Expect the unexpected

When traveling in foreign countries, always expect the unexpected.

In Bothell, I met a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong who came to this country but had to leave his wife behind.

He was born in Hong Kong and easily fit within the limits of the quota system. He had a sponsor and also a job waiting for him.

His wife was born in Mainland China and suffered from a much smaller quota system.

I had asked for information on quota systems so I was prepared to look into it when I arrived in Hong Kong.

I met his wife, and she said that U.S. officials stated that it would take at least five years before she would be high enough on the list to come over.

She worked at one of the local hospitals as a nurse and asked if I would go with her to the grand opening of a new wing of the hospital.

I kind of stood out in the crowd, and when the administrator learned I was there he came over to meet me.

I was astonished when he asked me if I would cut the ribbon on the opening of the addition to the hospital.

When the time came, I was handed a large scissors and upon command cut the ribbon.

I was astonished again when I was invited to a wedding party, and the bride and groom insisted that I stand with them for their official wedding party photograph.

I can imagine sometime later they were asking themselves who I was and why I was in the photograph.  It was something that I had asked myself several times over.

It was a pretty large wedding, and people sat at round tables. I was told that it was the custom in Chinese weddings that the bride and groom would visit each table, with someone offering a toast when they did so.  

They later returned to the table and asked if I would appear in their wedding party photograph.

Well, why not.

Later in the trip I visited Thailand, where I was met by the nephew of the Thai student we sponsored under the FIUTS program at the University of Washington (Foundation for International Understanding Through Students).

He had a whirlwind schedule for me, and one thing on the schedule was Thai boxing, where you can use your feet as weapons.

We sat in an arena setting where onlookers would yell out bets with each other as the bouts started.

I watched the first match so I could get the hang of how it worked.

On the second match, I told the nephew who would win, and when my choice indeed won he motioned it to the crowd around us.

I did the same at the next match and suddenly all the people around us wanted to know my prediction. So I picked the next two matches, and suddenly I was the top guy.

On the next bout my guy lost, and suddenly I felt shunned.

But the evening was my introduction to Thai boxing.

The next day, he took me up to the country to meet my FIUTS student’s mother and other relatives.

The following day we went to the sapphire mining area. I was carrying samples of my friend’s sapphire mine in Montana, and everyone wanted to see them.

When I returned to the United States, I followed up on the Hong Kong quota system with a call to Sen. Magnuson’s office.

He responded to say that immigration people were firm on the quota system.

I returned the next year to Hong Kong on my way to Vietnam and checked in with our consulate with the same degree of luck.

It wasn’t until a similar visit, my third, that I met someone that would listen to my story.

I told the worker that I was going to talk with Sen. Magnuson on the matter, and he asked if I would be willing to pay for a telegraph message. I said sure.

I returned to the U.S. a few weeks later, and within two weeks the lady was united with her husband. 

It proves that if you know the right people, quotas can be changed.

The three trips were filled with the unexpected.