241 We stopped at a very nice little village for lunch. It was like a Colonel Sanders. He said, "I'm going to order the chicken. If you go upstairs, there's a big dining room where we will be eating." So I went upstairs and sat in the dining room. Carlos came up, and asked, "Do you feel out of place?" I said, "Everybody is staring at me from all directions." He said, "Because we don't have a lot of red-headed people in this country." I asked, "Can you tell me why I have this little boy right here, just smiling at me? I don't know what to do with him and he just doesn't go away." Carlos spoke to the little boy in Spanish and laughed. "He would like to know if he could touch your fur." “What?” I asked. Carlos said, "You have a lot of hair on your arms, and we don't have that here. He wants to know if he could touch you." I said, “Sure.” I got a couple of strokes, and the little boy went back to his table. It was funny. I just couldn’t figure out why he stood there smiling. — Larry Miller SENHOR BRASIL (Mr. Brazil in Portuguese) My experience, for the most part, has been in the field as I travel over fifty percent of the time. I have always had a great support group inside WSMC to allow me to work in far, remote places. This includes customer service, inside sales, engineering, manufacturing and technical support. I was hired in 2000 because of my expertise in international business (over 40 years now); especially, in Latin America. I am eternally grateful to two people, Doug Buckner for his support and the long hours spent putting the Brazilian Joint Venture together plus the great experience of traveling with him and working on this project and other endeavors. The other person is Bob Sinnard, for his continuing support and for being about the best boss one can hope for and a living example of decency and fairness towards others. I have had many great moments, working with our Brazilian partners, recapturing long lost customers, especially Rio Paila and Risaralda in Colombia, Pantaleon Group in Guatemala among others plus developing new markets and customers in the region and worldwide. I have also been privileged to develop life lasting friendships with most of our WSMC Representatives and their families as well as with many of our customers. So far it has been a great ride and I am sincerely hoping to have a few more years working for such a great company, WSMC, well past my retirement age. — Rafael Ibañez BILL DUERSCH The stories below are only some of the more unique experiences encountered in my almost 25 years of traveling and the 44 countries I visited. I had the opportunity to become exposed to a wide variety of cuisines and dining customs in my travels. I was willing to try anything offered and adhered to the mantra, “If it tastes good eat it, if not, don’t, but NEVER ask what it is.” GUADELOUPE: One of my first overseas trips as a service engineer was to Pointe-à- Pitre, Guadeloupe, for an installation of new centrifugals at Beauport Factory. Our agent had made reservations for me in a small, low budget tourist hotel in Pointe-à-Pitre. On the second day, I was asked to visit a factory on Marie Galant, an island off of Guadeloupe. When I returned in the