Voice of Will: burned by a friend

2006-01-09 - 9:47 a.m.
Ok. I have been a bit slow updating my journal and for that I apologize.
Where to begin? This has been the semester from hell. NO doubt about it, no ifs, ands or buts about it. Thank the maker it is over.

We have been on winter break for 2 weeks now, and I'm just finally getting to relax.
To top all things off, I get yelled at at the end of term for something I didn't do, and had no control over.
Let me explain. I invited my friends to come to SIAS and teach. I never thought any of them would take me up on it, but one of them did. He was not very happy here this semester, and had made that fact very well known. He also had a tendency to try to fight other peoples battles, so he would see somethign that would bother him, and let it bother him, and go around with a chip on his shoulder.

So he decided not to come back to sias and break his contract. Ok. It happens. He leaves a week early when all the teachers are supposed to be turning in their grades. Ok that happens also. He doesn't turn in his grades. So where does everyone come to look for them? Me. I get blamed for "allowing this to happen" by 3 different people in the administration of the school. I am supposed to have provided better leadership to my friend. They even tell me they are thinking of cancelling his visa to have him arrested at the airport before he leaves.
Now let me explain how things work in china. Your reputation is all you have. People get to know you and get a relationship with you (they call it guanshi, think of it like networking but much bigger). Now because of my friend, my name is MUD. My recommendations are for shit, and when I open my mouth no one listens. A year of building relationships, and gaining respect gone because a friend of mine could not do the things he was supposed to.

To finish the story, I had to track this friend down in beijing, where another friend of mine was doing me a favor by showing him around before he left (you know never coming back so might as well see the forbidden city, the great wall, tiannamen square, etc...) and they wouldn't let him go on a tour until his grades were finished. apparently he yelled at my friend who was doing me a favor, and was then complaining bout having to spend money to move his bags, and other things to the airport.

All of this for friendship. Too bad my name is now mud, and I can't buy a friend when I need one now.

Will