A few months ago, I was doing work alone in my apartment. I’m on a research scholarship to study Chinese politics, and much prefer my quiet hutong over the loud bustle of anywhere else in Beijing. On this particularly day, I was interrupted by a phone call. It was the U.S. Embassy. They don’t normally call me.
The embassy official asked me to give a speech about being an American student in China. The audience was to include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, State Councilor Liu Yandong (the highest ranking female politician in China), Ambassador Gary Locke, and a crowd of 200 high level business people and government officials. I had seven days to write it. In Chinese.
I wasted no time and reached out for help from my Chinese and American friends. We stayed up night after night, writing and rewriting, translating back and forth between Chinese and English, to get the meaning and tone just right. We wrote about the challenge of breaking out of our comfort zones to become real friends with people from a different culture. We talked about hope, how we as young Chinese and Americans can help our countries understand each other and avoid conflict. My friends politely listened as I nervously practiced the speech.
Finally, after seven days of writing and rehearsals, I arrived at the Chinese National Museum in Tiananmen Square. My hands started shaking even before I found my seat. My Chinese is good, but not perfect. But this wasn’t about showing off language skills. I felt that I had something important to say.
Before I knew it, I was standing on the stage going through my speech. I was shocked and delighted when I looked out at the audience and realized that the Chinese and Americans were not only listening but sharing broad smiles.
No place else in the world will a 23-year-old American have such an opportunity just for working hard to immerse himself in another culture. Nowhere else can I gather a dozen Chinese and Americans to spend nights and weekends helping me prepare. Nowhere else are two governments so strongly focused on people-to-people exchange in order to ensure the future of their relationship.
After the event, I got to meet Secretary Clinton, Liu Yandong, and so many other really interesting people. It was truly a life-changing experience. But, at the end of the day, I’m still just a student. I took the subway back to my hutong, grabbed a $0.70 煎饼 (or fried pancake), and fell right asleep. Only in Beijing…
几个月前，我正在我的公寓里学习。在这之前，我得到了一个研究中国政治的奖学金。相比北京其他喧闹的地方，我更喜欢我所居住的安静的小胡同，就在今天这个特别的日子，我被一个来自美国大使馆的电话打断。这真奇怪呢！他们通常不会给我一个穷学生打电话。
电话里大使馆官员请我以一个美国留学生的身份演讲。听众包括美国国务卿希拉里·克林顿、中国排名最高的女政治家、中国国务会委员刘延东、美国大使骆家辉，以及200多个商界高层人士和政府官员。我只有七天时间来准备这个演讲。
我争分夺秒加紧工作，同时我的中美两国朋友给了我很多帮助。我们经常熬夜，稿纸写了一遍又一遍，反复推敲、润色加工中英文措辞，最后我们得到了一篇恰到好处的讲稿。讲稿写到了如何应对我们的文化差异，我们作为年轻人如何让中美两国相互理解，避免冲突。我在台上紧张地练习讲话，我的朋友在台下礼貌地倾听。
经过七天的写作和演讲练习，最后我来到了坐落于天安门广场的中国国家博物馆。可以想象一路上我是多么的激动，甚至在找到我的座位之前，我的手就开始颤抖。之前，我认为我的中文虽然不完美，但还是比较好的。但是在今天这个重要场合，绚丽的语言技能并不重要，我觉得我有更重要的内容要说。
尽管之前我已熟记我的演讲内容，但当我站在台上，看着观众专心地倾听我的讲话，并不时露出会心的微笑，我还是感到振奋和高兴。
这个世界上真没有其他地方能使一个二十三岁的美国人如此融入他国文化。在别处，我不可能得到十几个不同国籍的朋友们不论周末、不分昼夜地帮助我准备我的事情。没有任何一个其他的场合会看到两国政府如此强烈关注两国人民彼此间的交流，以确保两国的关系和美好未来。
会后，我得到了克林顿国务卿、刘延东国务会委员的接见。我也认识到了其他许多有趣的人。这真是一次改变生活的体验。但是，在忙碌的一天结束之后，我还是一个学生。我随意买了七十美分的煎饼，坐着地铁回我的胡同，回到家沉沉地睡着了。这仅在北京…