Perth (Australia), July 25 : Visiting U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today told enthralled Australian schoolgirls how she loves shopping and has no presidential ambitions.

On a visit to Perth’s exclusive Mercedes College this morning, Dr. Rice also told schoolgirls she prefers mountain holidays to lying on the beach.

Dr Rice, who is in Perth at the personal invitation of Foreign minister Stephen Smith, met Smith’s daughter Maddie, 14, a student at the school, before speaking to about 500 students.

According to news. com. au, she told the girls they should follow their passions and not worry about what career path they should take.

She said she had always wanted to be a concert pianist but after realising she would end up playing “in some piano bar somewhere” and not Carnegie Hall, she discovered an interest in international politics and the Soviet Union in particular.

“My passion turned out to be the study of the Soviet Union,” she said.

Asked by a Year 12 student Patrice when she got to go shopping, Dr Rice said she had to rely on friends to shop for her, but hoped to have more time for shopping when she stepped down from her post in January next year.

She said President George W. Bush was a great boss “because be has a great sense of humour” but she had no ambition to be president and would happily resume her career as an academic at the end of her tenure.

Earlier, Dr Rice stopped for coffee at Cino’s Café in Mt. Lawley with Mr Smith, his parents Florence and Les, and his 16-year-old son, Hugo.

The group was accompanied by a strong security presence.

As Perth''s media hovered for a closer look, the Condoleezza entourage downed their coffees and headed off for the first engagement of a busy day. (ANI)