I intern at a finance office near the UN. Usually when I am going up or down in the elevator, I am alone. However, last Wednesday was different. I had just left for the day after running a couple of errands (picking up the mail, getting coffee, all interns know this drill). A man with a sweet little bowler hat and a scarf very politely asked me about what I was wearing on my head. The conversation went something like this.
Man: Hi, would you mind if I asked you a question? (Without waiting for a yes or a no), Why is it that you wear that turban? I know it is a part of Sikhism, but what is the reasoning behind it?
Me: (Sighing because I have answered this question what feels like a million times) Well this turban symbolizes uniqueness. My religion requires that we wear it as a symbol of respect to God.
Man: You’re from India, correct?
Me: Yes.
Man: OOOOHHHH I LOVE INDIA! I go there for two to three months at a time for work and I absolutely love it. It’s just so much more organic, don’t you agree?
Me: Well, organic is one word for garbage on the streets haha.
Man: I guess we just have different views on it then…
Me: Well don’t get me wrong, I love it there, I was born there, and all my family lives there, but I see the negatives along with the positives.
Man: Makes sense, oh well I better be on my way.
Me: Nice meeting you, see you around.
Man: You too.
At this point, I looked around to see where I was. I had walked in a completely wrong direction, and needed to run in order to get to class on time. As I got on the subway, huffing and panting, I couldn’t help but laugh. Only in New York would you have a twenty minute conversation with a complete stranger about your faith, walk in the opposite direction of where you are supposed to go, and not even ask the man his name.
Credit: Olivier Perrin
That was an interesting moment for you.
I always feel that people in NYC (especially Manhattan) are always in a hurry. They don’t have time to stop, be aware of their surroundings, and ask questions.
That has never happened to me nor have I gained enough courage to go up to person on the street and start conservation.
That person probably picked you because of your stellar beard!
Great post! Really fun to read, haha. I have no idea why, but in my head, I imagined this man having a British accent. I also like how you put the dialogue in a “me” and “man” format, it makes it a lot more fluid.
I agree with Sam that people rarely stop to ask questions to talk to people because everyone seems to be in a hurry…so I guess you must have made an impression on that man, haha. Good for you.
I feel like that’s a really weird conversation and I’ve never had the same experience. But I think it is a good thing that you can try to explain your faith to someone else without getting annoyed by ignorance, that takes a lot of patience.
I like how you incorporate so much sarcasm and energy into your post; it was an entertaining one to read. I would have liked to see a little bit more description of this man and your thought processes, especially when you replied with “Well, organic is one word for garbage on the streets”. I could almost picture the sour look on his face and the change of tone, but I would have liked to know how his expression really changed.