Why did I become a diplomat? | Meirav Shahar | TEDxBaDinh

[Music] why did I become a diplomat I think that for me like for many of you the house I grew in was very influential the home my father and mother played a critical role they not only influenced me but they inspired me I was very lucky my mom was the feminist she did not call herself a feminists but she was at the time where it was not so easy for women to make their own way to make their own career she taught me to be independent to follow my dream to turn challenges into opportunities both my parents were immigrants both of them immigrated to the state of Israel as very young kids my father immigrated from Poland in 1935 as a young kid with his parents don't forget that Israel was established modern-day Israel in 1948 and he emigrated in 1935 he came with his family following their dream the dream that was shared by many Jews around the world to make the Land of Israel into their home a home where they can be independent and more importantly where they can be free it's not easy to immigrate my mother also immigrated from Bulgaria later on she was still a kid with the same hope with the same inspiration with the same wish and dream to fulfill their aspiration to make Israel an independent country and country where they can live in really so this is the house I grew in every day every night knowing that my parents have worked very hard to cement the foundation of this new country don't forget Israel was a start-up a real startup with many challenges still today you needed to be an innovator you needed to be creative in order to overcome those challenges and growing up every day with both my parents this was their dream but it became part of who I was it became I dream as well serving one's country it sounds very to us today I think sometimes corny not very cool but in the house I grew and it was very fulfilling because it's not enough to assist a country when it's just being born you have to work throughout the years throughout the decades to make sure that the seeds actually will grow into something that is more sustainable and I can tell you that when I did become a diplomat my father gave me the declaration of independence Israel's Declaration of Independence it's a document that contains the Articles that will guide the way for the new country why did he give it to me because we really thought that as a young diplomat I was young at the time when I started I should have a guidance something to guide me in my daily work and I can tell you that in the office that I work in and you're all more than welcome to come it's the first thing that I put on my wall in every mission that I have in every country that I've served it's the first thing that goes on the wall it's the last thing that I take when I conclude my mission and I move to the next post or I move back home so this is the home I grew in another important fact about the house I grew in is that my father and mother were very different in their political views shocking but true my father came from the left my mother came from the right and huge ideological differences in a young country that was just being born huge ideological differences political economic and also social so everything that I heard about every political appearance every economic development was thoroughly debated at my home I didn't think about it much at the time I have to say as a kid I remember that I did not like the arguments so much because it was constantly about everything but I can appreciate it as an adult because it gave me the opportunity to really look at things from different perspectives and today is the diplomat I'm able to do so at some point in life I really wanted to become a journalist yeah I did not thought think at that time about being a diplomat only later in life when I became a student I thought that becoming a diplomat would actually be a will suit me better it will enable me and to serve better Israel and if you think about it the reason I wanted to be a journalist is because that I like going after a story I like exploring new opportunities I like meeting new people I like really looking at what I can do together with them that's what I thought I liked about being a journalist those exposes I had it in figured out in my head you know that one day I'll be famous because I've exposed something and I've led to something by thinking about it you know being a diplomat has many similarities also as a diplomat you get to explore new destinations new cultures new people you are look for new opportunities look for good stories good stories in the sense that it will be good for you for your country and for the country that you're serving in that's what I do constantly I'm looking for things that I can do together Israel and the country that I'm serving in as a journalist you want to change the world that's what I wanted to do and I feel that as a diplomat you also want to change the world you want to make it a better world you want to assist where you can certainly you will assist your own country but once again the country that you are serving in the project you are doing the thing that you are doing together how and why and where can you change to and this is one of the reasons I chose to be a diplomat I joined the Foreign Service in 1995 and I've been doing it ever since yeah I have to say that moving every few years is something that I like as I said I like challenges and I like looking at new opportunities and looking and what I could do together it's not easy on my family part of them are here today it's not easy and people tend to ndd comments well you move your tour but being always the new kid on the block I can tell you is not easy for them but I'm very very fortunate that my family believes the same as I do and we've been doing it for many many years now I started my career in Kenya Nairobi then I moved also I served in Los Angeles I served in New York and in 2012 I came to Vietnam why did I choose to come to Vietnam so coming to Vietnam for the first time long before I became a diplomat was in 1991 I did my military service in Israel it's mandatory to go to the army I did two years in the Air Force and then after the army we have this wonderful tradition we go and travel the world a few months some do it for a few years and we just go and travel the world before we settle down so I chose Asia and I chose to come to Vietnam in 1991 before we had diplomatic relations committee Vietnam was an exotic place that I've only read about mostly about the war that took place in Vietnam and I wanted to get to know the people behind the news behind the words I started in Ho Chi Minh City I remember when I landed here and I made my way through all the way to the north I met wonderful people Vietnam at the time was very very different from what we all know today very poor country and the people in the north were more closed than the people in the South was not always easy to make conversation but I really fell in love with the colors with the people with the smells with the food and the months and a half traveling here low budget low cost it was not enough was not enough so in 2012 when I was offered this opportunity I took it happily once again as I do in every mission I picked my home my house my children my husband and of course the Declaration of Independence and in August 2012 we moved here I have to say that the last four and a half years have been quite a journey a great journey for me and for my family as well I've seen that the country is going through changes and I feel that through my work I was able to be part of some of the changes that Vietnam is going through I look at the agriculture sector for example and the high tech that is coming to the country more is needed but the change that the changes that are already taking place are great and I know that my country has assisted in it and will continue to do so I look at the startup community this is something I'm very proud you know when I came in August 2012 very few people spoke about startups even fewer really understood what they started means and through the work we've done many players in the international community not only us not only Israel but I knew that Israel is a leader in the startups in the world the country that has built a very special ecosystem can assist Vietnam in building its own ecosystem and indeed policies had have been formulated in the last few years but what is really great to see is the younger generation the startups they started pissed themselves that are daring too follow their dream to look they look at the challenges they turn it into opportunities and some succeed some don't desire this this is the story of the startups but it's great to see these changes I will be leaving very soon and a couple of months I will be concluding and five years here almost five years once again I'll be packing my family my home my kids my husband and the declaration of course of Independence it will come last and I really feel proud of the years that I've spent here the people I met with the project that through my work I was able to implement together both for Vietnam and from Israel I feel inspired here and hopefully I did contribute to the changes that Vietnam is going through I will be moving to a new assignment following my dream looking for challenges and opportunities in my next assignment as well and following the dream of my parents which became my dream to represent Israel and to make sure that the seeds that were planted many years ago actually continue to grow so thank you very much this is my story thank you very much you

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 17,669

Rating: 4.7664976 out of 5

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Life

Id: SbXOJJKIWTE

Length: 12min 51sec (771 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 13 2017