Page 49 - IFAFA ebook v4
P. 49
17.
Pauline Hennessy
Committee member 1987-1988.
If you refer to something as patchwork, it suggests it is made up of
many different parts, pieces or colours. This is a good description
of my life with the Department of Foreign Affairs. As a physical
education teacher in Dublin, my ambition was to develop the sports
department and to travel during the school holidays, so how was
getting married and moving to London going to fit in with my
plans? London, our first diplomatic posting, opened a new and
different life path for me. Returning to Dublin with two small
children I joined the recently formed IFASA and worked on the
committee for two years. It was a rewarding and educating
experience. The treasure hunt and barbeque were two of our most
successful events, and with the help of Joe and Deirdre Hayes and
other colleagues many enjoyable hours were spent getting happily
lost in Wicklow.
\
With my hobby patchwork, you can choose your pattern and
colours: it is easy; by contrast diplomatic life cuts you away from
your comfort zone but also offers new and exciting experiences. In
pursuing my interests in arts and crafts I met the most wonderful
people who instantly became friends for life. In Israel, seventeen of
us from very different backgrounds made a quilt each with squares
contributed by the sixteen others – somewhere in there we saw a
motif for reconciliation and mutual understanding. In Rome, I had
the fun experience of bringing an old friend with a quilt shop in
Donegal to visit my local craft shop near Termini. Neither spoke the
language of the other but in two short minutes understood each
other perfectly.
Our diplomatic life has been varied and fun. From New York to the
Gulf and places in between we have met an extraordinary array of
diverse and interesting people. We have also made many good
friends with whom we are happily still in regular contact. Thank
you to all the IFASA members whose good work has made such a
positive difference along the way.
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