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Quixote1818

(28,896 posts)
Thu Sep 23, 2021, 12:18 AM Sep 2021

Wonderful Story

Sustainable Human

Wandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal, after learning my flight had been delayed four hours, I heard an announcement: “If anyone in the vicinity of Gate A-4 understands any Arabic, please come to the gate immediately.” Well — one pauses these days. Gate A-4 was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing. “Help,” said the flight agent. “Talk to her. What is her problem? We told her the flight was going to be late and she did this.”
I stooped to put my arm around the woman and spoke haltingly.
“Shu-dow-a, Shu-bid-uck Habibti? Stani schway, Min fadlick, Shu-bit-se-wee?” The minute she heard any words she knew, however poorly used, she stopped crying. She thought the flight had been cancelled entirely. She needed to be in El Paso for major medical treatment the next day. I said, “No, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just later, who is picking you up? Let’s call him.”
We called her son, I spoke with him in English. I told him I would
stay with his mother till we got on the plane and ride next to
her. She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just
for the fun of it. Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and found out of course they had ten shared friends. Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian poets I know and let them chat with her? This all took up two hours.
She was laughing a lot by then. Telling of her life, patting my knee,
answering questions. She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool
cookies — little powdered sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts — from her bag — and was offering them to all the women at the gate. To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the mom from California, the lovely woman from Laredo — we were all covered with the same powdered sugar. And smiling. There is no better cookie.
And then the airline broke out free apple juice from huge coolers and two little girls from our flight ran around serving it and they were covered with powdered sugar, too. And I noticed my new best friend — by now we were holding hands — had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing, with green furry leaves. Such an old country tradition. Always carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.
And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and I thought, This is the world I want to live in. The shared world. Not a single person in that gate — once the crying of confusion stopped— seemed apprehensive about any other person. They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women, too.
This can still happen anywhere. Not everything is lost.
~ Naomi Shihab Nye

28 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Wonderful Story (Original Post) Quixote1818 Sep 2021 OP
Joyous KNR. Thank you so much for sharing this moment of connection and shared niyad Sep 2021 #1
Inspiring! Blue Owl Sep 2021 #2
Very beautiful. cilla4progress Sep 2021 #3
We need more of this. Everyone does. Thanks. yonder Sep 2021 #4
There is still hope for the world... Enter stage left Sep 2021 #5
Ah Naomi! LeftInTX Sep 2021 #6
That is a beautiful story! twin_ghost Sep 2021 #7
Thanks for sharing. Grumpy Old Guy Sep 2021 #8
Wonderful story people Sep 2021 #9
What an amazing story. So much love! For the record, my daughter lives in Albuquerque. patphil Sep 2021 #10
Thank you. ❤ littlemissmartypants Sep 2021 #11
What a lovely story. Demsrule86 Sep 2021 #12
I want to live in a world where everyone, everywhere, is like this. Thanks for sharing! n/t ms liberty Sep 2021 #13
Thank you Wild blueberry Sep 2021 #14
It's always wonderful to know a 2nd language, a 2nd culture FakeNoose Sep 2021 #15
If only that feeling of sharing and helping spread from each of those there, just like a virus. Fla Dem Sep 2021 #16
Truly lovely story... dixiechiken1 Sep 2021 #17
This is the America... 3catwoman3 Sep 2021 #18
Also the one I thought I lived in, pazzyanne Sep 2021 #24
This makes my heart swell with love and hope. NBachers Sep 2021 #19
Joyous medicine for the soul. LanternWaste Sep 2021 #20
It is always so nice to hear about the better angels of our nature GeoWilliam750 Sep 2021 #21
Was this you? If so, what dialect of Arabic? panader0 Sep 2021 #22
A Truly Beautiful OP malaise Sep 2021 #23
Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Sep 2021 #25
Thank you for posting mountain grammy Sep 2021 #26
Thank you! BadGimp Sep 2021 #27
Thanks so much. My day got better with this. -(nt)- stopdiggin Sep 2021 #28

FakeNoose

(32,202 posts)
15. It's always wonderful to know a 2nd language, a 2nd culture
Thu Sep 23, 2021, 04:26 PM
Sep 2021

It's always awesome to share our culture with others. And super-awesome to learn about other cultures when people want to share theirs with us.

Fla Dem

(23,239 posts)
16. If only that feeling of sharing and helping spread from each of those there, just like a virus.
Thu Sep 23, 2021, 06:09 PM
Sep 2021

If Only. Beautiful story. Thanks. Lifted my spirits.

panader0

(25,816 posts)
22. Was this you? If so, what dialect of Arabic?
Thu Sep 23, 2021, 08:58 PM
Sep 2021

My son is studying Modern Standard Arabic.
This is truly a wonderful story.

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