Michelle Obama was in Moscow, and was determined to maintain a”vow of silence”. But when she visited the St. Dimitriy Orphanage, she couldn’t resist speaking, just a little:
Then came the needlepoint project. Needlepoint finally pierced the quiet. “How long did it take you to do this?” the first lady asked, loud enough for all to hear, when the girl gave her the handiwork. Two days, the child said, speaking Russian.
Needlepoint: the ultimate diplomatic ice-breaker.