The Most Important Thing I Learned in America

 

I once worked for a company called Frasers Ltd in Johannesburg. My director nominated me for an educational trip to the USA. That was back in the 1980’s. I was surprised to have received such an honour because it was company policy to send staff on those tours after long service. I had only been working for Frasers for just over a year.

We were a group of people from different companies taking the guided tour and departed from Jan Smuts International Airport in Kempton Park for the long flight across the Atlantic to Madeira where our jet refuelled. From there it was still a quite a distance to La Guardia Airport in New York. Whilst on the flight I wondered what lay in store for me since I had never travelled so far from South Africa.

America was huge compared to my small country but in those days our currency exchange rate was almost 1:1. I knew that technologically they were far ahead of my country and that it would be a big adjustment in terms of size as well.

The tour operator had everything planned with a full itinerary. One of the main reasons for the tour was to see the huge malls that were going up at the time. We also visited two cash and carry outlets and similar outlets.

Here I will name ten of the places we travelled to and the most noteworthy attractions I was able to experience. Obviously, there were more, but I cannot recall them all since it was a long time ago.

In Washington DC I visited the Abraham Lincoln Memorial – a huge place. He was the 16th President of the United States and an important figure. The memorial was beautiful to behold.

Lincoln Memorial

Chicago, on Lake Michigan in Illinois, is among the largest cities in the U.S. I loved the way the waterways were part of the beautiful city.

Chicago

At Dallas, Texas I purchased a cowboy hat which I still have today. Those years we used to watch JR Ewing dominate everyone else. It was an extremely popular TV series.

We flew to Atlanta where we visited a convention centre. It is no use trying to find a photo of the place way back when. 

In New Orleans we visited the Bourbon Street attractions, a remarkably interesting place and famous for its festivals.

New Orleans

On we travelled to Los Angeles where it was a highlight of our tour to visit Disneyland. There I watched Abraham Lincoln give a speech in the form of a figure in his likeness.

Disneyland

In San Francisco I visited a bookshop where I bought a book and we looked at the suspension bridge and the notorious Alcatraz penitentiary nearby.

Alcatraz Penitentiary

Next up was Las Vegas, famous for its casinos where people gamble all night long and nobody seems to worry about sleeping. We also visited the Grand Canyon.

Las Vegas

Since we were nearing the end of the 21-day tour we fly across country eastwards to Boston and paid a visit to the Tea Party ship moored in the harbour. Something our history teacher taught us about at school.

Boston Tea Party

Lastly, we returned to the Big Apple where I decided to visit Macy’s to buy a gift for my wife. It was quite late in the afternoon when I walked in the huge store to choose the gift. 

Macy's 

At last, a beautiful make-up set. As I was checking it out, a voice next to me said, “If we buy something together for a certain amount that set will cost you less.” How could I refuse? The friendly voice belonged to a young lady, a New Yorker. She then invited me to Happy Hour after our joint purchase.

She told me that she was meeting her boyfriend at a certain pub and that we could also join her sister afterwards for supper at Greenwich Village. Well, such friendly hospitality was beyond my wildest dreams. I was accepted with kindness to that famous city in such a kind manner with the local residents was mind blowing. Very unexpected.

The boyfriend was a bit brash at the outset but eventually quieted down when he experienced my calm demeaner. He was pushing the subject of my country’s policy of Apartheid but just dropped it afterwards when his girlfriend hushed him up. I was not making the policies in my country.

After a most enjoyable time at the restaurant in Greenwich Village I was surprised by their next move. We walked up to Little Italy after dark and entered a quaint little restaurant where they ordered dessert which we enjoyed to violin music. My lady friend then bought me a gift to take home as a memento of our time in Little Italy.

Little Italy

Afterwards, they caught a cab and dropped me off at my hotel and continued home. My visit to America was a really lovely experience that always remains with me. When we travelled by jet at night across country, I can still remember those city lights that went on for ages proving to me how huge that country is. All the cities and places I visited were wonderful.

But there is this one thing that makes all of that fade into smallness – excuse the expression. What I learned and came across in America was someone that reached out as a friend and made me feel accepted and welcome in her country. That is worth gold. Actually priceless. You could say that I was really fortunate to visit all those places in the USA and it would cost an absolute fortune to duplicate today. But nothing, even all of that, compares to the friendship shown to me by that young lady. So, you can go to America and see impressive things but unexpected friendship like that beats it all!

I just want to add something here at the end. God placed me in an unforgettable company called D & DH Fraser Ltd to create visual catalogues for their reps. The Sales Manager and his director gave me that opportunity. Within a few months I managed to produce exactly what they wanted at minimal cost. Consequently, when a position became available, I was offered the position of National Advertising Manager the Frasers Ltd at Head Office in Johannesburg. Those two gentlemen are no longer alive, but I want to pay homage to them for making my stay at Frasers a valuable experience.