Here on the boat, I don't have that luxury. I often won't get around to downloading my Google News feed until we're on our second or third day near shore. I therefore very much enjoy when friends and family send news updates via e-mail.
As we approached the island of Kisar, we checked our e-mails, and were disappointed to find out that someone in Florida was organizing a burning of the Islamic holy book, the Koran (spellings vary).
I don't know much more about the situation, but to whomever is organizing the event: Please don't do that.
Besides the insensitivity involved in any book burning (much less a holy book important to a large proportion of the world's population), it doesn't accomplish anything positive. Plus, it makes our lives out here more complicated.
As part of the EYE of the World crew, we serve as the eyes and ears of participating students in the US. However, we also serve as international ambassadors for our students (and oftentimes the United States as a whole). I'm very proud to be an American Citizen, but unfortunately, out here, we're sometimes wary about openly declaring ourselves as so.
Indonesians living on a remote island may have never met Americans before, but they do hear stories about book burnings in Florida. You and I both know that Americans are fun, honest, outgoing, good-hearted people, but you might not know that if you haven't met one personally.
I am happy to tell you that Bahamian, Turks and Caican, Dominican, Jamaican, Colombian, Panamanian, Equadorian, Marquesan, Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Vanuatan, Australian, and Indonesian people are warm-hearted and good-natured. I can speak kindly of almost everyone we've met on our travels, and I hope that after their encounter with the EYE of the World crew, they feel positively about Americans too.
But for those of you back at home, please be aware of your actions and their implications. Things that happen in the US make the news world-wide. Things like a Koran book-burning don't reflect kindly upon Americans, and unfortunately, EYE of the World can't visit everyone in the world ... and show them that Americans are good people too.