday he got a taste of her madness.

And this PTI is becoming a pain in the arse. Twice today, in the minibus going to work and again coming home, he’s butted in to conversations I’ve been having – first with IT Bloke and then with LM. I had to bite my tongue to prevent me snapping at him to be quiet when grownups were talking.

The first conversation with IT Bloke was about the internet connexion, and the advisability of changing it for an unknown quantity. At least now, I suggested, it works most of the time... Better the devil you know and all that. When from the back of the van PTI piped up with “If you want to pay 800 dinars a month...” I told him rather abruptly that I wasn’t paying a penny for it. I wouldn’t have minded a contribution, mind, it’s just that he was interrupting for the sake of it.

And then this afternoon I was talking to LM about the Laptop Fiasco. What that is, we all get laptops when we start with this company, but they are incompatible with the network in the new building so we’re to get new ones. Well, that wouldn’t matter, except that management is going to enforce company policy about what you download onto them, and you actually won’t be able to run exe files without admin (ITB) authority.

That may or may not fly at work, but most of us use them at The Bungalows, too, and have downloaded free programs like Skype. I was speculating that I would in that case offer to buy my existing laptop from the company and keep it for personal use only. And then PTI butted in to say that the policy about downloads had to be something for management, that it couldn’t be left in the hands of one person, (I think he meant ITB, but he had told me earlier that the new no-download malarkey was the idea of management, not him). PTI seems to have formed a dislike for ITB, (who I find rather likeable) and butted into the conversation to air that.

Nevertheless. PTI is a mosquito, and one has to live with mosquitoes in these parts. Whereas TOHH was a rampaging hippo of despair, and now she’s gone like a bad dream. All things considered, it’s not so bad here.