true friendship

"in prosperity, friends know us, but in adversity, we know friends". this anonymous means so much to me. living our life as a diplomat's wife actually has made us both less fortunate and fortunate in terms of friendship. yes, we could be less fortunate with the fact that diplomatic life has moved us away far from friends and family to a distant land. communication is very much hampered, and despite the impressive communication technology offered by Skype,FB, Twitters, BLOGGER sites etc, no virtual telecommunication technology could ever best replace a true human communication, flesh in flesh! we could be unlucky too because chances are, we do get fake friendship which is built based on power, and popularity instead of love and trust.

nevertheless, it's this diplomatic life that opens up some other unexpected beautiful friendships to us. leaving away in a different community is a premium because now friendships transcent religion, and nationality. we might find ourselves grieving over the lost of many good friends, but God has a better plan for us. i myself, have been blessed with many new substitutions and though the cycle of friendship might be shorter due to my brief stay in a land afar from home, this means a world to me. here they are, new friends who are willing to lend their ears, share their happiness, laughter as well as our sadness and tears. here they are, those who used to be complete strangers but now touch our heart with their kindness. here they are, those who make our days and who walk to us when the rest don't even want to see. these are the people whom have been our friends here, but we would love to keep and seal them in our heart forever.

i still and will lament the loss of these friends. but, i truly understand separation is always a part of friendship package. people say if we love someone we should let it go. If he or she comes back go us, he or she is ours. but in diplomatic friendship reality, chances is, we most probably hardly see these friends again. keep loving them though and be grateful to Him for beautiful friendship itself is a rare and expensive gift . a gift that fills the void, colour our each day and keep our sanity while we are making sense of our temporary life abroad.

the err is human to forgive is divine

it's not how much you accomplish in life that really counts,
but how much you give to others.
it's not how high you build you dream that makes a difference,
but how high your faith can climb.
it's not how many goals you reach,
but how many lives you touch.
it's not who you know that matter,
but who you are inside.
believe in the impossible,
hold tight to the incredible,
and live each day to it's fullest potential.
you can make a difference in your world.

(Rebecca Barlow Jordan)

i love those words. other than the Book of Guidance, i too adopt these inspirational words to live by. no longer living a rat race life, a slower pace of diplomatic wife means i have been priviliged or perhaps even choosen to reach out for those forgotten ones. hidden behind thick and cold walls, there are those hunger for freedom and compassion. some are guilty, some are just plain victims. but even if they are sinful, they all deserve the chance for repentance and the second life.

the forgotten one. they are not here on this earth without purpose. some of them find their quest of the true meaning of life only when they get behind the concrete that deprived them of utter liberty and denies them of the connection with the rest of the world. though confined by the limit and control designed by human, many are blessed with spiritual journey, making them closer to the Creator and leading others too into the right path, setting them perhaps far better than us.
at the very least, they are here to give us the chance to do good to others. so lets open our eyes and our hearts widely. help those people to get back on life, render some supports so they would be able to give back to the society, country and religion should they been given the chance.

behind the thick and cold tall walls, they are forgotten, casted as insignificant and made unwanted. many would shun or turn them away, but let us be the ones who would accept them with sincere hearts and love them without either reservation or expectation. after all to err is
human, to forgive is divine.

how much diplomacy

after becoming a trailling wife to a diplomat husband for nearly two years, i began to question, how much diplomacy works have we diplomats really done? sadly, what i could recall are mostly just numerous entertaining experience, one after another. the embassy all these years seems being occupied with receiving and entertaining VVIPs; be that royalties, or ministers. on top of that, of course, visa application and process is the heart of the daily embassy operation.

diplomacy doesn't have to happen by holding glamorous, expensive events. it is high time for diplomats and spouses to do more. Entertaining is part of our diplomatic job but above all, it is our duty and responsibility to give the most accurate account of our government stand and policy regarding any issues to the world. it is also our task to reach for the people around us, to understand their colossal culture and customs and to bridge any differences and matters alike.

as a spouse, i remember how a remark uttered without thoughful insight and careful words selection would easily be misleading. Imagine the repercussion on our country and religion when someone remarks, " unlike certain counties, rape is common in our country because the more our Muslim women cover their bodies, the more men become challeged to rape." imagine my shock. Such a shallow remark is absolutely very undiplomatic!

A true leader

I cringed at the thought of having a new leadership in embassy. I vividly remember the quite a panic rush i had, knowing that a new ambassador and spouse would be leading the mission. In foreign affair service, any typical ambassadors are high-profile and experienced diplomatic officers trained specifically for the glamorous diplomatic services. However, in certain cases, an ambassador can be a political appointee. and the mere thought of politics or politicians often tend to send me scary messages.

I guess, we have learned or will come to learn somehow that the words that say all politicians are arrogant, individualistic opportunists does not hold true all the times. I strongly believe we would all agree that a truly patriotic, fair and open-minded leader who speaks from his or her heart and drops his or her tears is such a gracious but humble and sincere leader who shines in darkness, offering light and hopes to those searching for the way out of fantasy. A leader who has integrity, dedication and implacability leads and inspire dreamless and visionless people. A real leader, a truly successful diplomat, is he or she who is close enough to relate to those around, and yet far enough ahead to monitor, motivate and show the path to the unseen. So whether one is a trained diplomat or vice-versa, what actually make a distinguished and highly dedicated diplomat is more about his or her character rather than just training background or experience.