Sworn in

Katie and I are presently sitting next to a roaring fire on her parents' farm in central Kansas, getting ready to celebrate Christmas with her family, and enjoying our six-week break between semesters. Before we left Beijing, however, we were sworn in to the Colorado Bar by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, as we missed the official swearing-in ceremony in Denver back in October. Ambassador Randt, pictured below, also invited us to his holiday party at the Embassy Residence, which was wonderful.

The evening started with cocktails at the residence, and conversation with the other invited guests. We had a lovely chat with the Finnish Ambassador to China and his wife, as well as a Catholic priest that claims to own the largest collection of English-language books about China that is actually in China. After cocktails, we enjoyed about eight holiday songs sung by a pair of sopranos/sisters that brought the house down. Then, for dinner, we ended up sitting at a small table with Mary and Y.K. Pei. Mr. Pei is the brother of the architect, and also the inventor of an innovative solar-powered water heating technology. After rubbing elbows with the Ambassadors from Ireland and Mozambique, however, we made our way home so that we could get a decent night of sleep before the long flight home. And 30 hours later, we walked in the front door at the farm.

It's good to be home.