World travelers tell tales Eugene Schmitt III and daughter Emily, somewhere in the Middle East (submitted photo) Middle East welcomed local residents By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle Every so often, Eugene Schmitt III, a plastic surgeon, leaves his office building on Webster Avenue in Green Bay and heads for one of a number of countries he has not seen. For a man whose goal is to visit every country, deciding where to go is getting easier since he has traveled to 188 countries or regions abroad. In late March and early April, Schmitt and his 13-year-old daughter, Emily, embarked on a two-week journey, which included stops in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Albania. The Schmitts traveled in the midst of tumultuous times overseas, thanks to the U.S. occupation of Iraq and conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. They did not meet any Americans during their visit to the Middle Eastern countries surrounding Israel and Palestinian territories. In fact, Schmitt said they were often mistaken for Europeans, until they revealed their U.S. passports. Emily said she looked different by her cleaner clothes, lighter skin tone and blond hair. At one military checkpoint, it was their passports that made them stand out. "There was a pile of Iraqi passports, and a whole pile of Iranian passports, and then there were our two American passports," he said. "And they took ours first," Emily added. Security measures were visible, and Emily said she never felt threatened while traveling; although, she said as Americans they were not targeted for searches. Once, along the Lebanese-Syrian border, a man's truck nearby was being searched. It was filled with hay, which was being strewn all over the place by inspectors, Emily said. "I felt so bad for the guy getting checked for it if he didn't have anything, but it's always better to check and see what's going on," she said. Despite being lone American tourists, they felt welcome everywhere they visited, especially in a country's rural areas. For instance, Schmitt said store owners or clerks would offer them tea. Offering tea is a common way to show hospitality in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, he said. Emily said one store clerk offered tea and let them browse through the T-shirts without insisting they buy anything. "He just showed us how to make these sand sculptures," she said. Emily said traveling without meeting other Americans contributed to the excitement of the trip. "It's kind of cool when you don't see Americans because then it brings more culture into you," she said. In the Muslim countries, families are protective of their teenage girls. Schmitt said younger children were allowed to run and play all over the place, but adolescent girls were always by family members. At night, there were no women on the streets, and Emily said she stuck out in the crowd, especially being blond. Emily said she is glad the culture in the United States is different. "It'd be hard for me because I always like to go out and about, play some games and stuff. That would not be cool," she said. Syria, Lebanon and Jordan were less conservative than countries Emily visited last summer. She traveled to Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman. In the countries Emily visited last summer it was more common to see women entirely covered in clothes to their ankles, he said. The threat of terrorism did not stop Schmitt from traveling. He said he feels more vulnerable in New York than in other places. "They almost went out of their way to try to be friendly and try to be hospitable because they know of the conflicts that are there," he said, although Syrian, Lebanese and Jordanian citizens were more worried about the conflict between Israel and Palestine as opposed to the Iraqi-U.S. conflict, he said. The conflicts on a larger scale between countries, for the most part, did not impact interactions on a personal level, he said. He said he felt more threatened in New York than in the Middle East. It is the customs that interest Schmitt the most. Having been a world traveler since the age of 11, he said he does not tire of it. In the Middle East, the family lives together, several generations in the same home, he said. He said he would not expect to see a daycare or nursing home in Lebanon, Syria or Jordan. "Some of the traditions that they have have been lost in our mobile culture that we have here in the United States as far as the family and group identity," he said. "We've lost a lot of that in the United States." Muslims prayed five times a day and it was common to see store clerks praying on prayer rugs or people praying while waiting for a taxi. He said he is fascinated by customs surrounding birth, puberty, marriage and death in the various places he has visited. "What amazes me as much as any physical site is the tradition and customs of the people around the world, especially in the third world countries," he said. Schmitt is a member of the Travelers' Century Club. Membership criteria includes having traveled to 100 places. Emily has made her way to 42 countries or regions. There are 317 countries currently listed on the Travelers' Century Club Web site as qualifying countries to visit. This month, he plans to travel to Tunisia and Algeria. Schmitt said he will revisit some countries once he has reached his goal. In the past, he has donated his time in New Guinea, India and Nepal to perform reconstructive plastic surgeries or deliver lectures on plastic surgery. He plans to perform free surgeries again after he retires.