How Important Are You?

"Do you see Color?"  

Carol Cassara asked that question on a blog post the other day. She had heard an interview on tv where the person being interviewed was asked about bias and bigotry and the person replied that they did not see color! Is that a good thing or a bad thing. Or did I simply misunderstand.

Carol pointed out the ignoring another person's color denied that person of their identity all together. After all we are a part of many generations of humans that led to who they are. But her thinking was that when a person says that it is not what they mean. Those that disagree with the statement have taken it literally. We might do the same if we didn't think about what the deeper meaning was. Here is what she wrote:

"So let’s break it down. Yes, yes, fools like me do want to rush in where angels fear to tread. Kids, we MUST discuss these hard topics or we are doomed to be stuck in this hell called our society forever.

So it’s impossible not to see color. Color of hair, color of eyes, color of clothing and YES, color of SKIN. Racial identity. We ALL see color. But here’s what I think people NOT of color mean when they say “I don’t see color."

They mean that they do not attach negative and stereotypical traits to a particular race.

I liked her words...a lot. Thank you Carole for bringing meaning to a phrase that is being misread over and over. Unfortunately, as I travel the world as well as my own country, I see evidence that many leaders do see "color". I give you that wall between Mexico and the USA that I live close to in the winter. 

Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates

I might take that a bit further. It is a razors edge we walk on when it come to color, age, sexual orientation or even linage. It all depends on what your base reaction is. I have traveled a lot and I know that color permeates every culture. The Chinese look down on the Mongolians. The Indian's base their opinion of another on the color of their skin and is a result of centuries of the caste system. The Middle East is all about religion and so it goes. In the United States all you have to be is different. Each finds someone to hate or denigrate. Maybe that is true everywhere on this planet.

I have always believed that humans disparage others because it makes themselves feel more important. Back when I was a child we often said the our poor uneducated white people hated the blacks because it make them feel bigger and, well, less poor and uneducated. Does that make sense?

I took a trip to India in May of this year where I got a glimpse of what the English rule in that country did to that culture. Inside The Imperial New Dehli where my daughter-in-law and granddaughters stayed spent one night, we saw a world where no sign of the language of India appeared. Even thought pictures lined the walls were lithographs of India's history created back in the sands of time, the language under each was English. It seemed like a time warp of sorts. The hotel was built in early 1930 and opened in 1936. The Indian people won their independence in 1947. The architecture speaks to the era. 

But according to this piece of history of the hotel, the governing body and those with influence in India found a place here. It served as a meeting place for the Indo-British governing bodies in spite of it's "Britishness". I find that very interesting. 

"The Imperial was placed on the second most important social boulevard of the nation, the prestigious Queensway, now called Janpath, the first being the grand and ceremonious Kingsway, now known as Rajpath. From the time it opened its doors in the 1930s, when India was beginning to write the last chapters of its saga on independence, there was little space in New Delhi for an Indo-British rubbing of shoulders. The Imperial provided such a space. Pandit Nehru, Mahatama Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten met at The Imperial under congenial conditions to discuss the partition of India and creation of Pakistan. The Nehru family had a permanent suite here."

Doorman

My suite.

Grounds of the Imperial

The Spice Road Restaurant

Before dinner drinks with Daughter-in-law Amanda

The British control of this country is history but how it left the country with an image of it's people was less than kind. I suppose even today there are those that look down on the Indian culture. I recall when a girl from my hometown married a gentleman from India 40 years ago, my mother commented that he just look black to her.  

As for the Indian people they also had the caste system leaving every level of society feeling better about themselves because they had someone to look down on...that was and is important. My son's maid did not clean the toilets until caught refusing to do that ugly "unclean" job. It is and was part of what a lower caste did.

When we traveled in China my son lived in Pu Dong just east of Shanghai. The development where his school was locate was built at the end of a dirt road that traveled through a Mongolian settlement. The people lived (and maybe worked) in the neighborhood. The school for the children was segregated from the local school district serving the Chinese people. It was not good! I might mention here that no "foreigner" could attend a Chinese public school. Inner Mongolia is part of China so there is that. But in my world it was not an unfamiliar.

But do we not acknowledge that these people are from a different culture and actually do look different than we do? I don't think so. We simply need to learn more and maybe even rub shoulders with them so we can understand and even maybe make a part of their culture our own. I am as guilty as anyone of carrying bigotry from a childhood where people struggled and it was important to, well, feel important.

So, how important do you need to feel? I stopped and thought about that today and I think we all should do that?

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A Travelers Guide to Retiring Abroad

With the cost of living going up in the United States, Florida is becoming further and further out of reach as the go to for retirees. Many who are retiring now are retiring abroad and believe it or not, this can be attained by just about anyone. The number of people who have retired outside of the U.S. has more than doubled since 2006 and have a budget at low as $40 a day. This can actually be a very financially savvy way to retire. Most retirees want somewhere a little warmer with less expensive housing and more affordable healthcare and this is doable in most countries outside of the U.S. Many of the inexpensive and appealing countries available lie in Central and South America, India, and Southeast Asia.

