May 20, 2003 : shock and awe
I am borrowing the term from the war with Iraq, but don't confuse my using the verbage as anything more than the words themselves. Shock and Awe.
In my Dutch classes I'm friends/partners with a girl called Fouzia. She's one of those people that if we could express ourselves in a common language (dutch does not count), we'd be great friends. (this is the vibe I get)
I've been thinking that during the summer the two of us could get together over coffee or something, just to practice our new language. That's how it all started. Simple enough. I know she likes coffee, I've heard her say it, and so I thought today might be the day that I discussed the option with her.
We were filling out a worksheet about what expenses we have living here, we came up with the usual stuff; electricity, rent, food-stuff, etc and then it came down to the question of cafes.
Eva and I don't spend all that much on "going out" but Fouzia doesn't spend anything on eating out at restaurants or nights on the town. she doesn't do either one. Then I thought of the concept of Belgian coffee. I said, "you've never had a belgian coffee with it's little cup and saucer, little cookie, and little bit of milk?" To which she said, "no." I was so shocked that I told Lut the same thing. Fouzia has never had a Belgian coffee.
Then hell broke loose. Or rather language broke loose.
Now let me describe another person in our class. Muhommed. We have two guys with the same name, but the younger one is a striking character, as he seems a great guy. He's calm, easy to get along with, funny in class, and just one of those "good guys." Of course he's Muslim, who isn't in our class?
Well in his best Dutch he starts telling us that a women's place is in the home and in school. He only added school when Mouloud reminded him that we had two Moroccan women in our class.
Thankfully we had Mouloud with the far-left though in there to stew the fire. It was completely amazing. The rest of us sat there trying to figure out what all the shouting was about. We could make out only a few things. Mouloud was saying that Muhommad was backwards and had a closed mind along with anyone who thought the same way. The two girls were saying that they agreed with Muhommed, and that they'd be looked down upon if they ventured to go out on the town.
It aweed me. It also sicked my heart a bit. Just when you think we're as close as we can be to being in the same age and of the same frame of mind, the coffee conversation drops out of my mouth and leads us on a windy path to the unknown.
I left no knowing what the state of the country was in...or the state of the world. And then I asked Fouzia "why." I just wanted a simple answer. I totall respect people if they provide a clear reason. If you have a reason, it gives weight to your belief. She told me nothing except, "that's how it is."
I came home pretty numb from the whole experience. The "coffee experience." All I had wanted to do was drink a coffee in the Belgian sun sometime in the next few months. Now it's not only a impossibility, its not going to happen. It makes me sad.
IN THE NEWS:
Canada said today it had found a case of mad cow disease in the western province of Alberta but stressed that the affected animal -- the first mad cow case in a decade in Canada -- had not entered the food chain.
