Beijing Day 2 Briefing @ U.S. Embassy

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The last time my family was in Beijing, we went to the old U.S. embassy to apply for the U.S. visa. I put on a pretty dress for my interview with American visa officer. I was rejected on the spot because they thought a pretty girl like me was likely to get married and stay in the U.S. My parents had to go through quite some trouble to get me in the country. The officer was absolutely right, I stayed in the U.S. I am about to get married too haha… The next day, we took the students to visit the U.S. embassy and discussed career opportunities with the embassy. The table curtained turned around this time. I came back Beijing not only as an American citizen, but also an educator to help American youth to learn about China and strengthen China and U.S. relation. We had a briefing with the Cultural Affairs Office in the new embassy. The new embassy was completed in 2008. It is massive, modern and stylish. We met with the head officer and his staff to gain an understanding of their services and responsibilities in Beijing. It was an amazing opportunity for the students to meet with foreign officers to discuss interview process and career prospects with the U.S. government when they are only in high school. I hope they knew how fortunate they were.

When we went to lunch, we found a whole range of American food like cereals, tomatoes mozzarella sandwiches and smoked salmon sandwiches, Starbucks, Fat Burger in a fancy shopping mall within the embassy district. Besides restaurants and fast food, we also saw an Olympic size pool, spa and upscale shops inside the mall. I say foreign officers live a pretty good life in Beijing.

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