So today started out normal. I woke up at 6:00 to get ready by six thirty to get to the metro. I did so. As usual, with my motto of "I'll get there when I get there," I missed my train by thirty seconds and had to wait for the next one. I was going to walk to the next bench down the way because the one I was passing was full, but unexpectedly, the man, who looked to be in his late thirties, early forties, moved aside to make room for me. That doesn't happen, ever, really, unless you ask, or initiate in some way.
"Are you a graduate student?" Just blunt, right out there.
I answered no, that I was a junior in college.
But from then on, Matthew, as I soon found out, was very enthusiastic and awake for the pre 7:00 hours. He didn't have time to make breakfast, so he had two eggs in a plastic bag in his bag. He was very kind, and interested in what I had to say, but it was crazy to hear someone so awake.
Thoughts going through my mind--is this guy mentally all there? Is he on something? But I kept reminding myself not to judge, not to make an assumption about him. That's what everyone else does. He was very kind, and had a great smile.
I hustled to BCC, and attended both of Colman's classes, as usual. We talked about the death penalty for the first period, as they are mostly dead in the morning, but then in the second period class, the discussion was much more lively, and strayed from what he was going to talk about, as it usually did--they talked about drugs and the economy. There was a guy that said he dealt marjuana in his neighborhood. I was rather surprised that he was so open about it, but I was also thankful that he was honest about it.
I rode the metro to Wilson, and got there in good time, and arrived before Colman got there.
So I stood in front of the class, uncertain as to grab their attention, or something else. I saw one of the girls that had spoken up respectfully earlier in the semester, and I saw that she was doodling on a Postal Priority Mail Address Label, and I asked her what she was mailing, and it turns out that Alicia was working on an original drawing for someone else's project of a sort--a whole bunch of people were given the address label, and told to make a little picture or design on it.
Colman started class, he handed out the books, and started working a little bit with them. There wasn't much done there. The class has started to respect him better, from what I can tell.
I stood up in front of the class on Wednesday when he went to go get security because he was so frustrated with them, and got their attention. There was one girl who was motherf***ing everything when she came into the room after Colman left to get security, and I asked her to stop swearing. Then they realized I wasn't a student.
"Wait, you the teacher?"
"Yes, I am."
One of the boys in the back row raised his hand, and I pointed at him and asked him what his question was.
"You're beautiful."
I replied, "Thank you, but I hear that everyday."
Another guy who I have had simple conversation with before added, "You have a lot of fans in this class because you are beautiful."
(Sometimes I get so sick of being something pretty that other people look at and get distracted by. It just pisses me off that I have a capturing personality and that I draw people to me. Maybe I'm not even that good looking. Maybe my personality is just so strong that I draw people to me, and they have no choice to love me. But IT'S SO FRUSTRATING. I just want to be heard, and listened to, and not have my body judged.)
I asked the class to raise their hands if they were interested in learning what Colman had to say, and there was more participation when I asked this than there had been ever before with all of Colman's voting ("powersharing"), and then I asked them to be honest, and raise their hands if they didn't want to be here at all. No one raised their hands, though I was persistant in saying that I would not judge them either way.
"If you guys want to learn what Colman is talking about, what he's trying to teach you, you need to respect him, and that means not talking when he's talking. If you have something you want to say, then you need to raise your hand."
Then "you're beautiful" guy, Andrew, raised his hand again.
"Are you going to say I'm beautiful again?"
Then Colman came back into the classroom with the security and laid down the law, but I think I made an impact.
After class, I walked to the metro again, there was a college-aged girl named Zoey who stopped me on the way and asked me if I could join Environmental America, which is working to take care of the Chesapeake.
One of the facts that she pointed out was that the chicken companies, Perdue and Tyson are not regulated in the pollution that they let out into the environment (IT'S ALL CONNECTED), anyway, I said that I would support them, and I decided that it would part of my tithe. It's not just monetary--there's going to be a part where I can do a little activism is given the option.
As I was going down the escalator, the beautiful notes of a guitar was playing. I was enjoying it immensely, and was overjoyed to see that it was coming from a man playing at the bottom of the escalators. I stopped, gave him the $2 I had in my wallet, and started talking about music, life, and other things with this guy. His name was Rudy, and he'd been playing guitar for 18 years, and I asked what he was saving up for--he said some recording time. He said that he'd been places, but he came back to DC because there was home for him here, and that he could be inspired by it. Here's a Clip.
I rode the metro home. I was happy for making connections with so many people today. Then on my way back to the house from the Metro station, there was a man in a car that drove past me when I was at the corner of Michigan and 10th, and I didn't think anything of it, people look at me from their cars all the time. As I walked down the street toward our house, I heard someone yell, "Hey cutie" from way far away. I thought they yelled it at me, but I wasn't sure, and I kept walking.
Then the same guy, still in his car, still on the road, said, "can I talk to you for a second?"
This has never happened before. I was really cautious, but I knew that it was 12:00, and there were houses all around me, so I stopped and waited for this guy. He parked his car, got out, and walked over to me.
"You got a boyfriend?" First thing, right up. This is what started or stopped what ever topic followed.
"Yes."
"You got kids?"(LOL this was the second question)
"No."
"You a student?"
"Yep."
"Where do you go? Catholic?"
"Nope, it's a school in Harrisonburg, Virginia."
"Is that Southern Virginia?"
"No."
"How old are you?"
I said to guess. I don't give away my age easily. It often affects how people look at me.
"21?", and when I shook my head no, he asked, "older or younger?"
When I said, "Younger," he was surprised. "Really? Nineteen?" That's what I went with. (for the record, I turn 19 in May.)
He offered me a ride, which I declined. I said the rain was good for my hair (and as I'm embracing it's awesome curliness, the humidity was adding to the volume.).
Greg (which I found out shortly after he asked what my name was somewhere in the conversation), said something like, well you certainly have a lot of it, but a little bit nicer sounding.
After he asked me what school I went to, he asked if I'd been to "the library" on Monroe and 12th. I'm not sure if it's actually a library yet. I'm going to do some field research (meaning walk over there to see, during the day), and he said that he was a rapper and that they have music on Wednesday nights at eight and other people come and do their thing--some sing, some rap. I didn't say anything about my music so I was surprised.
I don't even know why he was inclined to talk to me in the first place.
"and maybe afterward, I can get you a drink."
"or not."
"ah, that's right, your not twenty one."
Then I walked home, a little paranoid that he would follow me back to the house, but he didn't, which I was truly thankful for. I didn't want to have to call the cops.
Took a two hour nap. I totally needed that. I got seven hours of sleep last night, and although I was functioning fine, there was a great wave of exhaust(ion) that was overcoming me shortly after lunch, adn I succumbed to it.
Lindsay and I left for tango lessons with Rezz at six twenty. It was a lot of fun, a new challenge, and opened my eyes to a new culture. I could go on and on about it, but I really need to go to bed. Needless to say, Lindsay and I are going to practice and practice and get really awesome and teach out boyfriends when they come back from their foreign countries (Isaac is going to Mexico in a couple of months).
I've eaten a lot of black beans, and butternut squash in the past two days. :)
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