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Gerald Greene - Gerald Greene

I have had a varied life and career, or more accurately careers, which has involved living and working in many countries. Along the way I have tried to learn things of value from the at times very different cultures I found myself trying to adjust to.

My memories as a very young man, only 10 and 11 years old, are of a post World War Two Japan that during the Korean War served as a support and maintenance area for US forces. I expect that Japan also served as an R. and R. center, but I was too young to know much about that. What I remember most about Japan is that the winters were extremely cold. Outdoor excursions often brought the crackle of snow under foot and snowball fights among the military brats. And that out in the countryside, away from the destruction that WW11 had tragically brought to some of Japan's larger cities, the scenery was truly beautiful. From near the American base we lived on the view of Mt. Fuji was breathtaking year around, even for a young lad.

After returning to the States in 1954 my career Air Force stepfather was assigned to duty in France and in 1955 the family followed. Being a teenager in France was great. I was large for my age and ran with a slightly older crowd, old enough to drive Vespa motor scooters, usually at a high rate of speed along beautifully tree-lined French country roads. In addition, we soon learned that we could stop off at French sport bars and drink cognac and cokes while playing foosball. Life in France was good.

My younger brother Noel and I had a ball.

So you see my love for travel and for mixing it up with the local folks started at a young age. As an adult I worked as a Forex financial consultant and sales trainer in Berlin Germany,Hong Kong China ,Taipei Taiwan, Lahore Pakistan, and Cebu in the Philippines. This was after being sent in 1967 on an all expenses paid trip to the Republic of Vietnam, compliments of Uncle Sam.

In my retirement years I spent a good deal of time in Thailand, a country I really enjoy living in and will probably return to later this year. The Thais, at least the ones I was around, have this "don't worry, be happy" attitude that I find appealing. Not only that but I love spicy Thai food along with ice cold Thai beer. The first rate beaches add to the enjoyment. Then there is the spirituality of the place. There are little shrines everywhere, in every home and business. The Thais are very respectful of them all, as they are to old men like me.

So what does all this have to do with writing? Actually quite a lot. My contact with different cultures have helped me to better understand that there are two sides to every story. I also know from first-hand experience that unfortunate misunderstandings can occur when translating from one language to another. Heck, misunderstandings are easy enough to come by between two native English speaking people. Words have great power. We should be careful with their use.

In addition, I know that American exceptionalism, as expressed by American politicians, is an overrated commodity. One that is resented in many parts of the world. While American politicians take every opportunity to tell Americans how exceptional their culture is and how America is number one, I know from on the ground experience that there are many hard-working exceptionally talented people in the world and that not all of them are Americans. The days of "we think and they sweat" are gone forever.

Please don't misunderstand me. America is still a great country and I'm proud to be an American. However, I strongly believe that for many years America has been on the wrong track, one that is unsubstantiable, and that unless we make some changes in our busy body government policies we are going to be in a heap of trouble.

Over the past five years I have used my experience with international travel, overseas cultures and business, and living abroad among the locals as background information to write for a number of blogs. Hopefully, my writing will continue to improve, my experiences will continue to be interesting and enjoyable, or at least enlightening, and my efforts to educate and entertain in written words will be well received at Suite101.

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New Comers Award March 2011