One of the important lessons my parents taught me is to be a good listener, to pay attention to all sides of an issue, to take other peoples differences and ways of life into account instead of judging them. My parents taught me that citizen diplomacy ...getting to know people as human beings....keeps conversations going...and that can lead to a better understanding of our differences as we work for positive solutions in life. Its helped me daily as I soak up the rich cultural diversity we enjoy in the bay area. Ive met many interesting people, including Consul Generals through the San Francisco Consular Corps and reported stories about them, including the Consul General of Russia, Sergey Petrov. Weve had lively discussions about the Olympics and the controversial issues going on in his country and his geographical neighbors.( I know theres enormous controversy about the political situation) I was honored to receive a Russian holiday gift from him, recently, of sparkling wine and Russian chocolates. The sparking wine, from our own Napa Valley, has a special significance. When you have a moment, please look at the inscription...From the Napa Valley to Russia and back. This new year is full of hope and optimism for all of us.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 23:54:29 +0000
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