Memories from an Ex-Pat

Most of these stories are from my life as an expat (expatriate--i.e., someone who works outside the US). I worked for General Electric (GE), and part of that time, I worked overseas. I have been on every continent (except Antarctica). I have had some part of my body in every ocean in the world and have been from above the Arctic Circle to just short of the Antarctic Circle. I have flown around the world several times and worked in over twenty-five countries. Whew! So much for that intro. I originally had these stories in a random order. (Whatever memories came to mind, I wrote them down.) But since then, I have tried to put these stories in the best chronological order that I can remember. There are some holes in the memories, some names can't be pulled up, but I have done the best I can. Please enjoy.
John