Lost In China

I think I’ve mentioned Harry before. A teaching colleague, indeed my only teaching colleague. He’s moving to the university down the road. A good teacher and a smart funny American Liberal. We ‘shoot the breeze’ as he puts it and seem to agree on most things. 

Do these remarks reveal my default prejudice ? Well maybe they do. But I do have SOME data. We might call it a micro qualitative survey.  In Zhuhai in January I soon made friends with an Afghan who was living in China. A really nice man. A surgeon. Used to live in Kabul but then had to get out as some lovelorn Talib was after his wife.  Best not to argue with these chaps if you want to stay alive. Some of his Relatives were killed in the American Invasion. The things he told me were horrifying. And yet there was an underlying calmness and generosity about him that I found quite difficult to understand. It was very impressive. One night we were chatting over Tsing Dao’s as we did most nights. An American teacher had come with us and Hamid, that’s the Afghan guy’s name, and me were discussing the 2001 invasion. I said I thought there was a case to be made for it, albeit a weak one. Hamid, rather to my surprise, agreed. Hamid turned to the American teacher and asked him what he thought the rationale of the invasion was. “Because Afghanistan sucks” he said with a cheery smile. 

He deserved a punch for that witless remark but he didn’t get one. We spent the rest of the evening ever so politely ignoring him although I don’t think he noticed. So…. I know, anecdotal evidence, a small sample to say the least…….but……It was great to meet Harry. 

The leaving do was a dinner at a restaurant I hadn’t been to before. Best Dinner, or perhaps Banquet is a better word, I have had since I’ve been here. I think there were 12 of us, mostly students. The food was *delicious* as ALL my students always say, despite the fact that I’ve taught them other adjectives. I briefly totted up how much it cost. About £3 a head. I offered a tenner but was told this was simply not possible by the students, some of whom I know don’t have much money. Then there was a discussion as to what to do after dinner. Of course the answer in England would be to go to the Pub and drink more but China is different. It’s a difference I like. I suggested playing Pool but Harry wanted Karaoke and it was his night……