I’ve lived all over the world in places like Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Ethiopia, Dubai, Brazil, Argentina, etc. Some places for a few months and some like Saudi Arabia for several years. If anyone wants to see my passports with all of the country stamps I’d be glad to show you the travellog. Heck, I’ll even make a slide show for you. Yes, I said, “them” as in, more than one. Passports fill up quick when you travel outside of America for an extended length of time. You see, I traveled all over the world for 4 years in the U.S. Air Force, 6 years working for a major aircraft corporation based in California, and for 18 years with a major electronics corporation based in Florida with a division here in Dallas. Eventually, I left the big corporate sector and settled down here in my home office in North Texas.
In all of those countries people spoke English to me out of courtesy and to practice (yep..they learn English as a second mandatory language in most countries) and in most places the signs had both the local language and English. Even the men’s room had multi-language signs and newspapers. Documents like driver’s licenses (I still have mine from Saudi Arabia), work permits, lease agreements, etc. were always printed in both languages and I only had to sign the English version while the clerk signed as a witnessed on both versions. Occasionally there was a document that wasn’t translated, but I could always find someone to translate it for me when I looked hard enough.
Have you ever tried to drive on the left side of the road after arriving in another country from America. Quite a few other countries have backward traffic systems from an American perspective. Talk about a real traffic hazard; Americans can be the worst kind of hazard on the road in other countries. Remember, I’ve been there, seen it, done that, and even made it home safe with the t-shirt; after a few fender benders that is. I’ve even acted like a blooming idiot in front of the guards at Buckingham Palace in England while trying to get them to crack a smile. No such luck. Those guys are real pros; the best of the best.
When paying for food and other items the merchants and banks always accepted both the local currency and the American Dollar. Of course, the banks and money exchangers always wanted me to exchange my Dollars for the local currency because they could get a great exchange rate from their wholesaler. Even a little juice stand in a remote village in the Bakka Valley in Lebanon took my American Dollars. The only trouble I had there was his second language was French and my French skills were slim to none. But, finger pointing and basic sign language helped a lot. I got my juice, he got his money (my former Dollars), and we both shook hands and smiled a lot for the camera.
In most countries there are both local language, English language, and several other language TV broadcast, plus CNN was everywhere. (Sounds like America doesn’t it?) Actually I preferred a lot of the local radio stations because they liked American rock and country music mixed in with the local tunes. Now I agree that bi-lingual was not everywhere in those countries, but it was in the major population areas. On my travels in Saudi Arabia I often visited an oasis in the middle of the Rub al-Khali desert in Saudi Arabia where no one spoke neither Arabic nor English nor any other language that I knew. Also, there were no road signs for 350 miles around. In fact, there were no roads either.
Now, I know a lot of people are upset about other people coming to America and not learning English and they want to force everyone to learn and speak English and only print materials in English. Perhaps these same people should, at the same time, campaign for all other countries of the world to stop using English, stop printing bi-lingual documents, remove all road and direction signs that are in English, and stop accepting the American Dollar in the local stores and restaurants.
A few years ago a local pizza restaurant here in Dallas announced they were also going to accept the Mexican peso as payment for their pizzas. Many people screamed and shouted and wanted to burn the place down because of it. However, those same people never mentioned they wanted the merchants in northern Mexico to stop accepting the American Dollar in the restaurants and bars.
Remember, America is the land of equal rights so perhaps we should insist on the same “equal treatment from all other countries around the world”. Stop using English in non-English speaking countries. Stop accepting the American Dollars in all other countries except at the currency exchanges at points of entry and banks. Remove all of those road signs that are in English. Oh, yea, remove all the beer and booze from the bars like Budweiser, Coors, Jim Beam, Johnny Walker, etc.
Or, we might be better off if we learned a second language and treated people that come to America like they treat us when we visit or live in their home country. I know some Americans have had a real bad time in other countries, however, that number is really low when compared to the actual number of Americans traveling in other countries. Now I know my second language skills are a bit rusty because I don’t speak them on a day to day basis like I used to, however, my wife says I can still get my face slapped in public in nine different languages. By the way, how are your second language skills?
Gregg
Tags: 6 Years, Aircraft Corporation, American Perspective, Canada Mexico, Corporate Sector, Dubai, Electronics Corporation, France Germany, Heck, Language Signs, Lease Agreements, Length Of Time, Mandatory Language, Passports, Saudi Arabia, Slide Show, Traffic Hazard, Traffic Systems, U S Air, U S Air Force
