<p>I was able to book Lara with relatively little notice, and she was comfortable coming for an interview before taking my job. </p>
<p>My two day visit to Shanghai consisted of visiting a series of private children's libraries and talking with the owners, workers, and parents. At each stop we conducted a 90 minute interview. We even did a brief storytime in an apartment for a group of four raucous toddlers! Lara adapted to this very strange situation like the professional that she is. She was able to simultaneously translate my questions into Chinese, and summarize the responses. She asked clarifying questions. She can speak and listen at the same time. With no prior knowledge of my project, she was able to help me discuss early childhood development, trends in the Chinese publishing industry, and the importance of reading out loud to children.</p>
<p>As a bonus, she knows the city like the back of her hand, and was able to navigate to places faster than I could pull up my saved maps on my tablet. She took the pressure and mystery out of ordering lunch. And she's good company.</p>
<p>I highly recommend her for a business or site seeing trip!</p>
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