A Woman and Her Bus

Today I was held up after work for about a half-hour, causing me to encounter a woman on my walk home who I wouldn't have if I had left on time. This woman flagged me down from some distance to ask where the bus stop was. It was, as a matter of fact, about 2 blocks up the road in the direction I was headed. I pointed it out to her and she said thanks, and then I continued on my way.

Apon reaching my house, and the bus stop, I turned around to examine the progress of this woman. When I saw that she was waiting a block away in the incorrect spot, I thought, Ugh, Gawd it's hot out, because I knew I had to truck back down there and get her to the right place. After doing so, she told me how she had been wandering the streets for so long trying to find the bus stop and everyone she asked ignored her or said 'sorry no English', which reminded me that, had I left it to someone else to walk by and point her towards the bus stop, she probably would have been there for hours, and this made me feel better about walking the extra 2 block-lengths in the blazing sun.

This woman, apparently, hails from the great nation of Nigeria, and when she asked where I was from, I said America. Her response was some kind of strange combination of shriek and laugh with the words "Oh my God! You are American? You are American, and no one else would help me. Thank God for Americans." So I said "you're welcome" and went about my business, but I can't help but feel strange about the whole exchange. For one, because, I don't think being American has anything to do with the fact that I chose to help her find the bus. For two, because I don't like becoming conscious of the fact that other people are judging me based on where I'm from. For three, these negative feelings conflict with a positive one about having, perhaps, broken some kind of preconceived notion this woman had about Americans. Anyway, I'm now feeling some philosophical anxiety that I think I'll alleviate with a fun distraction, like watching the Daily Show.

Tomorrow I'm going to Onam at Priya's house with Dan (Onam is a holiday where a big meal is served as part of the "Harvest Festival", sounds a suspiciously-awful lot like Thanksgiving to me) so that's something delicious to look forward to.