What a wonderful world this can be!

What a wonderful world this can be!

Date published: 9/20/2009

What a wonderful world this can be!

This is certainly an opposing view in response to Tom Chasen's Sept. 1 letter ["Yankee, stay home!"].

I am a proud American who has been fortunate to have lived in, vacationed in, and traveled to or through 45 of our nation's great states.

But I am equally as fortunate and proud to have lived in, vacationed in, and traveled to or through 27 foreign countries as well.

So I can speak with a great deal of personal experience and say that Americans are certainly not "hated in almost every country."

I have always found in my foreign travels that quite the opposite opinion is held and enthusiastically shared by the many foreign nationals I've met along the way.

I am also proud to know that thousands of Americans are eager to travel to foreign countries, to experience new cultures, to see and be amazed by both new and historically important places in history, and to be enthralled by the customs, foods, sights, sounds, and myriad other experiences that make foreign travel such a rewarding and enriching experience.

Don't forget, too, the thousands of proud Americans who volunteer their time each year in the Peace Corps, and other goodwill missions throughout the world.

Thankfully, we have a government that cares about the safety of Americans abroad, and as I and others continue to travel, we can rest a bit more comfortably knowing we are never far from home.

So, Yankee, go forth and see this wide, wonderful world. And as you travel, whether to the next town, next state, or abroad, follow the simple practice of treating others with kindness and respect, and be ready to receive the same in return.

Robert Rea

Spotsylvania

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Date published: 9/20/2009