E.M. in Issan & China, general update

Over the past three months, my own research has been impeded by
inclement circumstances, but that may now (finally) change.

I'm once again in the situation of a reluctant tourist, as my next
employer has requested that I remain in Thailand for a full month,
pending the Chinese government's processing of my next work visa.

I have been offered a position as a lecturer in English literature at
one of Kunming's larger universities (a student body of circa 20,000,
I was told).

One may interpret "lecturer in English literature" as "somewhat
glorified English teacher" (this is yet more desirable than my current
status as a "glorified refugee") --however, the position insinuates me
into the culture of the "Iron Rice Bowl" in the Chinese Public sector,
and this may serve for me to finish my current project in Pali studies
(translating Kaccayana's grammar, etc.).  Even the smallest and the
meanest of Yunnan's universities seems to me much better than the best
in Lao --and at least comparable to the best in Thailand.

I will have a small, furnished apartment (including a rice-cooker and
teapot, of course) where I will be able to commence serious work on
Pali again immediately --or, as soon as the paperwork is in order.

The salary is meagre, of course, and I will be responsible for
something on the order of 160 students (and thus, 160 report-cards,
etc.), but the option is impossible for me to refuse, as I am tired of
living without desk or desk-lamp --and even a library without a single
volume in English is preferable to having no library at all.

For those currently in Thailand, or about to pass through, I have
rented an apartment in Issan to wait out the month, and will perhaps
altnerate between the study of Pali and the various, unrelated
vernaculars (viz., Lao, Thai, and Chinese) that I seem compelled to
study to survive.

The appeal of perhaps picking up modern Chinese is tempered by the
fact that it is almost wholly useless for reading the Chinese
recension / transliteration of the Pali canon --and, vice-versa,
studying the characters to make use of that resource (for comparative
reading with the Pali) is of almost no utility in relation to modern
Chinese.

It is impossible for me to predict how durable this arrangement will
be, viz., living on the margins of Kunming's academia --partly because
I cannot anticipate how I will respond to the strange circumstances of
living (in isolation) on a Chinese campus.

If my own research and writing can thrive there, I will stay for
several years.  If not, I shall not.  However, I have now met
(personally) several scholars making real progress in their own
research, while enjoying the absurdities and agonies of Chinese
academia --and earning a modest income.  So, perhaps, I may also be
able to do the same.

The one "allegedly untranslated" and "allegedly Prakrit" inscription
in the Kunming Museum is also an appealing feature of living there
--at least in the short term.

It still seems to me that my research will inevitably lead me back to
Cambodia; the (foreshadowed/anticipated) reloaction of J. Filliozat to
Phnom Penh (at least seasonally, viz., during the winters) will make
this an even more interesting opportunity.

E.M.