Yesterday was a surprisingly light day for me, with several very interesting experiences.
Most of you will already know that I am DEFINATELY not shy about talking to new people that I meet. Well Yesterday is no exception. I had an appointment with one of the heads of the IT section over at the Palace, but I failed to call ahead to confirm time. Needless to say I arrived just after he had departed for lunch. Well, here I am, I really don't want to head back to the office in the mid-day heat of around 115 degrees, and there wasn't anything to really do in the Palace, so I decided to walk around and look at the architecture.
The interior is absolutely beautiful with beautifully polished black marble pillars surrounding a central chamber with a gigantic crystal chandalier in the center. Painted relief mosaic's were all over the walls and ceiling, creating a wonderfully elegant appearance of intricately detailed vinework intertwined with large patterned flowers in a myriad of colors. Hand carved doors abounded throughout the building, each one different in appearance, but each one looking like some ancient aztec's rendition of a human.
The only problem is that I can not get into every nook and crevice of the building as some are being utilized as offices. My tour of the three balconies surrounding the central chamber lasts for all of about 30 minutes, and I know that the person am here to see is not yet back from lunch. With a sigh I walk over to the IT helpdesk and just randomly start a conversation with one of the three people sitting behind it.
The woman who continues my conversation is named Mena, and I notice a strange tattoo-like pattern on the back of her left hand. This "tattoo" goes from the back of her fingers all the way up to about 3 inches onto her forearm. Now during the conversation, I tell Mena about my Julie, and how she is my strength and how she is what I think of when I go to sleep at night, and when I wake up in the morning, and every waking moment in between, and she in turn tells me about her husband. Our conversation turns from friends and family to hometowns, and I ask her how long she had been in country. Mena and her husband have been here for 4 years, working in the Palace, and they had only been home for a total of around 2 months in those 4 years.
I don't understand the strength and determination it must take to VOLUNTEER to stay here for 4 years, doing everything you can to help out the Military and the people of this country. Our conversation continues on, spanning many subjects, until I finally ask about the markings on the back of her hand. It is an Arabic body paint that women here paint on their hands during festive occasions like weddings and births and such, it is also used during the more upsetting occasion of a funeral, but the painting is different. It is a dye that slowly washes off of the skin over the space of a week, and women also use it to dye their hair.
Mena tells me that she has ordered new patterns to try out, and that it is a good thing to use if you are unsure if you want a tattoo, this gives you the opportunity to try out the tattoo so to speak before actually getting it. We chat about our jobs and the people we work with. We were pulling other people into the conversation as they came up to ask questions and we had a generally good conversation.
A good conversation can brighten anyone's day. Human interaction is a key to sanity in a place like this, and by the sound of it, Mena was starting to run out of people to talk to. During her 4 years she had so many friends come and go, the only real constant is her husband, and this year he is working in another camp, so their contact is limited. It looks like I have made a friend for my time here, and I am looking forward to our future conversations.
Now, it is not that often I have conversations like this with people other than close friends and family, and one conversation like this is more than enough for one day, but the day is not yet over.
I head out to dinner later and sit down with our Chaplain. He has always been a very friendly and caring individual, and as such he is easy to talk to. Until this moment I had not realized exactly how understanding and non-judgemental he truly was. Out of the blue he asks me about how Julie's paperwork is coming along, and I tell him what I know so far. I talk of what happened that day, and what Julie and I talk about in our emails and when I have the chance to call her, and he does the same, telling me what he thinks about when he talks to his wife and children. The pure openness of our conversation was refreshing among military personnel, and I was truly grateful for the experience. I definately look forward to more conversations with these two intelligent and marvelous people who are a part of my life while I am here.
In reflection upon the events that transpired yesterday, I now have a slightly brighter outlook on "people." I now will no longer say that "People Suck", but I will clarify that with "MOST People Suck!"
