I went to work at the Happy Tree kindergarten in the morning.After my classes, the assistant asked me if I have any Chinese friends I can bring next week to tell the children what to do.I told her none of my Chinese friends would be free to help me.I also tried to explain if a Chinese person is talking to them in Mandarin and I am talking to them in English, they will stop listening to me and just listen to the Chinese person, which won't help them learn English!Unfortunately her English is not great either so I'm not sure if she understood me.

On my way home from work I went to the bookshop.The English range is very limited and only consists of classic English literature.It's like going into a school library!I bought a copy of 'Call of the Wild' and 'Sense and Sensibility' then I decided to go and get my hair cut.I went to a salon near to where I live.I showed them in my phrase book I wanted a shampoo and a trim.There was a lot of kerfuffle as they got over the shock that a Laowai had just walked in.I asked how much and one of the girls attempted to speak English and said "Thirty" (about £3). Another of the girls led me to the back of the shop for my hair wash.It was nice to have really clean feeling hair again.But the feeling didn't last once they started combing and brushing.The equipment is not kept in any sort of sterilising solution as it would be in a salon at home, so the brushes are all hairy from previous clients.Nice.

The hairdresser did a good job on my hair though, he really did just trim the very ends off and gave me the side fringe I always have- I was able to communicate this by using my fingers as a pretend pair of scissors and snipping off the front section.My hair was blow-dried and then I went to pay.I handed over a fifty RMB note and I was expecting twenty in change.But I was given forty seven change back.The girl had meant three not thirty- I got a wash, cut and blow-dry for 30 UK pennies!!!

In the evening I met up with Ruth and we went to a Pizza restaurant near where I live.I had somehow never noticed it before, even though the sign quite clearly says 'Pizza' in English.It is run by a Chinese couple who were sat in the restaurant playing computer games together.Ruth and I both ordered a pizza and some fries to share.I asked for a vegetarian pizza and the lady came back out from the kitchen holding an aubergine and a potato, gesturing for me to pick one.I opted for the aubergine; I can't really imagine potato on a pizza!The food was quite nice but the cheese was not very cheesy.Only Pizza Hut in Jinan has so far met my cheese expectations!