| Username |
Post |
| Meera |
Posted
on 12-Feb-04 01:58 PM
“Me gonna retire soon” that is John. I was told he first said that as soon as he started working and he still says it. But I know he will be here for sometime more to go. John is our kitchen chef. He is this 5”8 black man, 52 years old and has a white wife so is the hero of the ghetto. Did I also mention that he has a big belly that he says is the “family gift” passed down from generations! “I love ma girl” he says. John is a sweetheart. His dream is to buy a house and live next to the beach. I have a feeling that his dream will not come true. He was born and raised in a small town in Missouri and like all small towners, he moved to the big city, got tired of the life there and came back.
Then we have Pete, our dishwasher. He is 15, goes to alternative school and binge drinks on the weekends. “Meera, u turned 21 right, u gonna buy beer for me?” “Sweetheart, u can dream, I am not buying drinks for a minor.” “Come on Meera, don’t be an ass” and that goes on and on. “So Pete, why come u aren’t in the regular school?” I ask blunt as ever. “Every time I turned around, I seem to get into trouble” he replies. “So you going to college?” I ask. “Na, college is for smarties, I am joining the army after I get done with high school.”
Then we have Rachel, a 15 year old. Rachel got pregnant at 13, she used to be abused by her mother’s boy-friend and her mother knows and does not care. “My ma’s a bitch” she tells me. She a lot more than that. “So why don’t you give your GED?” I ask, ever the official nerd. “I will someday as soon as Mary gets older” she replies.
Then we have Matt also another dishwasher. He dropped high school coz he says studies suck. Of course it does silly!!! He helps his dad for 2 days and works in the dining hall the rest 5 days. Matt is a 6”5 giant. He is 17 and wants to become a millionaire someday. He is very slow both in work and in thought process. “Hey Matt, so you going to Chinese today too?” I ask. Matt’s favorite food is Chinese and according to him, eats its every night. I like Chinese too but go there once a week. “Don’t you ever get tired of the food” I ask. “Naaa!!!” Matt is a monosyllabic person.
But my favorite one is Rob. Rob is 50 and has been working for 22 years. He had polio and never married. He adopted a baby boy who is now 12 years old. “So Mirror when are you and me going for a date?” he winks. “Soon Rob!” I reply. Rob is famous for his omelets. He is this 6”3 black guy weighing 325 pounds. “Rob, don’t you think you need to shed some weight?” “I did” he replies. “I was 600 and now I am half.” I don’t know how he looked when he was 600 but now he is simply big.
I am called the “little girl” for at 5”2 I am skinny. “No fair that you get the easiest job Mirror” says Rachel. “Ain’t I a lucky thing!” I say making her more jealous. We mostly talk about her daughter Mary and her guys. Her guys, yes in plural, she never seemed to find the “right guy” and she never gives up her search. “We need to shift Mira to the dish room” says Pete. “Go to hell!” I yell back. When they are in the mood, they pick on my accent. I hate that. I have this thick Nepali-Indian accent, the disadvantage of having gone to both kinds of school. “Hillbillies, all of ya!” I yell in defense. John went to a year of college and his very proud of it. “So John what did you like the most when you were in college?” “The frat. parties!” So typical of him! “So Mira, what do u want to become later on?” I get that question 1000001 times. “Me, how about Mother Teresa!” A whole new discussion follows.
So that’s the place I work in the weekends. Working in the college’s dining hall is fun but hard work too compared to the library. Life isn’t so good for Rob now-a-days, he has stopped coming to work after 22 years of service. I learnt that he has cancer in the stomach. He had been having it for sometime but he’s now in a critical stage. Let’s all pray for Rob.
(Names have all been changed for the purpose of discretion.)
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| Bhunte |
Posted
on 12-Feb-04 06:18 PM
Meera, career plan may match with Mother Teresa's personality hai! .... he he
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| Meera |
Posted
on 15-Feb-04 01:42 PM
Ok I don't know where to post this so posted it in this thread.
WHY Why Why are we yelling at each other in Sajha????????????????????
Can't we for once actually be civil and polite to each other. I live in a place where there are barely any Nepali, so once we heard two Nepali talking to one another, and I told my roomie, "A NEPALI!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Lol! Now that I look back I find that real funny but I also realized that whenever there are many nepalis we tend to argue a LOT and mostly about STUPID subjects.
Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!
So sick and tired of these kinda CRAP.
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| u_day |
Posted
on 25-Apr-04 06:18 PM
nice story mirror...:)
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| Dominatrix |
Posted
on 25-Apr-04 06:49 PM
Meera.. i liked your story alot, though sad in some places. Nice of u to share that with us. :o)
Domi
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| rohini_a |
Posted
on 25-Apr-04 06:57 PM
Meera, thank you very much for aggrandizing the job of a dishwasher. This is one job that is indeed considered "hot" among immigrant clique. Don't worry girl, this is probably the job that you'll end up with after you graduate from your accredited University. It's a good thing that you are in good relationship with your dishwashing/cook friends. Never ever get on bad side of your amiable dishwashing friends. Who knows, you might need them to lengthen your stay in the US of A. Ciao girl, and good luck with your dishwashing career.
