Serba-Serbi dari Metro Area

Life is good, even better, because Julie is here in DC staying with me. It feels good to go home and have someone to talk to. Julie's day has been good and so has mine. We went to the screen on the green to have a picnic and watch "Annie Hall" - an old movie that won 4 academies - interesting, weird and funny one. I forgot Mr. Stanley but his cousin was with us...taking care of Julie.

Actually, today, finally, after living here for more than a year...I experienced thing that none Muslim people want to experience, but yet probably almost all Muslim have experienced this. I was sitting near a big flower pot in front of Farragut West Metro Station, waiting for Julie to call me - we wanted to go home together. There was this guy, a homeless guy, eating his dinner. He's sitting in a wheel chair, sort of, I was not really sure what kind. Anyway, after a while, I started to hear him talking, did not know to whom he was talking to and not sure what he was saying either. He went on and on and sounded very angry. I started to realize what he said a little bit because his accent was hard for me to understand. I slightly heard that he said that he was a black man and was born here in the US, da da da da...Honestly, I thought he was a bit coo coo (Wambui's word) in the head becuase he was talking to himself. However, I decided to look at my back and looked at him. Deg, he was talking to me. He was cursing me. I quickly turned my head back and sat quitely. I then could understand better what he was saying. He said that I was a damn terrorist, a murderer, an immigrant, that I should go back to where I belong, that I killed his brothers and his sisters, that he's so proud to be American, this and that. I really could not remember what else he said. I remembered what I felt at least. A weird kind of feeling - did not know what exactly it was. It was a mixture of sadness and... I really dont know how to describe it. I knew that he was not well-educated and ignorant. I knew that I should not listen to him and ignore him completely. I have listened tonsss of stories like this from my Muslim friends here. But God, it stings, still. Honestly, I almost cried. It felt like I was something dirty and nasty and I really am not. I tried so hard to be patient and not loosing control or yelling at him. Poor him because he did not know anything.

This is my take on this. First, I believe everybody agrees that he is not a cool guy :) Second, it's ok for me to feel sad. Third, I am not hating this country for whatever reason, because I have been here long enough to understand and to experience that the people here are nice. There are some who are not, like this one for example, but there are even more people who are extremely nice. I remember how everybody in the US from Arkansas and other states, has treated me so well. I feel blessed, so blessed. I really do not know how to express my feeling well enough. The bottom line is the more I think about this guy, how unpleasant his words were, the more I think of so many people who have been so very nice to me. Not too deep, ha..but it feels deep here.

Julie finally called me, then I went inside the station, and had fun with Mr. Stanley. Now, I understand what it means to have a travel mate - the famous Mr. Flat Stanley. He decided to be a naughty boy. He wanted to know what it felt to be a metro farecard that came out from the machine after you put some money in it. Then, he decided to know how it felt to walk in heels. He insisted to try on my heels. Can you guys imagine how he was nagging me in the station, asking me to take of my shoes so that he could try my heels...LOL. I love Flat Stanley.

Another update. Julie and I decided that apparently Flat Stanley needs to have a soul mate. He's kinda expecting to have a girl friend from DC. We're kinda thinking about that many times. Tonight, in the station, Julie met my coworker from the Bank - Francis. He was complaining why Flat Stanley is only a guy but not a girl. He was asking me where was Stephanie?? Aha, so...today is Stephanie's birthday. I am sitting here right now next to Julie who has been working hard to deliver Flat Stephanie. She's truly cute and fashionable, look!