p.s. In case you haven't figured out the title yet, it is the mathematical formulae for Shakespeare's "To Be or Not to Be"
"To Be or Not To Be, That is the Question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against the sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns that patient merit of the unworthy takes, when he himself might his quietus make with a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life,But that the dread of something after death,The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will and makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment with this regard their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action. - Soft you now! The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons be all my sins remember'd." ~William Shakespeare(1564-1616), Hamlet Act III Scene 1
5 comments:
Ralek,
Like I said before in answer to your "people suck" message. "Most" people suck, but as you have found out for yourself, every so often someone comes along and makes us stop and reevaluate our opinions; every so often you unexpectedly run across someone who you really click with; someone who you feel comfortable with and have great uplifting conversations with; someone you look forward to talking with again. In my opinion, these people are far and few between and when we find them we need to hold them close for they can help us through long and lonely expanses of time. I have no idea what it is like being where you are, away from all you are familar with; the love of your life, Julie; your family... but having found two individuals that you can sit and talk (I don't mean chat) but really talk to is a gift from God. From your earlier messages, I had the feeling that your life consisted of working and then going back to your room and reading or playing a game for a few hours and then bed. You know that hermit like existance (which we have now established is a family trait). It is nice to know that you have met a couple of individuals who you will look forward to talking with and getting to know better. People who will make your time away better.
I am again amazed with your writing abilities. I love to read and have read more books then I could ever count or remember. I read all types of books from mystery to vampire books. I just love to read. What I look for is the writing. How well a person writes, if he can make me feel that I am in the middle of the book. You know what I mean, that you can visualize what you are reading. You have that ability. I love the little details in your writing that bring it all alive. You have a talent with words, it would be a shame not to continue using it.
Well, Ralek, I guess I should get to work. Take care of yourself and stay safe.
Luv ya,
Your Favorite Aunt
What a delight to open this blog and read your latest posting. It's also neat to read comments from others. I'm so happy you've begun to meet people outside your work area. These wonderful people can become life-long friends. It's great to hear you've met the Chaplain. Have you been to any of his services? With all the contraversy going on about who and what a Chaplain in the military can and can't talk about, it's a miracle that they are in Iraq at all!
We're fine here, the kids arrive in a week with Alyssa arriving a little later. And Julie will be coming up in September.
You are greatly missed.
One question? did you have Hamlet's soliloquy memorized??!!!
HELLO THERE
This is your Mamo speking. Are you listening? Prom date wakled me thru your BLOG process the otherday but unfortunately It didn/t go---don't know why but anyway she is here today to let me try again.
It is relly great being able to write and have you receive it as soon as you open your blog--When Papa was in the Navy (1946--1948) the mail was very slow and some times you Or He--would get several letters at once.
I can't say that I am a hermit like some really need that people contact.I relly enjoy your letters and am very glad you have met some nice people ( you know me -I believe most people are nice there's only a few louses and they really can mess things up
Please continue to think about doing something with your writing--It is a true gift and would be a shame not to utilize it
Well Prom Date is shutting down--that week of cheering has her all tuckered out
Well I will try sending this one more time--you realize that this computer is as old as me (almost) so we're a little slow getting going
Take care and I'll close With S.W.A.K. Papa and I use to put this on our letters-Sealed with a kiss
Love Mamo
I just wanted to say that I am so thankful for anyone and everyone who brings even just the slightest bit of peace and happiness Jason's way. I can only imagine how disheartening it must be to be disrespected out there with all the sacrifices our soldiers are making.
It's amazing how God gives us exactly what we need when we need it the most =) Those two friends could not have touched his heart at a better time after all the mixed emotions the previous days had left him with.
I was poking through one of my old Philo texts and ran into an interesting quote I had highlighted way back when:
"As regards all the opinions to which I had until now given credence, I could not do better than to try to get rid of them once and for all, in order to replace them later on, either with other ones that are better, or even with the same ones once I had reconciled them to the norms of reason. And I firmly believed that by this means I would succeed in conducting my life much better than if I were to build only upon old foundations and if I were to rely only on the principles of which I had allowed myself to be persuaded in my youth without ever having examined whether they were true".
I wince everytime I hear Jason say "people suck" and only hope that one day all of the positive experiences and associations will surpass the negative and leave him with a new perspective.
Oddly enough, thinking deeper into the statement it makes me think of people as a vacuum that draws in dirt. In that case it is true heehe.. but it just depends on what our systems do with all the dirt.
I think there is a lot of good within us all just crying to get out, but that there are just too many distractions in life holding a lot of us back.
If we are anything like vacuums, we just need to change our 'filters' and keep ourselves in tune so we can keep all the bad dirt from affecting the most important 'parts' and put it into the trash where it belongs lol
Henna tattoo's can be so beautiful! I've seen women with the palms of their hands & bottoms of their feet covered in intricate patterns. It's an old custom and only recently have they come out with stencils, it was all done by hand. I'd love to get that done myself! I'll have to Google a source to buy some.
Bye for now! Big Hugs Lil' Bro
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