Travel Photos & Musings By Nathan W. Allen
Single people ache for marriage Married people, to be single Poor people want the luxuries of the rich The rich, the simplicity of the poor Light skinned long for dark Dark skinned long for light The jobless hurt for work The working despise the jobs they have Young people can’t wait to age While the...
By Nathan Allen Guess where this pic was taken…Vietnam? Thailand? Bahamas? Philippines? Nope. It was taken in the U.S.A.!! No, it’s not April Fool’s Day – it’s July 4th, my home country’s birthday! I chose this photo to represent how diverse the U.S. really is. Some people always had a sense of patriotism growing up,...
“Nathan, why do you like the Philippines so much?” Scratching their heads, many Filipinos have asked me this question. Sometimes it seems what they actually mean is how could you love the Philippines so much? How is it possible for an American to love such a “broken” and corrupt country? Well, it is possible, and...
Remembering Mr. Wilson… “A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others” – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Walking down the empty hall by my niece’s classroom today, I couldn’t help but think back to my own time in school. I was suddenly hit with the realization that the...
That’s Arnold Schwarzenegger on his very first visit to New York in 1968. It’s the face of a recent immigrant to the U.S. – one who sees nothing but unlimited possibilities before him…and somebody who fully explored those possibilities as he made the transition from professional athlete, to movie star, to best-selling author, to Governor...
It’s something that every white male in the Philippines is familiar with…the smiley jeepney driver waves and yells out “Hey Joe!” as he drives by. This is an expression left over from WWII, a “term of endearment” for American soldiers (think “G.I. Joe”). It’s certainly not meant as an insult, and Americans seem to love...
The latest news (this was written 5 years ago) about President Duterte severing military and economic ties with the U.S. has taken a toll on me. Actually, it’s been a gradual process. I first heard of Duterte a few years ago, when he made headlines for deporting a misbehaving foreigner. I actually admired him for...
I must admit, this video of U2’s “Bono” talking about how “America Is An Idea” has me brimming with patriotism. Well, I didn’t always feel this way. To be honest, when I first left the U.S. and ventured out into the world, I avoided other Americans like the plague. Growing up in California, I kind...
Follow-Up: My “Open Letter” Explained – By Nathan Allen “The Truth Hurts…But Less if it’s Coming From YOU” Here is the link to the original letter, as a young Filipino on Twitter shared it: “When truth feels better told by somebody else – A FOREIGN BLOGGER’S LETTER TO THE PHILIPPINES“ Why do many people accept...
(January 2021 Update: This “letter to the Philippines” was written 7 years ago. I have not been back to the country for quite a while, so I’m not sure how much of this still applies. Hopefully less of the negative and more of the positive:) Anyhow…just something to keep in mind as you read it...