Lady, Kristen's Cat in Richmond.

“I learned that day that everyone smiles in America.” – Margo, a Russian who recently came to America.

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Chris Guillebeau is traveling to every country in the world and has a website about it, The Art of Non-Conformity.  I wrote a blog post about it a few weeks ago.

His recent post was about interesting conversations he has in his travels.  Cabbies, immigration workers, and people in local markets are just a few of the examples he gives.  But, the point of this blog is that America is Beautiful!!!

This was inspired by the quote from Margo, which was the last line in a comment on Chris’s article, and a couple other conversations that I have had recently.

***

I was really down on America the last couple years.  Not proud of our foreign policy. Angry, cynical, resentful, and rebellious.  But, recently I have been really appreciating the GOODS America has to offer.

On a recent trip to Washington DC to see a RATATAT concert, I was riding with a cabbie from Pakistan.  I like to chat these cabbies up and I was asking him about how long he has lived here and what he thought.

“Lots of freedom.”

He went on for awhile about how people don’t appreciate America enough and complain and complain, yet everyone are still moving here.

“You don’t see America-town in China or America-town in Pakistan.”

America has it’s faults, but I really think the best way to help anything improve, whether a person, a business, or a nation is to Love it!  Accept and try to Understand IT!

***

I am having a very relaxed time in Richmond.  Sarah and Carver Weakley are putting me up still and I am living the high life.  Last night, Sarah and her friend, Jay made some Salmon & Rice (it was more complicated than that, but I do not know what the sauces were).

I got my computer fixed today and am planning on visiting a local market with Kristen and seeing some old friends, the Leslie’s, who are about to have a baby.

Muchas Gracias Everyone!

Create Our World,

ben

“To understand everything is to forgive everything.” -Buddha

Tags: adventure travel, adventure travel blog, America, art of non-comformity, Benjamin Jenks, create our world, hitchhiking, richmond, roadtrip around the USA, virginia
Categories: Places.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 8:25 pm and is filed under Places.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.