Travel Personalities (2 of 3)

Robert. On my trip back to Cedar Rapids, I met Robert in the boarding line of one of my flights. In his early forties, Robert ran his own successful business (of which he was extremely vague). He seemed like the kind of guy who could find opportunity in anything. When I told him that I might be able to work in India in a software project lead role, he was ecstatic, "Think of the marketability that would give you," he said, "so many companies here in America would like to move software to India, but they don't have the contacts or project oversight to make sure it's getting done on time and that it's right." We spent a couple minutes discussing what that kind of small business would look like as we walked down the jet bridge.

He sat across the isle from me and began a conversation with the woman next to him. Most of the flight, he spent working through a Kaplin University course book, "just to clarify some of the things I already learned in the school of hard knocks."

Jonathan. While Robert studied and chatted with the lady on his right, I introduced myself to Jonathan. He was an older gentleman, not to recently retired from many years as a forklift (and other large equipment) salesman in the midwest. He met his second wife in Las Vegas and moved to Costa Mesa, CA, after he divorced his first wife.

He was on his way to St. Louis to his niece's wedding. He hadn't seen his family in 8 years.

Emily. Throughout the flight (as I talked with Jonathan and Robert), a young blond girl sat by the window next to Jonathan. About every 10 minutes she should reposition for another 10 minutes of restless sleep. As we began our decent, she sat up and joined in the conversation.

Emily was in her early twenties and engaged to be married. She apparently enjoyed trying to sleep the whole flight. Recently she went on a missions trip to India to spend time with college students since most short-term missions are focused on the poor in India. Apparently some time ago missionaries offered money to Indians as incentive to convert to Christianity, and many of the lowest cast took them up on their offer. As a result, Christianity is equated with the lowest cast in the hierarchy. Her mission was to introduce the idea to college students that Christianity was not based on cast--Indians could remain in the Hindu cast while worshiping the one true God. I know so little about Indian culture, so I had little input, just questions.