各国驻华盛顿使馆的代表定期跟美国国会议员和国务院官员一道工作。

　　Nearly four dozen of them also extend their diplomatic efforts into city schools. They visit hundreds of 5th and 6th graders in D.C. classrooms, as part of the Embassy Adoption Program.

　　不过，有40个大使馆也花时间走访华盛顿特区各学校的5年级和6年级学生。这就是使馆认养项目。

　　Getting to know you

　　In one classroom at Aiton Elementary School, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia is hosting a fashion show. Staffer Tarik Allagany explains the different types of robes and head scarves as students model traditional Saudi dress.

　　在爱顿小学校的一间教室里，沙特阿拉伯使馆正在主持一个时装表演。充当模特儿的学生展示传统的沙特服装，使馆工作人员塔利克.阿拉加尼讲解各种不同的长袍和头巾。

　　"They put patterns on them," he says. "Anything that they see in the desert - colors, flowers."

　　“衣服上有各种图案，包括人们在沙漠看到的任何东西，任何颜色和花草。”

　　The 5th grade class is part of the Embassy Adoption Program, which matches embassies with classrooms in the nation’s capital. Each year, the program gives thousands of youngsters a unique, inside look at another country and its culture.

　　这个5年级的班是使馆认养项目的一部分。认养项目把使馆跟美国首都的一些班级结成对子，每年都给数以千计的儿童一个独特机会，了解另一个国家及其文化。

　　After their fashion show, the Aiton students munch on sweet dates, and ask Allagany about other aspects of Saudi life.

　　时装表演之后，爱顿小学的学生们大口大口地吃着蜜枣，并且向阿拉加尼了解沙特生活的其他方面。

　　"Who's the first Muslim in the world?" asks one student.

　　“谁是世界上第一个穆斯林？”

　　"That would be Prophet Mohammed," Allagany answers.

　　“那是先知穆罕默德。”

　　Allagany wants students to know about the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia which, he says, is not just about oil.

　　阿拉加尼希望学生们了解美国和沙特阿拉伯之间关系不仅限于石油。

　　"We have the cultural ties, the educational ties, the healthcare ties, even the social ties and I haven't even touched on the political alliances between our two countries."

　　他说：“我们有文化关系，教育关系，医疗关系，乃至社会关系。我还没谈到两国的政治联盟呢。”

　　Cultural outreach

　　Riyadh’s embassy is one of 45 that participate in the Embassy Adoption Program.

　　沙特大使馆是参与使馆认养项目的45个使馆之一。

　　Kate McNamee, coordinator of the 37-year-old program for D.C. Public Schools, says the interactions have been as varied as the countries themselves.

　　为华盛顿特区公立学校设立的项目已经持续37年了。项目协调人凯特. 麦克纳米说，各种活动就跟参与国家本身一样多种多样。

　　Students in one class made French food. Staff from the Mexican embassy helped their adopted classroom make pi?atas - the brightly colored papier-maché decorations usually filled with candy treats. One class video-conferenced with students in Luxemburg. Another began judo lessons after the embassy of Japan donated mats and uniforms.

　　一个班的学生学做法式食品，墨西哥使馆工作人员则帮助另一个班的学生用色彩斑斓的装饰纸制作皮纳塔，皮纳塔里面通常装满了糖果。一个班跟卢森堡的学生举行视频会议。还有一个班在日本使馆捐赠垫子和练功服以后开始上柔道课。

　　"It's not just another add-on, and another thing to take away from the school day," says McNamee. "It becomes a creative, dynamic way to teach curriculum."

　　麦克纳米说：“这不仅仅是增加了一样东西，也不是又在学校学到了什么。它成了一种有创意有活力的教学方法。”

　　One class learned about exchange rates using Canadian currency in math, and another - in science class - discussed how climate change is affecting Finland.

　　麦克纳米指出，有一个班在数学课上用加拿大货币学习汇率。另一个班在科学课上讨论气候变化对芬兰有什么影响。

　　These interactions sometimes gloss over serious concerns, such as disputed political boundaries or women's rights in other countries. McNamee says school officials are working on a revised curriculum with the State Department so children will also learn about the U.S. government's relationship with each country, and gain a more balanced view of the world.

　　使馆跟学生们的互动有时候反映出一些令人关注的问题，比如有争议的政治划分或者其他国家妇女的权利。麦克纳米说，学校官员正在跟国务院合作修改课程，以便让孩子们也了解美国政府跟各个国家的关系，并且对世界有一个更加平衡的认识。

　　What connects us

　　Njambi Wynn ran the Embassy adoption program for two decades, and still helps with its activities. She says in addition to facts about their adopted country, students learn respect for other cultures. That respect sometimes includes sampling unfamiliar foods.

　　恩简比.韦恩曾经主持使馆认养项目20年，现在仍然在为各种活动帮忙。她说，学生们除了学习了解认养国家的情况，还学习尊重其他国家的文化，比如，不熟悉的食物。

　　"We say just take a little bit. You don't go, 'Oooh, I don't like that!' You try it, you say 'Thank you very much' and you're appreciative of anything anyone does for you," says Wynn.

　　韦恩说：“我们说，少来一点点。你不要说，‘噢，我不喜欢它。’你尝一点，然后说‘非常感谢。’你要对任何人为你做的任何事心存感激。”

　　Even as children learn about differences, they also learn about what connects us all.

　　孩子们在学习各种不同的东西时，也在了解是什么把我们所有人联系起来。

　　Ten-year-olds at Eaton Elementary, who were adopted by the Embassy of South Africa, listen to a firsthand account of life there from Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.

　　伊顿小学10岁的孩子们是南非使馆认养的。他们在听伊卜拉辛.拉苏尔大使讲述南非的生活情况。

　　"How did it feel during apartheid?" asks a student.

　　小学生：“在种族隔离时期是怎么样的？”

　　"I remember when I went to high school, within the first three months, I was involved in my first march against apartheid because the school was so bad," says Rasool. "It was raining and cold outside but we had no ceilings, we had no heating. Every five children shared one textbook."

　　拉苏尔大使：“我记得我上高中的时候，在头三个月里，我参加了我第一次反对种族隔离的游行，因为学校太糟糕了。外面下着雨，很冷，可是我们教室却没有顶棚，没有暖气。5个孩子合用一本课本。”

　　At the end of the year, children visit their adopted country's embassy to present what they've learned.

　　每年年底，孩子们访问认养他们的那个国家的使馆，展示他们学到的东西。

　　Njambi Wynn still remembers the year some students performed a rap song about King Henry and his wives at the British embassy, to the amusement of the ambassador. Another class performed a traditional Indonesian dance, while another began by singing the Cyprus national anthem.

　　恩简比.韦恩还记得有一年，一些学生在英国使馆表演了关于亨利王及其后妃们的饶舌歌曲，让大使感到很有趣。另一班的学生表演了一段印尼传统舞蹈，还有一班的演出以唱塞浦路斯国歌开始。

　　"And they did it in Greek. The ambassador, his wife, his staff, they all had tears in their eyes," says Wynn. "They were so pleased. This year, they have Japan and the teacher says 'We'll do it in Japanese, as well.'"

　　韦恩说：“他们用希腊语唱歌。大使和夫人，大使的工作人员，他们眼睛里都含着泪水。他们太开心了。今年，孩子们被日本使馆认养。老师说，他们要用日语表演了。”

　　And why not? In an international city like Washington, one is never too young for global experiences.

　　在华盛顿这样的国际都市，孩子绝不会因为太年幼而不能获得全球性的经验。