Another thing about the British. There are many things; maybe I have forgotten a lot. Something I remember, I will tell you, by the way, since we talk about England. One of the neighbors even showed me how to wash clothes. She said that the clothes that you wash after a day or a few days are quicker and easier to wash than when you wear them too long, because the stains and the sweat, the oil of the body will stay on the collar and all that. In that case, you have to brush it well with separate soap first before you wash it in the machine. Even such things they taught me. I did not ask for any advice. At those times, I was a teenager, didn’t talk a lot, and still learning English more by reading newspapers and stuff.
And then one of the neighbors – not a near neighbor even, a far one, maybe a couple of blocks, but I lived nearer to the countryside, so I’m just comparing it for you; but there were no big blocks or big buildings at that time except you know, the college – and she told me, “You know what?” She didn’t know me. She said, “Where do you come from?” And I told her I came from Âu Lạc (Vietnam) and all that as a student. She said, “Oh, yesterday you passed by my house, over there.” She showed me – a little far away, maybe 100 meters away. She said, “My daughter saw you yesterday walk past, and she told me, ‘Mom, oh, I saw the most beautiful girl that I have ever seen.’” I could not believe it. I never believed that I was beautiful anyway.
I have been bullied and teased by bigger girls and even bigger cousins. I was small, dainty. And some boys also teased me and all that stuff in school – they were bullying. And one boy even slapped me for no reason. He didn’t say why, he just came up and slapped me like that. At that time, I didn’t even know how to defend myself, even though I had already learned some kung fu. But I was a very shy, a very introverted person. That was in Âu Lạc (Vietnam). So I never thought I’m anything beautiful. I still never think like that. But when I saw some of my photos that they sent to me, by the way, with my working schedule, like when they quoted my talk or something, they put my photo. I saw some of the photos looked beautiful. I thought, “Ooh, who is this woman?” It’s the camera; it’s a good camera that makes it like that. It’s so beautiful sometimes – sometimes not.
Life can give you some little joy, pleasure in some moments. But when I was younger, I did not have many friends. I didn’t have a personal best friend or anything like that. My parents didn’t let me go anywhere with anybody except going to school and coming home. But several friends, so-called friends, in my school and in the neighboring school also invited me to their homes and all that. That was a good memory. And my neighbors always gave me something to eat if I happened to go there or pass by on the way to school. They always called me in and gave me some congee or fried rice, in primary school as well as in high school. I guess I looked small and people felt more protective with a little girl.
In England also, the neighbors gave me stuff, invited me to eat. Like, if they make some potatoes and with other food – it’s one of the, maybe, starters or something – then they would tell me, “It’s hot, wait.” And then, after a while, they’d tell me, “Now you can eat.” You see how nice the English people are. They have been very kind to me. I guess the world’s people know it, because everywhere the British went, they made them into the Commonwealth afterward, and the people still like them, love them and treat the English very well, very welcome. Compared to many other colonizers, people don’t like them to come back even for a visit. That’s what I heard. I don’t know for sure about that.
But the British passport anyway is still one of the best in the world, one of the most welcome in the world. That’s what I feel. I think people in the world know it. That’s why many came to England by boat and as illegal immigrants. And the British people, the English, the government used to accept all of them before. Just recently, they’re maybe not so welcoming, because they have to work with other neighboring countries so as not to encourage people passing through them or through neighboring countries to become immigrants, and become like a burden to their country to begin with. And sometimes some of these illegal immigrants make trouble and even wound the native people or the police even, in some ways, in some cases. It’s very pitiful.
Britain is one of the best countries, a peaceful country – fair, friendly, loving, kind, compassionate and free. Still much freer than some countries in the European Union. Because of the European Union law, they become more restricted and less friendly and less welcoming than before. I regret that. I used to be able to run around Europe anywhere I wanted, because there was not yet a restrictive law from the European Union. That’s one of the setbacks. But they’ll work on it, and things will be better.
Many governments think they have to do this, to do that, in order to better their system or to protect their citizens. But sometimes if the system is overdoing it, then it could feel oppressive, it could feel too controlled. I do feel that sometimes concerning my private bank accounts and stuff like that. I told you already, I sometimes put money in the bank until it piles up good enough, then we can buy a small center or a big center for you like that. And the bank told me I have no bad record or anything. I said, “Yeah, then why restrict my inflow or outflow too much?” Never mind, whatever. Money is not the big thing. If we have money, we buy. If we don’t have, we don’t buy. That’s my policy all the time, and I stick to it no matter what.
England is still a very comfortable place to live. That’s why people want to come to live in England, I guess. I think England and many other countries are also good. I think it just depends also on the government and your affinity with that country as well. Whatever happens, it just happens. Live well anyway. Live on. I live on, whether or not I live well or not live well. My tent is just as good as a palace or a house you can only live in. It’s not much you need anyway. Nowadays, we have this delivery system. It’s very convenient to live anywhere. They just bring things to wherever you live. And if you don’t have a house, you can borrow a neighbor’s house address and you go there and wait for your delivery stuff. Such a system is very convenient for me. It’s just sometimes it happens that they don’t come on the promised date because they are short on staff or something. Or something happens to the deliverer. Or sometimes, they send you the wrong thing. Then you have to return or not return it; it depends on how much time you have. But nowadays, to live anywhere, even in the jungle, is quite comfortable.
I wouldn’t advise you to go to live in the Amazon and mix with the native, indigenous people there. Just leave them alone. They are not used to people outside their own world. Sometimes, they had never gone out. They live by nature with whatever GOD provides. And they don’t have much of an immune system in their bodies. So if you come, you might disturb their peace or transmit some disease to them which is incurable to them because they don’t have modern medicine. They don’t have hospitals. They don’t have doctors except the bushcraft doctor. They don’t have all the necessities, a convenient way to cure themselves. Because we live in a mixed society since childhood. Our body builds up many kinds of defense systems, but they don’t. They live together in their pure, clean, simple, GOD-protected environment. They never do harm. They don’t have negative thoughts that make them sick. They don’t have any bad karma that they created that makes them have bad consequences of any kind. So you’d better not come to disturb them, and better the world people don’t go near them.
In some country, I forgot where it is… where they have indigenous people living deep in the jungle, or in the Amazon, deep in the jungle of their own country. The government forbids anybody to go three miles near them, which is a very good, very good government protective measure. I think every country who has indigenous people who never come out and have never seen anybody before, should have the same law to protect them. Protect the indigenous anyway, by any means possible, because they are innocent, they are vulnerable, and they protect the rainforests! They don’t know much about how to defend themselves. They live their lives relying on Heaven’s blessing and GOD’s Grace. They do not go and make trouble for anybody. They do not steal; they do not cause any harm at all to anyone. So please just leave them alone.
By the way, this is not a lecture on indigenous defense. It’s just I don’t know why, by the way, I remember it. I’ve said many things about how to protect the indigenous people in the world already, but I always think of them, how defenseless they are, how vulnerable their lives are. And I just feel very, very sorry. I don’t feel sorry if they live there alone or by themselves, I just feel sorry if the so-called civilized folks come in and disturb them and give them sickness, disease and all that, without thinking twice, without even realizing it. So I hope all the governments think more on how to protect this vulnerable group of people and educate their own civilized citizens not to go in there, disturbing them, least of all going there and destroying their forest, their home, their peace. Pray GOD to protect them. Amen.
Photo Caption: “GOD Does Give When Delivery Man Skips”
