A World of Experience

A recent entry on The Grey-Beard Loon's blog churned up the memories for me. A lovely tango video accompanied by a little blurb about how select tourists attempt to immerse themselves in the local culture made me think of a certain former co-worker from Trinidad-Tobago who absolutely was living his dream by coming to Texas and wrapping himself in the cowboy culture. He could warble a country hit, particularly something by Jim Reeves or Ray Price, and your ears wouldn't know the difference. He was an absolutley unique character. As were so many of the people from other countries that I have had the privelege of working with throughout the years.

I consider myself so fortunate to have worked alongside and be taught by brilliant med techs who bring with them the experiences and richness of foreign lands. To date, in the lab field alone, I have had the good fortune to work with techs from:

India.

Iraq.

Hong Kong.

Vietnam.

Trinidad/Tobago.

Mexico.

Egypt.

Nigeria.

British Guyana.

The Philippines.

Peru.

Venezuela.

Argentina.

Belize.

And those are just the ones off the top of my head. As they immersed themselves in our culture, perfecting their english, I too soaked up what they had to offer. I listened to their music, attended weddings with traditional garb and food, listened to them speak their native tongue, and found that we had far more similarities than differences. And believe me, you haven't lived until you have heard an Indian rap song (yes, there is such a thing!).

What different nationalities have you experienced with your coworkers? How do you find they enrich (or frustrate) your life?