The First Family

President Xi Jingping and his wife greeting the First Lady, Malia Obama, and Sasha Obama.

Both of President Barack Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, attended their mother, the First Lady, to a week-long trip to China. There, they met China's president, Xi Jingping, and his wife Peng Liyuan. Press in the U.S. as well as in China, were shocked at the fact that Xi's daughter, Xi Mingze, didn't greet the Obamas with her parents. Xi Mingze was back home with her parents for Spring Break, so why didn't she greet the Obamas? 

It is believed that Xi Mingze is 21 years old and is studying at Harvard University under a pseudonym. President Xi Jingping and his wife have hid Xi Mingze from their people for a long time, and I wonder why. Click here to read more about the situation.

Another article confirmed that Xi Mingze did have dinner with the women of the Obama family, but I am most surprised about how she didn't greet the family in public. I think that presidents and their families, whether in the U.S. or China, have a duty to represent their family in a positive way. In a way, the First Family also represent their own country. I just don't understand what all the secrecy is about. 

What I find interesting though is the contrast between how Xi Jingping has/allows her daughter to hide from the public, while it is natural for Obama's daughters to be seen everywhere. America's people are constantly seeing pictures and posts from celebrities as well as . This leads me to the question: Why are famous figures in the U.S. so open to being in public? What does this say about America's customs and values? How do they differ from other countries in the world?

Cultivating America's Values

Some of the goodies I got from the Cultivate Fest.

Last weekend I went to the Cultivate Fest in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Created by Chipotle, the festival sells food and has activities to spread information about their cause. Their mission: “help fund initiatives that support sustainable agriculture, family farming, and culinary education” (www.cultivatefoundation.org). Through their festivals, they raise money to donate to their partner organizations like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Veggie U, and Farm Aid. To read more about the Cultivate Foundation, click on this link.

More than the food and activities, the foundation itself struck me. Their dream for the future gave me hope for a better America. A group of individual people came together with a common value. Through this organization, I saw people putting others before themselves. In history, corporations have focused on profit and personal gain. For example, many competitors in the meat industry have lied about the origin and the impact of their products. Heading a different direction, the Cultivate Foundation is being a responsible corporate citizen. Corporations like this are undoing the damage done by past foundations. From being exposed to this organization, I see change in values. Instead of focusing on “I” and the present, their actions focus on “we” and the future. They are using their resources to educate "future farmers" on how to cultivate America. History has made us believe that we must pass with something significant to our name. Instead, the Cultivate Foundation and its partners are pursuing to leave America in a better state before they pass.

So is this foundation a model for what Americans should start to value, or is this just a cover up to gain profit and promote Chipotle? Will our values ever consider others, or are we too deep into history's mindset of personal gain? Leave your comments and thoughts below!