my friends the Filipinos

Hey Gang, Yes, I am still writing about my trip I took last month, it made that much of an impression.


I'll get back to the traffic and maybe conclude this thing in the next few days. I am saving the best for last as the saying goes, so you will have to wait to read about Ruth.

A few of the things that really stick out in my mind was what the Filipinos think of America and Americans. Almost everyone I met the first thing they said was OH American, rich, lots of money, here corruption. In America you can buy a nice car and drive anywhere.

Everyone thinks highly of us for our charities and spreading freedom.

And quite a few after only a brief conversation said I was their ticket to come to America.

Ruth (she is the friend I went to visit) and her friends are all Christians and most dream of coming to the US. I was told by her brother Pastor Jun that all little kids dream of going to America.

The house we stayed at had a tiny convenience store in the front room. You don't come in, just order what you want from the window. I bought a bag of chips and gave him a dollar. I said is that OK. He replied that's to much. I said well in America a bag that size would be a buck so keep the change. He looked at it and said this is going on the wall.

Numerous times I was saluted. Kids yelled at me HEY JOE!

I was even told by a worker at the airport that I look like Tom Kooz. After three back and forths of who's Tom Kooz I finally figured it out when he said movie actor - Tom Cruise.

I received an email from a family that Ruth and I stayed with. The email said, We miss you, its our first time to have an American visitor in our house.

I never traveled over seas before this and never realized what a big deal it is, at least in the Philippines, for someone to meet an American. And friends don't worry I represented America well, well... OK so they did call me Mr. Bean quite a few times for making them laugh and doing silly things like trying to eat a banana leaf, hey it was in my dish, besides that though, I was a good ambassador.

I even made googly eyes at a few Muslims, especially at the two Muslim women with a boy at the hotel. They looked at me as if they just saw George Bush himself. I waved and as the elevator was closing I made a funny face at them. Then there was the old Muslim woman sitting with, I assume her daughters, in front of us on the plane. I had that old woman laughing so hard but her daughters gave me looks that weren't to endearing. Oh well, the old woman liked it, she seemed so sweet.

In all I found Filipinos very friendly, hospitable, hard working and an allie of ours. I made friends quickly and everywhere, even on the plane going to and from. I really enjoyed my stay, I miss them.

God Bless America!
Carey