And now, a word about Oliver

oliver, the aforementioned teacher liason, is a powerhouse. a few months behind me in age, he has mastered two of the most difficult languages on the planet, one with a delightful english accent. he has been our tour guide these past few days, our interpreter, our friend. he took us to chengdu proper, showed us the best restaurants to eat at, and even showed us where to get western food. he has been a bit protective of us, but i think he's relaxing a bit now. i asked oliver tonight how to say grapes and apples, and he told me right off the bat. then he said, "go on, we'll see how you do." i looked at him like a child looks at a parent on his first day of school, and went over to butcher the chinese language at the fruit stand. afterwards, he told me my chinese was getting better, and since has said before that my chinese handwriting was like a first grader's, i think i'll believe him.