Dear Paul,

Thanks for that - and well said.

I remember being made to feel like an outsider
at times at high school because of my "foreign"
surname which was made fun of. Then our next
door neighbours used to tell stories about
the Maltese people down the street - that they
ate "snails" from their garden, and their home
was filthy, and so on.

I got to make friends with one of their daughter
who went to my high school and was invited for
lunch one day. Well, I had the most delicious
meal - in a lovely home - which turned out to be
much cleaner than that of my next door neighbour's
house.

You live and learn.

cont'd ...

I've told this story before - but it's worth
repeating for a bit of a giggle:

My husband was waiting to be seen by a doctor in
a public hospital when an older nurse came up
to him and asked rather loudly, "DO YOU NEED
AN INTERPRETER?" (because of his "foreign" surname
I guess). My husband looked at her and smiled. Then
in perfect Oxford English replied:

"Why, doesn't the doctor speak English?"

Hi Foxy,

I recall the first visit at a Christmas time to my very good Turkish Muslim mate's house. There's a Xmas tree set up in the corner with all the trimmings. From me; "Hal what's the go with the Xmas tree, you're Muz and I thought you didn't believe in that sort of thing."..."My kids love presents, and they love Christmas, they're not going to miss out, Paul have another scotch." Hal liked a good scotch, and his wife a nice white wine with dinner. University educated folk, both of them, professional, a spotless nicely furnished home, bright and polite children then doing very well at school, their dinners were second to none, often with several guests from all sorts of nationalities. HIs wife could join in any conversation and she had opinions on all kinds of subjects, none of that stereotype Muslim women bit. On drinking alcohol; Hal said; "What Allah don't see, doesn't bother Allah."

Hi Paul,

We can learn so much from each other if we give
it a chance. I've been surrounded by different
cultures all of my life and the experiences
on the whole have been rich and varied. I take
people as I find them. As individuals. I still
have a great deal to learn and I hope that I
shall live long enough to be able to continue
my life's journey. So far it's been interesting
to say the least. On this forum - it's people
like yourself, and so many others, that keep me
coming back.

Foxy your Oxford English story reminded me of an experience I had in the islands. I had anchored in the Shortland islands, at the extreme northern end of the Solomon islands. A little while later a a short very fat local paddled out in a very small canoe. It was an amusing sight, & the canoe looked very dangerously overloaded.

I was used to surprises in the islands, & took people as I found them, but you could have knocked me down with a feather when he, in a very cultured Oxford English accent invited me home to dinner with he & his wife.

The poms had a great scheme in the Solomons. They selected the brightest locals, & sent them to the UK for their high school & higher education. He had been one, & then served in government becoming police commissioner.

They had a further great system where bureaucrats were only employed for 20 years maximum. Due to cultural aspects, but reinforced by the poms, they could not then live in the capital as superannuated bureaucrats, but had to return to their place of origin, taking their wealth & education with them.

A couple of hundred miles north is an atoll who's plantation owner had put 6 of the boys through Kings College Sydney, & university in Sydney or Port Moresby. Some of the girls had been sent to Scegs Moss Vale, & a couple to uni. About half of them were in Moresby in government jobs, but quite a few preferred the simple life.

Finding someone who was not as expected taught you not to judge people by their appearance.

Dear Hasbeen,

Thanks for sharing that story.

Talking about not judging by appearances.

I remember the American actor Billy Crystal
telling the story of his attendance at a
formal dinner in which American Indian Chiefs
were guests of honour. Billy said he'd never met
an American Indian Chief and all he knew about them
was from Western movies.

During the dinner Billy was seated next to one of
the Chiefs and Billy kept talking to the Chief in
"broken English" - "Pass ' em butter," "Pass 'em
salt,"and so on.

Finally, at the end of the dinner the Chief sitting
next to Billy was asked to make a speech. Much to Billy's
surprise the Chief spoke in the most eloquent English.
And when he finished he sat down next to Billy and asked
him:

" You like 'em speech?