Steven Yeun--Actor--in Invincible--I am so happy to see Asian-Americans like me doing so well--

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Yeun

It makes America seem less strange.

I remember in Berlin in 2004, when I was struggling to get up onto a 5 foot wall, and an Asian woman in the line extended her hand and pulled me up.

Americans when overseas recognize and help each other--not so much at home, where it's like "Why don't you do it yourself."

You also learn to "kill rude or racist people with courtesy."

Sometimes I say "Thank you so much," to see people cringe with guilt.

You meet strange people everywhere, and you also meet kind people--it's strange.

Strangers have helped me more than people I knew already.

The worst could be fellow Burmese who talk in a snide, jealous way.

But people all come and go--we are all just visiting.

An Arab? taxi driver taking me to the airport in Amsterdam said, "Oh Madam, that's not right. You haven't seen your brother for 20 years?"

At 1 AM one Thanksgiving, I got into Union Station very late as the train was delayed. A nice couple let me have their taxi. The taxi driver said, "Oh, Ma'am, it's not right you not having a religion. Whom do you pray to?"

I rcognized him as Ethiopian.

But usually I don't talk to strangers.

But sometimes I do.

On the whole I think Lyft or Uber are safer.

The Dutch are friendly--maybe bc they depend on tourism or the Allies saved them from Hitler.

I didn't like Germany that much.

I'm very sure I won't like Yangon at all.

I didn't like London that much either--so small, so tight.

But I liked my childhood there.

I never really liked Burma, come to think of it.

I didn't like UNW and Aunty Kitty at all.

The moving water puppet show.

kmk

1-31-2025