Connexxions: Best Cab Ride Ever!!

I ride in lots of cabs. Yesterday, I'm in a cab from the Loop to Lakeview (Chicago). At around 7, it's a 15-20 minute cab ride. I said hi to my driver when I jumped in with no response, so I jumped on my BB figuring it was going to be a quiet ride. As we crossed over the Dearborn bridge to Wacker, he asked me where I was from. He had a bit of an accent but his English was pretty good. I lobbed the same question back to his court. "Iraq," he said. I have no doubt he's had the conversation that was about to ensue with just about everyone in his cab for longer than 5 minutes. I couldn't resist, so I started with the family question. He told me that his immediate family (wife and 3 kids) were here with him, but the rest of his family was still in Iraq.

I really didn't have to ask too many more questions. To my surprise, he elaborated and flowed from one topic to the next. I made a few comments and small follow-up questions here and there, and other than a few bits of slang phrases he didn't understand, the communication was great. I could tell he was very happy here.

One of the first things he mentioned is how great this country is. I travel often, and I hear this all the time from people who've moved here. I hear it from people that moved out of the country for a time but then came back because they love it. It makes me proud to be here because all I hear is the negative. I'm always amazed how people take this country for granted. Unfortunately, I think the only time I really take it all in is when I stand for the national anthem before any sporting event. Thankfully, I go to many of them.

For the most part, people really have no clue how much drama the media creates by not really painting an accurate picture of the world for us. I always thought it but never truly realized it until I went through Katrina. The media was and has been such a cause of frustration for people down there because they do a garbage job of reporting with accuracy. My cab driver brought this up immediately. As with most people that move to a new country, the first thing you learn is how to curse. When I brought up the news, a few of these words came out. It was a little humorous because he didn't say them for effect. He said them like they were a normal part of speech.

He told me that he has been here for 3 years now, and it's the best decision he's ever made. His kids (ages 18, 16 and 12 I think they were) have a chance to survive. They can walk outside at night. His family in Iraq...not so much. He said it's like anything else...you just have to know where and when not to walk. He explained to me the various sects of Iraqis, which was fascinating to me. I hear it all the time on TV or magazine, but he gave me more accurate information in 5 minutes on each than I've received from any other outlet since the war began. He was born in 1958. He served during the war with Iran in 1989. He is a civil engineer by trade and because of his degree they made him an officer, which he was clearly angered with. He showed me where a bullet dispensed by an AK-47 caught him in the arm. He said, "Let me rebuild the bridge after we destroy. I don't care about guns." It was odd but I smiled because I knew what he was getting at.

I received this much useful information all before we hit the end of Lakeshore Drive. As we turned off of LD, I finally had to ask, "So what is the view of people in Iraq on Americans and the war." He said pretty much exactly what I was expecting to hear but I never hear on TV...an accurate portrayal. He said his countrymen loved that we went in there at all cost to get Hussein out of Iraq. He said he had seen women and children hung in front of the eyes of a husband and father for nothing more than a bad day at work. He had seen men beaten to their death because they said hi to a woman on the street in a public place. The country has been so happy to have him gone. He said all sects are happy Hussein is gone but all for different reasons. The big problem with the image of the war are the few idiots. The suicide bombers and the roadside bombs cause the most noise in the US. He got very passionate at this point because he mentioned that he could no longer watch TV because he never saw all the good that the US has done for them...only the bad. I could see his eyes in the rear view mirror get deep and watered. "Iraqis want the same thing Americans do," he said. They needed help to get control of their country, but now they want to run their own country. He said he understood how hard it was for the Americans to just leave. Towards the end he probably said the most insightful thing. "Americans are so used to having everything now. They don't understand what it takes to breakdown and build up, so they think everything there is a mistake. It's not. I would've never been able to come to this great country had they not invaded Iraq."

The last minute or so was small pleasantries. I could have sat at the corner of Kenmore and Belmont for another hour listening to that. I realize the man works on tips and he didn't have to speak, but I don't question the genuineness of his viewpoint. As I exited the cab, he offered his hand. He shook mine vigorously and told me, "I love the US and am so happy to be here. I wish you much luck my friend."

"Congratulations on getting here. I wish you continued success here and for your family," I said looking him dead in the eye.

I paid $20 for that $14 cab ride. I learned so much in just 15 minutes...it was worth every penny.

3 Comments

Wow Christien! This was one of the most pleasant and heart warming things I've read in a long time! Thanks for sharing your experience and what you learned!

Posted by: Jill Kennedy | August 23, 2007 at 02:59 PM