Wishing you all the luck,
rohini
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| Dominatrix |
Posted
on 25-Apr-04 07:00 PM
Put a sock in it Rohini, we've heard enough of u babe.. ;o)
Domi
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| dyamn |
Posted
on 25-Apr-04 07:08 PM
meeraa is my sweetie... muwaaa what a sweetie.. meera has this gift of looking at things that usually get unnoticed..love ya meera....
timro pujaree,
dyamn
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| meera |
Posted
on 25-Apr-04 10:22 PM
Hey I posted that story some time back. U_Day you brought it back. Thought nobody liked it save for Bhunte dai.
I yelled above coz, then people then were bashing each other's caste real bad, its seems to be the same thing now, except now its worst coz people are also bashing each other personally, which is sad :(
Anyway thanks U_day, Domi, Rohini and Dyamn. There are some people that no one talks about but they are as important as the rest at least from my perspective.
Rohini, I don't know if this interests you but I am a citizen. I wouldn't mind dishwashing for the rest of my life but I have more interest in the career of medicine. Let's see what life holds. Long way to go.
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| lopsee |
Posted
on 25-Apr-04 11:47 PM
why is sky so high?
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| u_day |
Posted
on 26-Apr-04 12:57 PM
Because I am a boy, lopseeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
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| confused |
Posted
on 26-Apr-04 01:19 PM
PATNERRRR GOOdd storryy...havent talked to u for a whilee..miss u a loT :)
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| SITARA |
Posted
on 26-Apr-04 02:42 PM
Great narration, Meera! Don't worry about the "bashings"... Keep writing, we'll keep reading. :)
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| Jay |
Posted
on 26-Apr-04 03:51 PM
Yes I concur too- it is great narration. Your wrting has natural flow.
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| kalebhut |
Posted
on 26-Apr-04 04:41 PM
Simply nice. narrative or prose at its best. At one moment I felt like I was reading Harper Lee’s to kill a mocking bird. I should say you sure do have a flair for storywriting meera. wah wah
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 26-Apr-04 05:14 PM
Interesting read Meera!
"So that’s the place I work in the weekends. Working in the college’s dining hall is fun but hard work too compared to the library"
Hard work...depends how you look at it. I too get that all the time "you have such an easy job....sit in front of the computer, chat and stuff, and get paid, I wish i had a job like you" To a certain extent yes. But then there are times in the breaks, midterms and finals........when all the work is crammed into one. The printer not working, network clogging, 100 ppl coming and harrassing you with all their questions for their disks with final papers not showing up. Jus the sound of printer continuously crunching for six straight hours can send you to COMA..trust me :)..(i am jus about ready for that!)
Of course, then there are other periods of leisure. Sit back and check out the gals...and occasionally go and help them with full delight ;).
On the other hand, there are two things in college life that I have found to never finish
i) Exams
ii) Dishwashing :)
Overtime, I have loved to dishwash provided I have free time. Splashing around with hot water and singing old nepali songs especially bhajans can be quite a meditation :). Hopefullly, I'll get hired as a CDO somewhere after graduation (chief dish washer)
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 26-Apr-04 05:17 PM
I live in a place where there are barely any Nepali, so once we heard two Nepali talking to one another, and I told my roomie, "A NEPALI!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Another coincidence I presume.....another ghetto too huh meera? interesting indeed. america ko gaon haroo ko katha ustai ustai jasto cha ;). But the best part living around such areas...it is so exciting to go to cities and nepali get togethers. :)
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| meera |
Posted
on 27-Apr-04 03:14 PM
Lopsee asks why is the shy so high and Uday replies coz he is a boy, lol !!!
Thanks TMA, Confused, Sitara, Jay, Kalebhut and Oys_chill.
Partner miss ya too.
Oys, shake hands, seems u also come from a place like mine. See now u can understand why I am always looking forward to the Nepali gatherings, sajha in particular. Does anyone know what happened and where is it (sajha gathering) set to take place???????????
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| jyotsna_manorama |
Posted
on 27-Apr-04 04:25 PM
very nice narration!! your narrations are always exuisitely beautiful
Talking about Sajha gathering, I hope it would be during summer time after I get back from nepal. Hope we will have one.
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| porcelina |
Posted
on 28-Apr-04 03:53 AM
great work meera!!!
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| jaya_nepal |
Posted
on 28-Apr-04 08:35 AM
Meera.. Great narration. Your hard work now will defnitely pay back once you graduate. You are really strong..!!
jaya_nepal..!!!
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