If retiring abroad is an option that appeals to you, there are some factors that you should consider when choosing your destination. 

Budget

When considering another country, while it may be much less expensive than the United States, you will want to budget out your expenses. Create a realistic retirement budget to see how much you will have to work with, regardless of where you are. You should budget according to sources of income that will be guaranteed to you such as Social Security and your pension. To do this you can get assistance from a 401K counselor, a financial planner, or do it yourself with a retirement calculator. Take into account any debt or bills you will have to pay. Don’t forget relocation costs.

Before leaving the country, set up direct deposit and automatic payments through your bank to help eliminate any complications that could arise from dealing with manual payments.

Banking

When dealing with money abroad, your assets can stay in the U.S. and get managed online but to avoid having your account frozen or getting charged currency exchange fees it would be wise to open an account locally in the country you have chosen and make regular transfers from your American Bank.

Health care

Medicare won’t cover you in another country but it is possible to attain health care overseas at much more affordable prices than those in the U.S. In many countries, paying out of pocket is much cheaper than the cost of visiting a doctor in the U.S. with insurance.

I

f you have special medical needs, consider one of the many countries with thriving medical fields.

Some international hospitals for medical tourism are located in South Korea, Turkey, Thailand, Costa Rica, Malaysia, and India, where you can save anywhere from 30 to 90% of the cost of treatment in the U.S.

Calculate the tax impact.

You will still have to pay U.S. taxes even though you are living abroad. The IRS taxes citizens on income no matter where they live. If you give up your citizenship, which some people do, you will still owe income tax as a nonresident alien. Income taxes are charged even if their assets are moved with them although some countries like Canada and Mexico have treaties that prevent double taxation.

Social Security

Should you wish to receive your Social Security by mail, the Social Security Administration has the ability to send your payments to many of the world’s countries however there are some countries that do not apply to this. The SSA cannot send payments to you if you are living in Cuba, North Korea, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, or Vietnam. On the chance that you qualify for an exception for one of these countries (Cuba and North Korea excluded), you are required to go to the country’s U.S. Embassy to pick up your payments each month. 

Language Barriers

Hanoi's Busy Night Life

If this is a deterrent for you, know that there are communities of English speaking retirees and that English is spoken and on the rise in most countries around the world as English is the most commonly spoken international language.

Transportation

Some seniors may reach a point where they can’t or do not want to drive. Consider what forms of local transportation there is to get around before deciding on a town or city. If traveling is something you want to do often during retirement, whether it is long distance or just through the country you have decided to settle in, it may be a good idea to settle down in close proximity to an airport or train station.

 

Politics and Religion

Some people may want to retire in a community of like-minded individuals and if this is the case, you may want to do some research on the beliefs, government, and political ideologies of the countries you are interested in. 

Try It First

Before moving to a new country, be sure to visit it for more than a week or two before committing to a new home. To establish whether or not this location is a good fit for you, try it out in order to see if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for your personal preferences.

Author’s Bio: Louis Mack is a seasoned retirement planner who has turned to writing to share the knowledge he has collected through many years of experience with a broader audience. When he’s not writing about retirement, he’s more than likely casting a line somewhere.

The Marine Corp: My Grandson's Journey Begins

I don't know where to begin. This has been an amazing week for my husband and I and my daughter's family. My grandson finished his Marine Corp basic training and we attended the celebration attached to that mile stone. Honestly, I did not know what to expect. I knew I was about to experience the Marine Corp as it opened the doors a crack so the families of those men that finish their recruit school could get a glimpse of their life. They had been in training for 3 month and had not heard any music save taps I suppose. Contact with their families was only what they received in letters and they did not have snack bars or a leisurely moment to themselves during that period of time.  In the Marine Corp the Drill Instructors spend that 24/7 with the men for that 12 week period.

I am sure that many of you have either been in the military or had a member of you family decide to devote a part of their life to their country. My husband was in the Navy. But I was not prepared for the Marine experience in anyway.

Men join the Navy to "See the World" or at least that is the recruiters tag line when they entice young men to join. But what I heard from the Drill Instructor on Family Day was that the Marines join to fight wars and their service is all about keeping our country safe with weapons in their hands. "Every recruit is first and foremost aware that they are expected to carry a weapon."

The video we were shown was all about the battles these men had fought in past wars beginning very early in our country's history. As a grandmother I fought back tears because I remember my generation's war.

But my grandson has had his eyes on this adventure for a very long time.  He will turn 20 next Friday. He is a self taught expert on weapons and actually helped the rest of his company when they had problems. He survived The Crucible, a final push in the training that required extreme physical effort, hunger and extended periods without sleep. It is a shared experience he will never forget.

