Message from the Editor

Naghmeh Bashar, Executive Editor

The American Genetic Code: Culture of Collaboration

Being involved with volunteer positions simultaneously in the United States and China, the differences I experience in the attitude and generosity of their respective citizens are as different as night and day.

Serving as the President of my son’s international school PTA in China has proven to be much more challenging than I first imagined. At first, I patted myself on the back when I learned I was appointed to be the President after only being here for two months. Later, I learned I most likely had "dumb" written across my forehead! There were no records of what, if anything, the past Presidents had accomplished. I was subsequently told there was zero RMB (Chinese currency) in the PTA account. In attempting many volunteer and fundraising opportunities, I was repeatedly told, "you can’t do these things in China." Even the Europeans and the Americans who have been here awhile attempted to discourage me from taking on many of the fundraising ideas I suggested.