Where in the world has Susan Rooks worked?

AustraliaNew ZealandPuerto RicoSouth AfricaSoutheast AsiaU.S.A.

Bermuda

Australia

Taught "Advanced Secretarial Skills"  and "Maintaining Emotional Control"  in

In Oz, I learned about tall poppies, the outback, and vast open spaces.   Do you know how huge Australia is?  I sure didn't!  I found that out when I  said I'd make a quick hop between Melbourne and Perth for a one-day project  (think Florida to California, and you're close).  

However, as it turned out, that part of my trip gave me the most intense memories:   I ended up in a small town called Paraburdoo, northeast of Perth, where I rode in a monster earth mover and toured a strip mine while wearing a white coverall the locals called a "sperm suit."  Uh huh.  Quite a sense of humor those Ozzis have!

Why isn't Australia closer to this coast?

New Zealand

Taught "Advanced Secretarial Skills" and "Maintaining Emotional Control" in

I had no idea New Zealand was so perfect.   You can see the entire country (east to west) while flying north or south -- no point, so I was told, is more than 70 miles from an ocean.  And the country comprises three islands, not two:  North Island, South Island, and Stewart Island.

Northland is a province in the North Island, not the name of the northern-most island.

Southland is a province in the deep south of the South Island; why they named the middle of the three islands the "South" island is apparently a puzzle.  In Maori mythology, the South Island is meant to represent the canoe that Maui used to fish the sea from the North Island; hence the Maori name for the North Island is "Te Ika a Maui" (the fish of Maui). 

Stewart Island, the third island, is meant to represent the canoe's anchor.

Yes, there really are more sheep than people.  Yes, the country's unspoiled.  Yes, it's beautiful.  Yes, Air New Zealand serves a full breakfast on the flight between Christchurch and Wellington (a 30-minute flight, if that), including tea and coffee in old-fashioned-looking silver pots.  No, I don't know how they do it.  Probably with mirrors.  All I know is -- it's terrific!

Oh, and don't even get me started on the uniforms of the flight attendants!  And the care they lavish on you.  And the accent.  I fell in love when they first said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls."  I'd go anywhere on Air New Zealand -- preferably, back to New Zealand!

*  San Juan

Have you ever toured Old San Juan?   Walked through El Yunque rain forest or El Morro Castle?  I did.  Have you ever eaten black beans and rice?  I did.  Have you ever explored this fascinating island?  I did!  The history -- the people -- the food!  This is an island not to be missed, and it's close -- at least to the East Coast.

 

South Africa

Taught "Business Writing,"   "Powerful Presentations,"  "Time Management," and "Interpersonal Communication Skills"  in

*  Cape Town
*  Durban
*  Johannesburg
*  Port Elizabeth
*  Pretoria

I ate boboti and ostrich, toured the wine country outside Cape Town, took pictures of Table Mountain, and marveled at the sunsets.  I was privileged to see the house where Nelson Mandela lived and the former prison where he was incarcerated.  Several warm and wonderful people gave luncheons for me and took me out to dinner.  I saw the ocean, the mountains, and the deserts.  I heard lions roar.  I marveled at the different plants, notably protea!  Amazing country.  Amazing people.  Amazing experience! I would go back in a heartbeat.

 

 

Southeast Asia

Taught  "Advanced Secretarial Skills" in

*  Kuala Lumpur
*  Singapore
*  Manila
*  Hong Kong

 

Southeast Asia cannot be experienced in just two weeks, although I tried.  I ate curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  (I did not know there were so many kinds!)  I shopped until I dropped.   I toured cities and the countryside.  I marveled at the clothing, the architecture, the people.  All old and new so close together -- so similar and so different!    In Manila, I had my picture taken many times with seminar attendees.  There are no people on earth like those in the Philippines.  Talk about warm and wonderful -- they wrote the book! In Malaysia, I encountered many women who had flown in from around the country for the seminar.  Talk about dedication!  Just an amazing group of women.  I wish I could have stayed longer to get to know them. I was delighted with Singapore, if only for the courtesy of its people.  I wasn't there long enough to experience it fully.  Of course, there's the cleanliness.  And the flowers.  And the food.  And the people.  And the food.  And. . . Oh yes -- Hong Kong.  Islands to explore.  A very scary airport to land at (in 1997)  -- we flew straight through a gap between two very tall high rises -- I really thought we would touch!  We didn't, of course, and I got over it.  I toured Kowloon.  I rode the ferry.  I walked around the harbor.  I loved everything about Hong Kong! Any one of these locations could have taken me the entire two weeks to explore, and I still wouldn't have seen enough.  Can anyone ever see enough of this fabulous part of the world?

U.S.A.

Have taught more than 25 topics in

• 40 states

• Countless cities and towns

So, what have I done here in the U.S.? Well, I've eaten Kosher hot dogs in NYC and Cajun shrimp in Shreveport, clam chowdah in Boston, and pork "bobbycue" in a small town outside Atlanta.  I've watched the sun rise and set over oceans, lakes, and mountains.   I drove through floods in southern Ohio (OK, that was scary) and hail in South Carolina.  I was bitten by a spider in Detroit and scared by a palmetto bug in West Palm.  A woman brought me flowers in Kentucky, and a man walked out of an emotional control seminar in Texas (hey, it happens!).  The air conditioning quit one July in Miami, and the heater quit one winter's day in Maine.   I've been hugged many times, and so far, never mugged. As you can see, it's a glamorous life!  And I can't wait for the next chapter, the next city, the next state.  And you!  When will I get to meet you?

 

 

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