First of all, Lauren, you cannot even say these pavilions are ugly, ok so maybe the picture background is a little dark ( it was raining) and gloomy and there is clutter everywhere, but these pavilions are amazing. The China pavilion is so extravagantly large you have to blink your eyes a few times to make sure you're not dreaming. And alright, so maybe the U.S pavilion is a little underwhelming ( a few cracks I've heard, outlet mall, movie theater...), but still, pretty neat in that all of these pavilions will be completely torn down in 9 months. Ironic huh? An exposition that's theme is sustainable living and respecting the environment is TEARING down hundreds of buildings after using them for only 9 months. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of buildings...bulldozed. Go Earth.
Anyways, today we spent the whole day training on protocol. In China there are so many rules to approaching dealing with officials and people of importance, and each other in general. Terms like "guanxi" and "mianzi" control all aspects of relationships, that is offering favors and saving face. But aside from China, I don't think that we Americans ( or people from the States) even understand the complexity of U.S government officials. Our government is made up of so many different rankings, it's like being a movie star but with power people don't see as easily. Yeah, it's a lot like being like a movie star actually, officials have large entourages, they expect very preferential treatment, they have certain titles, gift-giving is expected, one must greet one official with another official of the same or higher ranking, the list goes on. I guess this is the real world, it's all about who you are, who you know, and in China....who get's the best gift. And in the midst of all this, I will be quietly in the background holding their coats and umbrellas. But at least I'll be taller :)