Distant Echoes: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Servicerecalls the events in the lives of Jaime M. Cortes and his family as he served as the Adviser and Expert for developing countries in Africa and Asia for the International Labor Organization of the United Nations from 1974 through 1995. It recounts the political upheavals and violence in the changing environment of Third World countries in Africa and Asia and the physical dangers that Cortes and his family faced as he continued to navigate the censorship and complex political and cultural realities of developing nations.
Distant Echoesbrings back Mr. Cortes' struggle as a young man to earn an education and his exciting first years of professional service in his home country, the Philippines, before joining the United Nations. Cortes details his military service as a commissioned officer in his position as chief of police providing security services for visiting heads of state, royals, and dignitaries as they visited the University of the Philippines. These early experiences then gave him a foundation for dealing with the issues and problems that arose in his work as a UN Advisor (1974-1995) and for his two pioneering programs, Small Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Development (SEED) at the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, and the University of the Philippines, Institute for Small-Scale Industries, which became the centerpiece of his work in developing countries (1964 - 1974).
Marcela, Mr. Cortes' devoted and supportive wife, is featured throughout his memoir as the anchor that helped him and their three daughters endure the challenges of expatriate life in the midst of chaos in the unknown world of ancient societies. Mr. Cortes writes eloquently about her uncompromising love that generated the impetus and energy for organizing new homes that his family needed as they moved from one country to another, as one posting ended and another began, paying a moving tribute to her as the wise, inspiring Lady-of-the-House behind his success.