What I Wish We Had

Between my years in the military and my time schlepping students about Europe and Asia, I’ve experienced a great deal and seen many things. Some things I treasure and I think about often. When people ask me what I liked the most about a trip, it is a question like this that draws my mind back to unique cultural traits that, at the time, left me thinking, I wish we had this back home.

I sometimes experience different faiths and from time to time, I wonder why we don’t have certain things in my faith. One, how much better would my faith be if I could have the temples with mountains as a backdrop like the open spaced Shinto ones I’ve seen in Japan. When I visit these temples, I pray to my own God but what a beautiful way to experience him (or her). While serving in the Middle East, there was no more wonderful and sublime experience than greeting the day with the call to prayer (adhan) by the nearby muezzin. I can’t quite explain the experience but it filled me with a peace and a calmness that is not inherent in my typical mornings. I visited a Hindu temple once in Dallas and the smells and sights of the place beat the sterilized and carpeted suburbia of typical churches. Have you ever noticed that most churches, especially the Protestant ones, smell the same?

I wish Vietnamese restaurants were more ubiquitous than they are now. There is no more perfect food than a large, steaming bowl of pho. The combination of a perfectly constructed broth, noodles, greens and meat, with some bean sprouts and cilantro sprinkled on top is the kind of food that has brought people together in peace. I wish the most fervent wish that our Congress had a “president’s questions” time the way the British House of Commons have with their prime minister. Many of Britain’s former colonies have the same set up in their lower House but for some reason, we decided to be a bit more “civilized.” Can you imagine Presidents Obama or Bush having to rationalize their policies to a jeering, doubtful and questioning opposition? It would, overnight, restore interest in our political system. If you are not familiar with this, check out CSPAN on Sunday night and watch with rapt interest in Prime Minister David Cameron and his opposition parry and thrust. The most positive consequence is that it would foster a political class more capable of explaining themselves.

To round out my recollections, there is a set of peculiarities I’ve seen in other countries I’d like to see more of in the U.S. In Japan, they have holes in the streets that shoot up hot water when the streets are covered by snow. I also like the Japanese stores with parking on the roof. In an attempt to save space, Japanese businesses (like a grocery store) take advantage of all the space atop the building. Genius. I once visited a roof top bar and pool in Manama in Bahrain. We have these spotted throughout the U.S. but not nearly enough. I love the bakery specific shops in Germany and France that allows one to grab fresh bread without going through a massive Target or Wal-Mart to get to it. The only bakeries we have are the doughnut and kolaches places which, though fine food, are not the same. Additionally in Germany, they have figured out a way to limit urban sprawl. Their communities are tightly packed and complete with the various services needed without pointlessly tearing up landscape.

It should be said that I love the United States. I feel it is the greatest country in the world and certainly, the most beautiful. However, my travels have allowed me to experience how other cultures have attempted to solve common problems. Some things I like and would love to see in the U.S. and other things the Americans do better. I have more exploring to do. I want to visit India, Mongolia, Ethiopia, Peru and Iceland, among others. I have so many places I want to visit, I may not have time for a future family. That said, I might not have time for a job.