One of the biggest surprises about Houston is how cosmopolitan it is. Truly. Because Houston is the US hub of the oil and gas industry, folks move here from everywhere. My kids have friends at school that have lived all over the world- which makes for some pretty funny interactions.
Last Friday: my minivan is filled with a gaggle of brownies, all on their way to a field trip. The newest brownie just moved here- after her family did a stint in Libya. They were evacuated at the height of the violence, in the middle of the night. After telling the other girls what "evacuate" meant- she gave us the details.
"Libya was run by a mean, mean man. He was so mean, that if you said the "s word" about him, they'd kill you." She started.
My daughter perks up. (Any conversation regarding inappropriate language does that). "Which s-word...- stupid?" my daughter asks.
All of the brownies shake their heads in dismay.
"Don't say that Annie, that's a bad word. They'd kill you for that in Libya." her new friend admonishes.
"It's not really a bad word, you know. It just means not smart." my daughter retorts.
"No seriously. If you said that about Gaddafi, they would come to your house in the middle of the night, and use this rope thing that has a sharp knife on one end and ..."
I cut her off right there. Executions weren't exactly on our girl scout agenda for the day.
She went back to telling us about the night she left Libya.
"We were in a van, with our friends, and our dog. We went to the airport in the middle of the night. Our first flight was cancelled. My Mom was really, really upset." (I could only imagine).
"Why was your flight cancelled?" Annie asks.
"Because some guys on the ground were shooting bullets at it." she replied.
Alrighty.
Next up on the cosmopolitan scene of Houston? Chinatown. Massage parlor. Bang for your buck, ladies. Bang for your buck.
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