One last thing...

Saw Lili off this morning with jiaozi and a hearty handshake (followed by a hug - some people are so sentimental) followed by a good two hours of previously unwatched Jeeves and Wooster to cheer myself up a bit. I finally got around to calling the school in Sichuan where I'm going to be teaching, and I was pleased to discover that the guy I talked to seemed to understand what I was saying and I think I understood what he was saying, too! This is marvelous because as I've mentioned I'm terrible at using the phone in Chinese. Plus I'm given to understand that he might be picking me up in Luguhu on his scooter. But it occurs to me now that it's also possible "moto che" means "motorcycle," and that's a very very frightening thought. But you should not be worried! Everything is going to be super!

Right, now I'm off to Chengdu.