Conversation with an American - Part 1

He is Paul Burns, 43 years old, from Jacksonville Florida. He narrated that he had been living an incredibly unexciting life in America. He co-owns a pet shop and also works as a chef for a chain of chicken restaurant. He works six days a week, worked nights,and when he came home, he would watch television until dawn, go to sleep, get up after lunch and then prepare to go to work again.

He never went out and he never dated. He is comfortable in his boring life. His partner however, began urging him to find a girl."Paul, you need an Asian girl." When he asked why, his partner answered, "Because you need someone who is super dedicated to her husband, who's a good cook, and who will take care of you." It was then that Paul realizes he isn't getting any younger and he don't want to die alone. However, he had no idea where to start.

At home he said, he found an old magazine with an ad for a company called Japan International, which promised to bring together Asian women and Western men as pen pals. So Paul, sent in the $2 for information and they sent him back all the brochures. He said the company actually looked legitimate, so he sent the $35 sign up fee as he figured he got nothing to lose.

Several weeks later they sent him back an information form where he had to describe himself and also describe what kind of a girl he liked. He wrote that he desired someone semi-young, attractive with long dark hair, preferably a farm girl who enjoys music and writing. A few days after, he received a brochure with pictures of about a dozen women inside whose bio-data fit his interest. There were girls from Japan, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. He picked the domestic helper from Singapore.

Actually, he said, hers was the worst photo of them all, but for some reason Paul kept coming back to it. He eventually picked out three girls and wrote a letter to them, but he only mailed hers. A week later he got a reply. It was then he found out that Vic-Vic is a Filipina. They corresponded and by the third letter he asked her to marry him.

"I didn't want to waste time. I wanted to know if she just wanted to be a pen pal or something more."

To be continued...