Coming to America, Part 2

I love America. Or perhaps it's the idea of America that I love. I still believe in the America that welcomes strangers with open arms and where anyone can make it with sheer grit and determination. I'm not sure whether the America I believe in and love still exists, but I'm very sure that's not the America much of the outside world sees.

I'm also aware that much of my contact with America and Americans is viewed from a military perspective, and that is not the America that many Americans know. The America of military bases is almost a return to an earlier era, where neighbors gather together for grills and games and teenagers know that any misbehavior will get back to their parents. Again, it's only one side of America, but one I know well and, for the most part, peopled by caring, well-meaning individuals. But how typical is that of the country as a whole?

I've joked with American friends that I often get mistaken for a "loud American" and often that assumption comes with animosity toward "us" all. One friend asked why Americans are so disliked and I think it's because all that much of the world knows about the country is its politics and big oil/big tobacco/big business concerns. Which many of the Americans I know are just as concerned about as those of us outside of the country.

There's also a shocking ignorance on the part of many Americans about the world outside their personal borders, whether that be their ranch, their town, their state or the continental USA. I've noticed that same mindset most places I've traveled in the world, however. What makes it more shocking is that America keeps playing world sheriff, interfering in other countries' politics with little forethought or end game in sight. Interestingly, some of the freer thinkers I have met have been part of the military forces - putting your life on the line for somebody else's decisions tends to clarify a person's priorities and opinions.

All of which is probably a very long way of saying I'm not sure what the "real" America is, or if such a thing even exists. But I'm very interested to know and aim to spend three months trying to find out. The plan is to travel the country having conversations with real Americans about their hopes and dreams, their aspirations and disappointments. To ask each one what America means to them. Obviously there will be a number of military personnel I speak with, but there will also be ranchers, Hell's Angel bikers, storekeepers and students. I'll be flying into Norfolk, VA, on May Day and will base myself with my US whanau there, working out a schedule to ride the highways and byways of the country and trying to take the pulse of America, as felt by those who live there.

I'll blog about the journey here as I travel, but also record the conversations to possibly publish in longer form at a later stage. People I speak to are welcome to anonymity if they desire.

So, coming soon to a town near you, "Korero Amerika" ("American Conversation"). If you want to take part, drop me a line, either here or on my Facebook page.

Let's talk . . .

Giving Back to Korea

SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- When volunteers open the front doors to enter the Second Hand Rose Thrift Shop on Seoul's main U.S. military base three days a week, they are usually greeted by customers waiting, often regulars who help move larger items outside on display.
They're there to browse the rooms of quality used clothing, toys and household goods, knowing there's always merchandise being added from the constant stream of donations left in the bins out back.
What fewer of them know is that their payments are also treated as donations, and passed on to help many of the often-unseen needy throughout Korea.
Second Hand Rose has been active on the U.S. Army's Yongsan Base since 1977. The store itself is only for shoppers with access to the base, but its profits are split evenly between U.S. Forces Korea causes, including scholarships and grants to Korean groups and individuals in need of help.
That amounts to about US$160,000 a year given in grants and scholarships, in addition to a huge amount of surplus goods that are donated directly to those who need them. The store, owned and run by the American Women's Club Thrift Store Association (AWCTSA), is affiliated with the American Women's Club.
Ella Catineau, who has been president and manager of the shop since September last year, said her shop is staffed by volunteers whose numbers fluctuate, particularly over summer when many military members and their spouses relocate. There are also Korean volunteers, with about 40 in late October.
Catineau said an executive board oversees the operations with a welfare committee that handles requests for funds from Korean charities and USFK entities. Chris Rippon, the welfare committee co-chairperson, said that she often visits many of the groups that receive the funds.
"I usually do 'look-sees', as we call them, if it's a new charity that we've never funded before or if it's a new project that we're funding," she said.
She said her husband, an executive with GM Daewoo who often drives her to "look-sees" on the weekend, encourages her, explaining how emotional he becomes whenever he sees those in need.
"He thinks that he's a burly-type guy and that emotions wouldn't get into something like this but seeing the little kids and the babies lying on the floor -- it's really emotional. It's very heart-warming, though, to know that we can help them," she said.
Charities that have received funds from AWCTSA include the Love All Nations homeless church, Myongdo Services for Persons with Learning Disabilities, Emmaus Welfare Center, and the House of Sharing, which provides residential care for Korea's elderly "comfort women" -- survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery during World War II.
Hyon O'Brien, an elder of the Love All Nations Church, said the group has received AWCTSA grants twice, totaling $8,000. She also coordinates a weekly pickup of clothing and towels from the thrift shop.
"Many men at the shelter are grateful for the help," she said. "They also feel they are not totally forgotten by society because of AWCTSA."
Emmaus director Noel O'Neill said that although the organization receives funding from the Korean government, "this falls well short of what is needed to provide quality services."
Since 1999, Emmaus has received a total of $4,000 in grants from AWCTSA. That, among other things, has helped to fund a shuttle bus to the center, meet heating costs for a sheltered workshop, and finance a project to assist young mothers who are intellectually handicapped.
"The assistance from AWCTSA has helped us in the maintenance of our centers but more so in being able to take the initiative in beginning new programs," he said.
The beneficiaries of the AWCTSA funds regularly send photos, cards and letters to the thrift shop to thank the many volunteers they don't get to meet in person. Volunteers say they feel rewarded when they are thanked.
"When I first came here, I volunteered because I wanted to do something," Catineau said. "I didn't really realize what we were doing here. Now I understand what we are doing and our mission is to help those really in need. That satisfies me because I'm helping someone."