Today I bring tidings of good cheer. LOL I don’t know where I get this stuff…it just pops into my mind and rolls off of my fingertips here. But truly, I had such a lovely experience today with my Uber drivers to Goddard and back that I want to share.
My first Uber driver was from Congo. I found it interesting that he said simply Congo, but it made sense later when he told me about colonization by Belgium and France, and how one took one side of the river and the other got the other side. His wife is from the other side. He said thank goodness that both countries are French speaking!
It was clear that he was homesick but he talked about how those with a lot of money and power (corporations and other countries too) are using all of the Congo natural resources, and then to buy normal products was very expensive there. He also wondered how if money is gold-backed, then why is his currency (Congo) less than a US dollar when Congo has plenty of gold. Very good questions!
I also found it refreshing that he said he would like to see a “world village” – he had to translate the term he was using from French. What he meant was that everyone could travel anywhere they wanted, but be treated fairly and have enough resources to enjoy life in their homeland.
The driver on my way back was from Ethiopia. Such a nice fellow. He and I talked about snow, but when he heard I was from Alabama he asked if I was going to vote for Roy Moore. Hehe! I said no, and then we talked about sexual assault and all of the allegations that are coming out, etc. The gist of his thoughts were that we are a world leader, but are not providing a lot of leadership and a good example (I agree). He said how 3rd world countries are looking to us for the example to follow. He lamented that in his home country (Ethiopia) girls do not get to choose who they marry. And the men, well, they decide who they want and can force them into marriage. If the girl refuses, they can physically beat them into submission. My driver wasn’t down with this, thankfully, but it emphasized why he really wanted the US to provide a good example to the rest of the world. And he misses home.
I thanked both of them for sharing their experiences and their home counties with me before getting out of the car. It reminded me of why I love meeting people from other places and cultures. The US is not a bad place to live by far, but we are not the only culture in the world worth enjoying and we are not the only country with good, decent people. I got a nice glimpse of that today.
Something else that was clear…these men did not miss their governments. They missed home – the land and the people. There was a clear love there, and something that is probably missing from our capital here in Washington, D.C. Does anyone here love the land? The people? The different cultures around the country? I suspect most do not, based on the types of laws they are passing.
And oddly I guess it points me back to Mamma Earth once again. I have been asking how I can be more of service to her after all. You know, we live on her and we take, take, take and desecrate and decimate the land, water, and air. I’m not exempt from that, but I want to be. I want to heal our planet and our peoples and give back.
That’s all for today. If you are following, Aunt Shirley is still with us but very ill. Her spirits are spectacular as always, though. She’s special that way.
Blessings and #missingerin <3
