My World

Well folks, another great day in America. After serving this country for 20 years, I have a deep love and respect for our country. I have personally seen so many places where the farmers plow their fields with water buffalo while children ride on the skid behind, to add weight.
A one room bamboo hut, on stilts, is home. Mama-san, Pop, and the youngest children sleep inside; the other children sleep underneath, on the ground.
A years income may equal $50 American, and people eat what they can grow or barter for. The young girls leave home early, many to barter themselves for money to send the family.
I've taken cold showers under a barely running open pipe (no shower head), and this is in one of the 'better' hotels.
In Africa, women could be seen walking for miles along dusty roads with heavy clay pots of water, or huge bundles of firewood, balanced on their heads. I know the distances were great because we traveled for miles between any signs of habitation.

The worst part of my travels was seeing so many of the "Ugly Americans" who seriously hurt our image in the world. So many felt 'entitled' and looked down on the people whose homeland we were visiting. Disdain was evident, and the arrogant way they spoke to these people was appalling to me. Simple courtesy and kindness seemed beyond them.
Not all, of course, acted this way, but far too many. You could see the resentment they caused, but the native people usually took it without saying anything, at least not in English. I learned first hand how we got our negative image in many countries.
In Sasebo, Japan, where many places still had only one restroom, to be shared, a young sailor tried to urinate on a girl in the toilet. The Mama-san was outraged.
When I asked her the cause, she told me and my friends and I "escorted" the lad and his friends out the door. Mama-san bought the next round.

I made many friends in my travels, and I still fondly recall so many of them.
There was MOM and POP from the Seventh Fleet club in Olongapo, PI, who invited me to their home for Pop's birthday party. A whole pig, large, was roasted in a pit, and the food and beer were plentiful. Pop took me into the back of his house and showed me many bottles of liquor which he said I was welcome to enjoy, but not to tell everyone about. He gave me his trust, which was, to me, a great thing. Later, I realized there were only two or three Americans there. Again, it was a good feeling to be counted among their friends.
Then there was Tatsuko Chiwata in Japan, who gave me a pair of Japanese leather slippers and took my friends and I to see the atomic bomb center in Nagasaki. We also went to see a Dragon dance, which was awesome.
I'll never forget the lasagna or fried calamari at Mama Louisa's in Naples, Italy where I first tried a local wine, Lambrusco. It was terrific with the food. Mama Louisa used a cane, and would gently tap your head or arm with it if you didn't finish your food, telling you to, "Eat... make you strong." Mama was the stereotypical Italian Mama, large, loud, and full of laughter. She was also fiercely protective of her daughter, who worked with her. I can imagine the cane put to other uses if one got out of line. A local would bring his guitar, and play sometimes.
So many memories. Far too many for this blog, but I'll do more later. You can click on 'follow' to follow my musings, or click 'comments' to leave a comment.
Love deeply, laugh often, and keep a close eye on those that don't................Roger