Chinese citizens - mostly elderly - practice Tai Chi or dance in public spaces during the cooler morning hours.

Today was the first day of volunteer orientation. It was a long day – just over 12 hours of training plus a 30-minute commute by foot each way.

During the morning walk to work, we passed many public squares where dozens of Chinese people were meeting to exercise.

For orientation, we began with introductions and then took tours of USA House and the Hilton HQ operations to learn about their various parts and functions.

USA House is huge – three stories plus a basement level, ground-level terrace and a Budweiser party deck on the roof. It’s surrounded by a moat on three sides and guarded by very serious Chinese security. The place was bustling with activity – installations and set-up are still in progress and must be completed by the soft opening on Monday.

We stayed way out of the way… We went on a six-hour scavenger hunt.

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