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| Kerry - the tall women in the middle - is a diplomat -
license plate and all. |
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| George Bush's bike |
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30 DAYS! 20% of our time in China is gone. It has been a really exciting experience. We have never been somewhere quite like this before.
Last night - the United States Embassy had a big party to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic friendship between the USA and China. You may remember Richard Nixon visiting China during "ping pong" diplomacy - that eventually established the relationship. George HW Bush (41) - was one of the first diplomats here. He is like the Godfather here - lots of pictures of him.
Lulu has been doing lots of special assignments at the embassy the last couple of weeks. It has become a second home for her. She is fascinated by the workings.
Most of the people at the party last night were former Fulbright Scholars. Fulbright sends Americans all over the world - but they also support scholars from other countries. Chinese love to come to America to study. It was fun hearing their stories about their trips and where they stayed. This exchange has really shaped a positive view of America to the people of China.
Chinese people love American culture. It is fun seeing Chinese teens with t-shirts with English words on them. Most of them make no sense at all - except they are cool because they seem American.
The USA Embassy covers an entire city block. Inside - it is like its own little city. There are buildings - courtyards - statues - ponds - etc. There is also a lot of glass and stainless steel. Looking around it reminded me of the final days at the Vietnam Embassy in 1975. I could see several places where helicopters could fly in to extract the staff.
Ambassador Terry Branstad spoke - then we had buffet food - barbecued beef and pork. They also had lots of really good ice cream. All the products were from American food vendors. They had a full line of beer and wine.
I brought along a navy blue blazer and a tie just in case. I looked like a used car salesman. Lulu brought along several professional outfits and she looked like a diplomat.
We took the subway to the embassy because during rush hour it is much faster and avoids traffic. It is only 45 cents. After the party - we hopped a cab - and he had us home quickly. 5 miles - $5.
Today - I plan to go to a Scooter Store. It is right near the Flower Market by the main station. I want to see the different models - how much they cost - and how much it would be to ship home. I do not plan to drive over here. I am not a very brave person.
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| This guy had a turtle on his bike |
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| I guess he was for sale |
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| Open bar |
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| Forty years of pictures |
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| Neat camera studio |
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| Ready to serve the barbecue |
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| Lots of ice cream |
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| Other food too |
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| Fulbright published books |
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| Smoozing |
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| No one touched the sacred bike - then Lulu hopped up |
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| Look at how clean the subway floor is |
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