Amjad Rides

I had 2 interesting Amjad rides this week (amjads are the minivan type things). First was on Thursday. I was on my way home from language and my driver actually spoke perfect English. So we chatted it up for a while in English, found out that he was a University professor in London for 10 years and speaks 4 different languages. Eventually we got to the inevitable question of 'where are you from?' and I answered 'America'. The guy actually looked at me and said 'No, you are not and American, you can't be'. I couldn't help but ask 'why not?' and his answer was 'Americans always say yeah or yep instead of yes, and when you ask an American where they are from they always say 'the states' and never say 'America'. Therefore, you can NOT be an American. You're from Britain. You're British.' This from the guy who lived in Britain for 10 years!!! My thought was why in the world, given the current political situation between the Sandbox and the US, would anyone EVER claim to be an American when they really weren't?!?!? I couldn't even argue with him, I didn't know what to say!

My second interesting ride was on Friday. I was on my way home from downtown and I always find it difficult to find transportation home, so I usually take whatever I can. This week it was an Amjad. He stopped on the right side corner of a one way street and I told him where I wanted to go and negotiated the price in Arabic. I got in and, obviously, he couldn't turn left across a 5 lane road, so he just went straight through the intersection. I expected him to just go up and turn on a different street, but, oh no, this guy cuts left across all of those lanes, putting us a good 50 yards past the street he needed. So he stops in the left lane, throws it in reverse, and proceedes to back up into oncoming traffic!!! We get to our street safely, but after a stunt like that, you pretty much just learn to expect a wild ride. (this isn't the first time I've had a ride like this and I'm sure it won't be the last!) This time my driver was pretty chatty and the first thing he asked me was if my husband was in the Sandbox. Instead of answering/lying, I just told him that I don't understand and I don't speak Arabic. (Keep in mind that this guy spoke absolutely no English, so EVERY word of this converstaion was in Arabic). He was amazed that I don't speak Arabic and asks me, in Arabic, if I only know how to say where I want to go. So I say yes, that and 'one, two, three, etc...' He just couldn't believe it and asked me how long I've been here, so I answered '5 months'. He responded, 'And you don't know Arabic? This is so sad. You should go to a school to learn the Arabic...this is so sad. You Americans, you come here and then you don't even try to learn our language.' To this I said 'Malesh' (or the all encompassing word for sorry). He goes on and on about how he just can't believe that I don't speak Arabic and I proceed to give him directions to my house in Arabic. For some reason I guess it never clicked to him that I was actually speaking Arabic to him that entire time...all the convincing that he needed was for me to say that I don't speak it...I think I might try this again the next time my driver asks me, first thing, if I'm married. Apparently it works!!!