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FROM THE WINGS

Take the Bus

PJ Kleffner, DTM - Immediate Past District Director

Salesmen often get a company car as one of was several years before, some college students
their job perks. The best job I ever had didn’t were killed by the police during a protest. Each

include a company car – it came with airplane year, students would march to commemorate
tickets! For ten years, I was a Sales Engineer for a that event. As the tour bus turned the corner
high-tech company. I worked in the international and stopped in front of the hotel, something
group that supported our distributors in didn’t seem right. The hotel was on a very busy,

“developing markets.” These were mostly third- major 8-lane street, but there were no cars! A
world countries. During that ten years, I racked couple of blocks up the street, we saw 10,000
up nearly a million air miles visiting thirty-three students marching toward us. Coming from
countries on six continents. I quickly discovered the other direction was the Seoul riot squad,

that the best way to immerse myself in the local decked out in helmets, face masks, shields, and
culture was to take the bus. . batons. They were marching toward us in a flying
Just a few weeks into my new job in wedge formation. We were at ground zero! Mr.
September, 1989, I was sent to cover a trade show Lee looked at this, then turned to me and said,

in South Korea. We had lavish expense accounts “Maybe better take taxi.”
so we usually took a taxi or had a hired driver Fortunately, there was a taxi queue right in
everywhere we went. I stayed over the weekend front of the bus stop, so I got out of there before
and decided to book a sight-seeing tour. It the fun began. In spite of my intention, I didn’t

departed from a different hotel, so I took a taxi get to ride the bus during that trip to Seoul.
there to meet the tour bus. The tour guide, Mr. Then there was the ride on a small, commuter
Lee, saw me get out of the taxi and asked where bus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There was a
I was staying. When I told him, he said, “You large open market fairly close to my hotel, and

should take the bus when we get back. It will be I decided to venture there on a bus. I found out
much cheaper. He told me the bus number to which bus went there, but I didn’t know the name
catch and said it would stop directly in front of of the stop, or exactly how far it was. Our local
my hotel.” I wasn’t worried about the money, but distributor had taken me there before, so I knew

I thought it would be a good experience. I would recognize it. When I got on the bus, I
As we returned to the drop-off point after the soon discovered there was a problem. I am six
tour, Mr. Lee was reminding me about taking feet tall, which is a foot or more taller than most
the bus back to my hotel. What I didn’t know of the people in Kuala Lumpur. The bus was

18 ONE COMMUNITY