my life in print

yallah, imshi. | October 12, 2009

I had the nicest taxi driver today. He knew as little about how to get home as I did, so we drove around in circles (mind you, I was coming from work to home– a route I’ve taken EVERY DAY for the past two weeks) until he could call his boss at the taxi center to tell him where the only landmark in the city I know is. We went from there. Basically, I know how to get to Starbucks. The university? Every taxi driver so far has known where that is, so not sure if I’ve ever actually paid attention. Work? I still have to get out in the general vicinity and wander for about twenty minutes before I find it. Gym? Right next to work, so a bit fool-proof. (As fool-proof as possible when I’m the one in transit.) He felt so bad for me, he only made me pay 1/4 of the fare. And complimented me on my Arabic. But I think that might have been out of pity, too…

However, I’ve come to appreciate these circumstances where my lack of an internal compass sets me wandering on foot. I plug that blessed thing that is my iPod in (to drown out any unsavory speech that would otherwise reach my ears), and strut away to Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift. Don’t make fun, they have uplifting beats. And who wouldn’t want to listen to “Party in the U.S.A.” on repeat while strolling through the Middle East?