Text 15882, 81 rader
Skriven 2007-05-23 18:00:38 av RUTH HANSCHKA (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: MILITARY BRATS 79522
============================
->  RH> The last one, no doubt.  Dunno as I've ever met a mercenary as the
->  RH> term is usually used, but I'm a card-carrying misfit. There are
those
->  RH> who have to be told to "think outside the box", those who wonder if
->  RH> it's an appropriate time to use "outside the box" solutions, and
those
->  RH> of us who have to be told where to find the box.  I'm almost a
->  RH> straight-up third category type.  
-> 
-> There were quite a few of those, who mainly had found it difficult for
-> one reason or another (like "the law") to live in more civilized

That could be a problem.  

-> Philippines and India.  They stayed for several 3 year contracts, saved
-> their money, and then returned home with enough to buy a house and
-> small business.  The expatriate salaries were the same, regardless of
-> whether the tradesmen were Filipinos, Australians or British, so
-> attracted the best people in their field.  It was important that they
-> had to be prepared to pass on their skills to the local apprentices.

...which is the good part, provided the mercenaries were decent teachers. 
 
->  RH> I wish I'd gone to that high school!  It would have been twice as
much
->  RH> fun as mine for just as much work.
-> 
-> My kids loved that school.  Once a year they had a day when each
-> group dressed up in their national costume and performed dances and
-> other entertainment.  The Papua New Guinean girls were popular, dancing
-> topless, in grass skirts.  On one occasion the Sri Lankans were down a
-> dancer, so for that day my eldest daughter became a Sri Lankan to make
-> up the number.  There were always lots of Filipinos.

I definitely could have gone for that.  The topless dancing ... maybe
not... but the rest would have been fun.  
  
->  RH> I knew a few who ended up taking correspondance classes, since this
->  RH> was before home schooling was big here.  When you've been going to
a
->  RH> one-room schoolhouse, for all intents and purposes, out in the
African
->  RH> bush a Detroit high school is a bit daunting.  
-> 
-> I knew some missionaries living in remote areas of PNG who had kids
-> living with them, getting home schooling, and mixing with the local
-> children.  They grew up fluent in 3 languages - English, Pidgin and the
-> local language.

That's one of the advantages, although I have to wonder how useful pidgin
would be on whichever mainland they came from.  
 
-> When working in Lae I had a visit from some German Lutheran
-> missionaries who wanted help with a tractor problem.  They spoke no
-> English, and my German was quite rudimentary, so our discussion had to
-> take place in PNG Pidgin, in which we were both fairly fluent.  I was
-> able to help, with a secondhand spare part, and they went back to their
-> Highlands outpost happily.  It was unofficially approved that our
-> government organisations assisted missionaries, as they provided half
-> the primary education, particularly in remote areas.

The ones I've known work in places like India (Indian nationals) Russia,
assorted West African countries, and other places. It must have been an
interesting conversation - diesel information in PNG Pidgin.  
  
->  RH> I'm not particularly surprised.  Multicultural exposure at a young
age
->  RH> tends to do that.  People on the upper end of the education
spectrum
->  RH> do the same thing. 
-> 
-> I have noticed that.  They, and their partners tend to travel more, and
-> thus have a better chance of meeting like-minded partners.

That, and at the PHD level the pool of people is smaller and more
concentrated.  The travel comes into it too, since a lot of doctoral
students change states and countries for degree work.  I haven't noticed
the same thing with law students, although a lot of them earn the
equivalent of a PHD.  MDs follow the PHD pattern. 
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