Member-only story
Why I Never Carry Cash In My Wallet
Traveling overseas as the son of a military officer could be stressful. When we decided to venture out and visit some of the places in the countries we were in, the government would invite us to a briefing. My mom, my two siblings and I would file into a plain room that was like a small conference room or large classroom where they would tell us about the places we would be visiting. They would give us a rundown on the current global situation, how the people we would be mingling with felt about Americans at the time and some general pointers on how to act. We were told that bad people could want to do bad things to us if they knew we were related to an officer in the United States military. They told us to always be on our guard and to look out for anything suspicious. That was the most important thing.
When I moved to Japan in the first place they told me to blend in. A job I often tried but failed to take seriously. Before I went to Hiroshima they told me to be respectful. When I went to China they said to listen to the minder, even if they told lies. When I went to Hong Kong they told me about the counterfeit markets and the wealth of low quality retail goods while reminding me that if I was caught bringing any into Japan I could be charged with smuggling. But always, no matter where we were or where we were going, they finished by telling us to always be on our guard and look…
