July 4th marks the beginning of summer and the beginning of ME. As a child, I used to finish writing my list of all that needed to be accomplished by this date. It marked the beginning of my comprehensive self-development project, as well as the official beginning of a new metaphoric season in my life. No such list was compiled this year. I feel like I'm still working on things from last year.
I watched the fireworks display from the United Nations building today, thanks to Nafisa's connections. As we were lying on the blanket, and the sky became ablaze with gunpowder, Nafisa and I exclaimed that we smelled Bangladesh. With the Hudson to our left, the noxious gases from the fireworks slowly traveling into our nasal passages, we both remembered Bangladesh. It was the odor of putrid, rotting water, of humidity and pollution. But it was also a place we both remembered as the Homeland.
Components to this excellent evening: Thai food in the village; meeting new people; my lime Kurta the brightest thing next to the fireworks display (Sarah's little brother Stephen said they should hurl me into the sky like a cannonball--that's how bright I was); little chat with Ms. Ferdous about her adorable daughter Nafisa; brief talk with the rocket scientist from Georgia, a 23 year old man whose voice was not identifiably male (sorry Nafisa); the smell of Bangladesh; the blue security passes that gave me access to this very special building known as the UN... Oh, and the lights and sounds of the fireworks.
One component to a freakshow: JEWS FOR JESUS canvassing millions of people as they were enjoying an American tradition, distributing pamphlets with pictures of the Statue of Liberty and information about prophet Joshua. I'm all about increasing people's faith and building spiritual community but tricking people with clever cartoons is not the way.
I watched the fireworks display from the United Nations building today, thanks to Nafisa's connections. As we were lying on the blanket, and the sky became ablaze with gunpowder, Nafisa and I exclaimed that we smelled Bangladesh. With the Hudson to our left, the noxious gases from the fireworks slowly traveling into our nasal passages, we both remembered Bangladesh. It was the odor of putrid, rotting water, of humidity and pollution. But it was also a place we both remembered as the Homeland.
Components to this excellent evening: Thai food in the village; meeting new people; my lime Kurta the brightest thing next to the fireworks display (Sarah's little brother Stephen said they should hurl me into the sky like a cannonball--that's how bright I was); little chat with Ms. Ferdous about her adorable daughter Nafisa; brief talk with the rocket scientist from Georgia, a 23 year old man whose voice was not identifiably male (sorry Nafisa); the smell of Bangladesh; the blue security passes that gave me access to this very special building known as the UN... Oh, and the lights and sounds of the fireworks.
One component to a freakshow: JEWS FOR JESUS canvassing millions of people as they were enjoying an American tradition, distributing pamphlets with pictures of the Statue of Liberty and information about prophet Joshua. I'm all about increasing people's faith and building spiritual community but tricking people with clever cartoons is not the way.
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