We sat with his bunk mate for lunch on family day and they talked about that Crusible experience. The memory of seeing nothing but brown uniforms covered with dirt while feeling extreme fatigue and hunger was burned in their mind.  When they were given a clean shining orange, they marveled at the color of the beautiful fruit they held in their hand. Not only was it food for their bodies but it brought their minds to life again.

A proud family with their beautiful Marine.

First picture as a vested Marine...the beginning 12 week completed.

The smiling man is my grandson.

They talked about those that were willing to own up to their mistakes and those that would never admit to an error even if the whole company suffered. It is in fact not only a test of physical endurance but a test of moral integrity.

My grandson made me very proud when he told about how he had owned up to a mistake. No one would have told but he did not want the whole company to suffer for something he had done without thinking. He was given a little more "training" than the rest. The truth goes a long way. He just smiled because he understood what he had done and thought it was fair.

I will never forget the grin on his face when he spotted his mother and father in the crowd on family day or how he could not eat slowly.  I could feel his hunger for music and a talk with his girl friend.

His grandfather, Grandpa Earl, gave him the hunting rifle he had bought with money earned working on a ranch when his was 14-15 years old. The rifle provided food for our family in the early years of our marriage. It is still beautiful but an antique now. It was not new when my husband first held it in his hand in 1952.

I am home now. My flowers are in bloom and the sun is shining. But I am not the same and never will be again. This is a stage of life. I watch. I worry. I pray. But most of all I embrace my grandson's choice. We all have to live life our own way. His is an honorable choice.

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Did the AARP Invitation Get Lost in the Mail?

I laughed when Blue Orchid wrote the guest blog about receiving his AARP invitation when he was 48 years old.  His decision to pass on the kind offer seemed right considering his age, how long we will live, and the cheesy gift AARP was offering.  But I laughed even harder when my husband got his invitation in the newspaper this last Sunday....he is 74!  Did the invitation get lost in the mail?  You know, a person could get their feelings hurt.

The dreaded symbol of getting old!

The benefits are the same as those offered Blue Orchid...an insulated travel bag in red (AARP color) that is suppose to tip the scales toward the option to send $14 for membership.  Even though that included the $4.03 subscription to AARP The Magazine and a free insulated bag we have made our decision that we are not ready to join yet...maybe when we get old but just not yet.

Blue Orchid of Texas, I think we will just hang out with you and your Studio30 friends for a while longer if that is alright.  

Be well.

Barbara

China, Japan, Earthquakes...expats family's concerns!

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We have family living in Shanghai, China.  They live on the east side of the city...Pu Dong.  Their house is on a golf course and the China Sea spills into their living room when the monsoon season comes each year.  We try not to worry because they are very responsible world citizens.

Third Culture Kids

When the earth quake hit Japan last week we remembered that our son and his wife had applied for jobs in Japan last year.  How different their and our lives are because they did not get that job. We received a simple text message from them that said "We are okay...no tsunami!"  Then as we began to get word of nuclear reactor problems we like the parents of children that attend the school where my son is deputy superintendent were very concerned about how that could come into play.  In fact, all parents in China are very worried about the health of their children.  How could they not be.  I realize how much pain and worry parents of expats living in Japan must be experiencing.


So the reality is that parents in that part of the world are talking about iodine therapy to remove radiation just like the parents along the west coast of the United States.  They too are rushing to find solutions for a problem that will probably never arrive at their shores because of prevailing winds.  My husband and I know that we are truly citizens of the world when it comes to issues that affect our environment. We know that no country or community is isolated from a disaster like the one in Japan.  In fact, we are feeling  closer to cultures we do not understand because we see that their life is a reflection of our own in so many ways.


The expat schools in China have banned together to provide their communities with consistent and truthful information.  They are relying on their country's embassies and the government in Japan and China to keep them informed.  As in the United States, parents expect the school to be their protector.  The schools are not equipped to do that job but are willing to be the transmitters of information to their parents.  Every day is a challenge.


For people like myself, it is hard to wrap our minds around the place where expats live and work.  It is a nether world of an extraordinary kind...especially in times of crisis.  Those people that live in a Third Culture Society understand they are in fact citizens of a larger world...citizens of their own country, citizens of the country where they reside, and citizens of the world.  Their pool of resources is very unlike ours.


As a grandparent of two granddaughter who are called Third Culture Kids, I am very grateful, sometimes a little fearful but always very excited for the life they lead.  As for the situation in Japan, I am reminded that the earth we walk on is a very fragile place and I try to tread lightly.


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Related articles

• UPDATE 7-China to evacuate citizens from Japan quake areas (reuters.com)
• China asks Japan for timely, precise nuclear info (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Asian neighbours see no immediate radiation threat (ctv.ca)