This Great Work

Where to start on this unreal experience?  President Hu is the president of Waston that the joint venture is with.   He is a very, very, very wealthy man. His only grandson, Alex, got married and President Hu threw the party.  At the gala back in June, we heard they were having the reception in August (they were actually married in May) and hoped that we would be invited just so we could experience what a wedding in China would be like.   In early August, Tom came home from work with this box filled with goodies and treats.  Every employee in the Waston group got boxes.  They were gifts for all to celebrate the marriage. A few weeks later we started hearing about the wedding gift.  We still are not sure how it works, but there is a calculated amount each employee had to pay for a wedding gift. (We later learned that it isn't *required*, but if you want to remain in good standing, you do it.) Tom's calculated amount was $735.  Not kiddin...

Jacky told us Waston was having a welcoming party for us on Thursday night.  "For the whole family."  Not knowing the culture and what to expect, we asked what the dress code was: "business casual".  That was a loose term because we were easily the best dressed.  Besides President and Mr. Hu, everyone was in jeans, t-shirts, tennis shoes etc.  We didn't feel over dressed, but it was just very interesting to observe since it was a very classy event. It was at the Sheraton and we arrived with wide eyes and with no idea what to expect!  I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to; the girls thought it too much of a spectacle, but I'll share the few that I got. It didn't start with any fanfare.  After the servers had all of the drinks poured, President Hu just started dishing up his plate and began eating. The food was very fancy!  It was on a turn table in the center; and you turned it and took what you wanted onto your own plate (Chinese family st...