Yeah, I would like to revise my previous statement

Yeah, I remember when I said that I loved the school. I'm not so sure if love is the word I would currently use. I love the people I work with and I just adore my students but I'm not sure if I'm loving the school. There is a new headmaster at the school and he's turning everything into shit. Prime example, the way he is treating Nick and myself in additon to what they have done in the upcoming weeks. Matt and I planned to go to Dali for the May holiday coming up. Now according to the last week long holiday, we had to work the weekended after to make up for 2 days not worked. Now you are probably a bit confused but I will explain. The holiday is actually a three day holiday for everyone in China. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The school however, gives us the rest of the week off. Thursday and Friday, so that we can have one full week, but because those last 2 days are not part of the holiday, they still insist that we work the 2 days to make up for it. So we get Thursday and Friday off but then we have to work Saturday and Sunday and then still work the Monday to Friday week that follows. Still confused? Well, sorry, not much more I could do. Anyway, Matt and I made our plans to go to Dali. We were originally going to leave on the 28th and return a week from that day but when I went to the train station, there were no tickets available. Plus no tickets for the 27th. The earliest available time was for the 26th. So I booked it, prepared to know that we would have to take 2 personal days on Thursday and Friday and we would be on our way. I sent Mr Ye an email letting him know my plans and felt that everything was taken care of. Then yesterday afternoon, by no official method, just by discussions in the office, we find out that we are working the weekend before the holiday, not after. This poses a big problem. I already have tickets booked, hotel booked and I've alread told Mr Ye I would take those 2 days. I don't have 4 days available. Now I'm not sure if I can get the train tickets refunded and I don't know what the changes would do for the hotel. So now in addition to not knowing what to do, I'm really pissed that they waited until now to say something. I want to go to Dali and I don't particularly care whose toes I step on. I know they probably won't send me home early and I know they don't want me back but Matt stix is concerned because he doesn't want to step on any toes because he has intentions of re-signing with the school. So I just don't know. I suppose if push came to shove, we could leave on the Sunday or the Monday night and come back the next Sunday. It's just the way they do thins here. It's something I would never get used to. Even Annaick got into an argument with Julia about it. Annaick went through alot of trouble to make plans to go to Tibet, going under the same assumption that we were all under, then she finds this out. Well for her it's way too late to change plans but Julia thinks that even telling us a week in advanced is still too early. We all believe that atleast a few weeks advanced notice is reasonable. Especially for something that is a national holiday, where everyone in China is going somewhere. You have to book as erly as possible to ensure that you get what you want. And for us it is doubly difficult because we don't speak the language and either have to get someone chinese to go with us or get someone to write out what we need in chinese to give it to the ticket agent. However, in that case, if they ask a question and you don't have enough chinese to understand and formulate an answer, you can be screwed. They were actually going to tell us about this plan next week! but somehow it slipped out yesterday. I just don't know anymore. But I'll tell you this, now more than ever I want to come home. Don't get me wrong. No regrets. I'm enjoying myself and I will continue to do so, until my last day here but there are just some things that the chinese leave to be desired.

TTFN