Thursday, May 17, 2001

American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong Internship Journal Entry
Today started off kind of slow. I did not have very much to do so I really just worked on my paper about how Hong Kong has changed since they were handed over to the PRC. I got quite a bit done on that. Mr. Martin seemed very busy working on some stuff and apparently the team that the c/c sent to Washington D.C. is back in town. It sounds like it went well. Mr. Martin wrote a position paper on the current status of Hong Kong and gave me a copy of it to read or use how I wish. I thought that was nice of him.
I went to lunch at McDonalds. McDonalds is very cheap here and so that is good for my budget. It is unbelievable how crowded it is during lunchtime. I think that everyone thinks the same it seems.
I got back and still did not have much to do. However, at the very end of the day Mr. Martin came to me and asked me specifically to put together the numbers on export/imports from the USA to countries in Southeast Asia and also FDI from the USA in these countries. I already have the numbers for import/export but I do not have the numbers for FDI. I am having a hard time finding these numbers. I think I am going to go to the Department of Commerce and just email someone there and see if they cannot email me these numbers. They should have them I would think.
Mr. Martin told me that they had a hard time getting these numbers last year and the guy at the c/c in Indonesia finally got them, but he was so frustrated when he got them that he would not share them. So now I have a lot of drive to find them since others have hard a time getting them. I would like to come through for him on this. Show him that I can do it. My days are still being cut short. I have not had time to do anything outside of work. I pretty much go to bed as soon as I get home. I am hoping to get out this weekend and see some stuff. Also we are in the typhoon season. I have never been in a typhoon and so I think that will be interesting when one does hit.