I have just returned from a one week trip to the People’s Republic of China where I won a contest for the Olympic Games. I had never imagined that one day while listening to CRI English [as well as the Spanish Section] that I would one day be in Beijing in the People’s Republic of China. It is something I will treasure for life. For me, it was a pleasure and an honour to visit the People’s Republic of China and CRI English. It was also a pleasure to have met the representative of the American Embassy in Beijing during the time that I accepted the award in the Great Hall of the People. The following is the Thank You Note that I wrote in Beijing, capital of the People’s Republic of China on the 30th of June 2008 with modifications as the trip progressed.

I would like to take the time to thank the People’s Republic of China and CRI English including Gao Huiyeng [my interpreter], Xie Tingting [my photographer], Guan Juanjuan [Deputy Director of CRI], Ye Feng [Deputy Director Associate Professor of the CRI Urdu Service], Jade Wang [Channel Director of Easy FM China Radio International], Meng Yi [West Asian and African Broadcasting Director], Xing Bo [Vice Director CRI], Fernando Bo Asociacio Chinesa do Brasil, and Yang Lei [Chief of CRI English] as well as the staff of Radio Qingdao.

I would also like to thank the members of the Government of the People’s Republic of China [National and Municipal], the China People’s Palace for hotel accomodations in Beijing, United Airlines for the flight to Beijing and then the return trip to Miami, the United States Embassy in Beijing, as well as fellow participants of the contestwho were with me in this historic occasion Azam Ali Soomro [President of the Eagle International Radio Listeners Club in Pakistan], Dr. Rajitha Senaratne [Member of Parliament, Minister of Construction and Engineering Services in Sri Lanka], Helmut Matt [Germany], John Stephan Akwari [Tanzania][one of the runners of the 1968 Olympics in Mexico and proof that people can be inspired to do great things in sports], Semenykin Dymytro Stanislavovych [Ukraine], and Bounteng Vounsey [Laos].

Roberto Carlos Alvarez Galloso

Beijing China 30th of June 2008

Miami Florida 6th of July 2008