The diplomat’s wife returns to her roots
on how to be a diplomat’s wife, Madame Gracita accepted the challenges.
Once she was asked to co-host an official dinner with the then Swiss ambassador, whose wife was not around. Sieber was then second in command as deputy chief of mission in Thailand.
Sitting at the end of the table, she was tasked to look after the guests on her side. When the first course arrived, she continued to converse with the visitors.
“I forgot that the guests, being so polite, were waiting for me to drink my soup. I kept on talking that it was getting cold. Then I caught the eye of a guest who motioned to me with the spoon. They were waiting for me to pick up my spoon so they could start eating. That was one faux pas,” she recalled.
“It may seem trivial, but not for people who know about protocol. Now, as soon as my plate arrives, I pick up my silverware,” she said.
Domesticated
Returning to Switzerland, the family lived in Sieber’s hometown, Zurich, while he commuted to the foreign ministry in Bern.
Although Madame Gracita missed having a career, she enjoyed being a homemaker and mother. “I would not trade the op- portunity of rais
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ingmy kids,” she said. derliness and efficiency of e pointed out. “Without still easy to do things youre infrastructure was set up was no need to drive beblic transportation. Everyby. When my daughter Kaergarten, I taught her how from school to the apart- Madame Gracita would help
s charity programs, such as meless in a Swiss church. m, the local and expatriate ked forward to the annual World,” a fundraising event es served their national cuinteresting people, be it a yal family, to the local staff They are proud to be worken a gift to live in a country r years and learn about its d. Manila in 2010, Madame eunited with her mother 6, her mother teaches her friends how to line-dance, and joins Bible studies.
Social whirl
Of all the postings, Manila has been a whirl with its vibrant social scene coupled with embassy-hosted affairs. The embassy social calendar is filled with events for the Philippine Business Council, the Swiss Business Club and the Swiss National Day.
Madame Gracita co-hosts dinners when the guests bring their spouses.
At home she injects Filipino flavor into a typically Swiss meal. “We tweak a local dish such as the chicken tinola, a favorite of nonFilipino guests. The chicken breast and papaya are cut into cubes, and the dahon ng sili floats on top of the clear broth. Thewarm ginger flavor makes it comfort food,” she said.
Lumpia is a reliable dish, as with suman, or sticky rice cake, with coco jam. She has experimented with a plated version of
kaldereta.
Steaks are a favorite main course. She explained that the Swiss use lots of sauces in the main course. For dessert, she would serve crème brûlée topped with ripe mango.
Still, the cuisine focuses on the Swiss culture, thus the sausages, roesti or fried grated potato pancake, and raclette or melted cheese.
A group she’s involved in is the Spouses of Heads of Mission (SHOM), which has been active with its charities and visits to cultural destinations.
Asked what has been her learning experiences as a diplomatic wife, Madame Gracita said she has acquired patience. “Patience helps you understand people better, especially when expectations are not met. It helps you to keep an open mind, to understand and not get upset.”