today, i didn't get mugged

sometimes i come back from trips home weary and unnerved. it never fails that these trips back home mean hearing some criticism of where i live and why i live there. there have been times when i just wanted to move back so that i would no longer have to be criticized about where i live.

then days like today happen, and i know that comments i hear are merely chalked up to ignorance. not that i didn't know this before, but i wish everyone who is quick to think of chicago as a surefire place to get mugged would meet people like george.

i went to the park today to do some reading for school. i wanted to enjoy the beautiful fall day and get a healthy dose of vitamin D, so i parked myself on a park bench in scoville park and dove into discussions about high school curriculum.

i hadn't been there long enough to get through the introduction when a man stopped and commented on the nice day. from there, we learned all about each other.

an older man in his eighties, george (whose name i didn't learn until we parted) is from istanbul, turkey. when i asked why he came to america, he explained with a interesting analogy: "coming to america to a foreigner is like the desire to go to heaven after you die. it's the ultimate goal." (more or less)

we continued to talk about everything from the romance languages to obesity, our talk only interrupted by a hassidic jew holding a mango and some greenery, asking if either of us were jewish.

he told me that i looked extremely american. he also said that, while i looked like a teenager, i was mature well beyond my years, which i appreciated (i'm sure some of my friends may disagree with this!).

george told me of his life, from living in hell's kitchen in nyc to growing up to two french parents in turkey. he explained that he'd rather be a fool than mature (making his former compliment...?)

i told him of my future plans of teaching. he offered eight crossed fingers that i would get a job and the thought that "[i] am the mistress of my fate. [i] must mold it with both hands."

george and i exchanged e-mail addresses (he just completed a class about using the Internet at the library) and plan on having breakfast together soon. while 60 years separate us, i think we both have a lot we can learn from each other. and more than anything, maybe we both just need someone to talk to.