Tips for Traveling in America, Sarajevo and Transport 29

Good Morning, Don,

Glad to hear that you still have all your fingers! I can’t imagine being surrounded by thousands of moving pink flamingos! Do you have any other exciting day trips planned?

Because you have been traveling, I have been finding articles about great places to go, what sites to see and all. But the most interesting article I came across was written by Christy Karras on how visitors to America view Americans. Zack, in China, also read the article and posted me his favorites: 

“Americans really are as cheerful as they seem.” “Americans and Russians say different things when faced with the same situation. Seeing the man who had fallen in the street, an American asks, 'Are you all right?' Russians will inquire: 'Are you ill?' We see a victim of the incident; they [Americans] see survivors. Survivors are perceived as heroes. Where we 'aren’t sick,' they 'stay well.' We discuss the problem. They discuss issues and items on the agenda."

“Americans: they are a nation that truly feels happy. These people get used to smiling from the cradle onwards, so they do not pretend to be cheerful. The desire for a successful happy life is inculcated from childhood.”

My favorites include “don’t drink the water” (from Latin America); Germans point out that when Americans say “We should get together sometime,” they don’t really mean it; French pass on advise about “scrupulously respecting the speed limits, the constabulary of the United States is not kidding”; Italians have trouble with tipping; and India suggests that if you are visiting the US, bring everything basic need you will have. China states that “Americans are such strict rule followers” and Russians follow up with that by pointing out that bribery is illegal in the US and giving gifts can be construed as a bribe…”; women are seen as being uptight – “etiquette prohibits flirting” and could land you in jail.

I wonder how the world views Canadians. I think that on a Happiness scale of 1 – 10, Canada has the US beat hands down.  The view that a successful life is inculcated from childhood is correct. But from my view, happy isn’t necessarily included in the success package. Americans live sheltered lives. I remember a student from Afghanistan who was in one of my classes. The class was really complaining: everything was terrible, homework was bad, the bus late, there wasn’t any parking… one of those days. I asked my Afghan student what he liked best about being in America. He said he liked being able to walk down the street and not being afraid of being shot. The class didn’t complain after that.

To follow up on your comments about Sarajevo – did you know that if you were traveling to Europe in the 1900's, you had not been to Europe until you’d visited Sarajevo; it rivaled Vienna, Paris and San Francisco. 

 It was after Tito’s death in 1980s(?) that the Serbs decided to reunite the country under Serb rule and to do that, they created their own brand of Hitlerism. It wasn’t until the Cellist of Sarajevo that the rest of the world became acutely aware of what was happening in Bosnia.

There is a lesson here for the rest of the world. Bosnia is a good example of a country lost in post-traumatic stress. We have countries all across the Middle East, in Africa, Afghanistan, that are facing the same kind of stress, a kind of disconnect with the world – a lack of trust in humanity. Where was the world when they were being slaughtered? Unless we start helping these countries and their people, they, and eventually us, will continue to be pushed around by bullies. Sorry about the tirade.

I was reading your comments about the book Empire of the Summer Moon. I have some ancestry that was Comanche. My relatives never talk about that side of the family. I’ll have to ask Zack if he’s read anything about Capitan Yack.  

I haven’t done much reading on the Wired Generation this week. I’ll be putting in the time this afternoon. I did get the latest Transport 29 up on Amazon. T 29 is now available! And it is incredible! Tamara’s coming of age story, Ursa Major, is jaw dropping! In the end, you wonder who is really the hero of the story! The twist is absolutely ingenious. Jack L’s last installment of The Three Miracles of Djerzelez has all the standard good vs. bad, heroes, villains, and action. This is how Super Heroes are born!  Ariel’s part two of The Telepath’s Song, is all the delicious gossip set up needed to keep the story moving forward. It has been a delightful week spent doing the final editing and formatting. If any of you’d like to read a sample of each story, check out the Wormhole Electric website. Otherwise, jump on over to Amazon and buy the three stories! A month of reading – great entertainment!

I’m collecting the riddles, Don. So if you happen to have yours in a file, I’d appreciate it! I’m looking to publish them in May so I need to get started. How do you want to name this particular adventure?

Have a great week. Enjoy your travels and remember - don't drink the water! 

Carolyn

Karras, C. (2014). Don’t drink the water; visitors travel tips to America. Retrieved from http://travel.yahoo.com/blogs/compass/don’-t-drink-water-visitors-travel-tips-coming-194949993.html

 Images downloaded from Google images:

Fig 1 – Pink Flamingo retrieved from www.publicdomainpictures.net

Fig 2 – Every Day Justice retrieved from www.everydayjustice.net

Fig 3 – New Speed Limits retrieved from servicingstopblog.co.uk

Fig 4 – Exploring Your Debris Field retrieved from theexceptionalman.com

Fig 5 – Transport 29 designed by L. Varvel