inspires me to accomplish all that I can.And happy birthday,Royale.It was her birthday yesterday.(Laughter.) And then there's Philmon Haile from the University of Washington,whose family came to the U.S.as refugees from Eritrea when he was a child.And of his experience studying in China,he said,"Study abroad is a powerful vehicle for people-to-people exchange as we move into a new era of citizen diplomacy." "A new era of citizen diplomacy."I could not have said it better myself,because that's really what I'm talking about.I am talking about ordinary citizens reaching out to the world.And as I always tell young people back in America,you don't need to get on a plane to be a citizen diplomat.I tell them that if you have an Internet connection in your home,school,or library,within seconds you can be transported anywhere in the world and meet people on every continent. And that's why I'm posting a daily travel blog with videos and photos of my experiences here in China,because I want young people in America to be part of this visit.And that's really the power of technology-how it can open up the entire world and expose us to ideas and innovations we never could have imagined. And that's why it's so important for information and ideas to flow freely over the Internet and through the media,because that's how we discover the truth.That's how we learn what's really happening in our communities and our country and our world.And that's how we decide which values and ideas we think are best--by questioning and debating them vigorously,by listening to all sides of an argument,and by judging for ourselves. And believe me,I know how this can be a messy and frustrating process.My husband and I are on the receiving end of plenty of questioning and criticism from our media and our fellow citizens.And it's not always easy,but we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.Because time and again,we have seen that countries are stronger and more prosperous when the voices of and opinions of all their citizens can be heard. And as my husband has said,we respect the uniqueness of other cultures and societies,but when it comes to expressing yourself freely and worshipping as you choose and having open access to information,we believe those universal rights-- they are universal rights that are the birthright of every person on this planet.We believe that all people deserve the opportunity to fulfill their highest potential as I was able to do in the United States. And as you learn about new cultures and form new friendships during your time here in China and in the United States,all of you are the living,breathing embodiment of those values.So I guarantee you that in studying abroad,you're not just changing your own life,you are changing the lives of everyone you meet. And as the great American President John F.Kennedy once said about foreign students studying in the U.S.,he said "I think they teach more than they learn."And that is just as true of young Americans who study abroad.All of you are America's best face,and China's best face,to the world--you truly are. Every day,you show the world your countries'energy and creativity and optimism and unwavering belief in the future.And every day,you remind us--andinspires me to accomplish all that I can.” And happy birthday, Royale. It was her birthday yesterday. (Laughter.) And then there’s Philmon Haile from the University of Washington, whose family came to the U.S. as refugees from Eritrea when he was a child. And of his experience studying in China, he said, “Study abroad is a powerful vehicle for people-to-people exchange as we move into a new era of citizen diplomacy.” “A new era of citizen diplomacy.” I could not have said it better myself, because that’s really what I’m talking about. I am talking about ordinary citizens reaching out to the world. And as I always tell young people back in America, you don’t need to get on a plane to be a citizen diplomat. I tell them that if you have an Internet connection in your home, school, or library, within seconds you can be transported anywhere in the world and meet people on every continent. And that’s why I’m posting a daily travel blog with videos and photos of my experiences here in China, because I want young people in America to be part of this visit. And that’s really the power of technology –- how it can open up the entire world and expose us to ideas and innovations we never could have imagined. And that’s why it’s so important for information and ideas to flow freely over the Internet and through the media, because that’s how we discover the truth. That’s how we learn what’s really happening in our communities and our country and our world. And that’s how we decide which values and ideas we think are best –- by questioning and debating them vigorously, by listening to all sides of an argument, and by judging for ourselves. And believe me, I know how this can be a messy and frustrating process. My husband and I are on the receiving end of plenty of questioning and criticism from our media and our fellow citizens. And it’s not always easy, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Because time and again, we have seen that countries are stronger and more prosperous when the voices of and opinions of all their citizens can be heard. And as my husband has said, we respect the uniqueness of other cultures and societies, but when it comes to expressing yourself freely and worshipping as you choose and having open access to information, we believe those universal rights -- they are universal rights that are the birthright of every person on this planet. We believe that all people deserve the opportunity to fulfill their highest potential as I was able to do in the United States. And as you learn about new cultures and form new friendships during your time here in China and in the United States, all of you are the living, breathing embodiment of those values. So I guarantee you that in studying abroad, you’re not just changing your own life, you are changing the lives of everyone you meet. And as the great American President John F. Kennedy once said about foreign students studying in the U.S., he said “I think they teach more than they learn.” And that is just as true of young Americans who study abroad. All of you are America’s best face, and China’s best face, to the world -- you truly are. Every day, you show the world your countries’ energy and creativity and optimism and unwavering belief in the future. And every day, you remind us -- and