Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Iraq wars has helped me share a Muslim perspective on that conflict. And I consider vis-
iting a concentration camp memorial a required element of any trip we lead through Ger-
many.
As a tour guide, I make a point to follow up these harsh and perplexing experiences
with a “reflections time” where I only facilitate the discussion and let tour members share
and sort out their feelings and observations. I've learned that, even with the comfortable
refuge of a good hotel, you can choose to travel to complicated places and have a valuable
learning experience.
Not long ago, I had an opportunity to hang out on the beach for a vacation in the ritzy
Mexican resort of Mazatlán. The enticing beach break coincided with an invitation to go
to San Salvador (the capital of El Salvador) to remember Archbishop Oscar Romero on
the 25th anniversary of his assassination.
For my vacation, I opted for El Salvador—to share a muggy dorm room, eat rice and
beans, be covered in bug bites, and march with people in honor of their martyred hero who
stood up to what they consider American imperialism. The march passed a long, shiny,
black monument that looks just like our Vietnam memorial. It was busy with mourners
and etched with countless names—each a casualty of a civil war their loved ones believed
was fought against American interests and American-funded troops. It's not a matter of
whether America is good or bad in a certain instance. The fact is, the popular patriotic
sentiment “my country, right or wrong”—while embraced by many Americans—is by no
means unique to our country. There are good people waging heroic struggles all over the
world…some of them against our country.
