The USA an imigrants tale.

I have had a spiritual experience today, my faith and heart have been lifted to a height that I had forgotten. What follows is as accurate a tale of that experience as I can tell.

Im sorry this story really sucks, Im not a good enough writer to tell it the way it deserves to be told

I left work today a half hour early to go get a haircut, because I was getting kind of shaggy. When I arrived at Patrick's Hair Design
the place was packed. I walked over to the lady at the desk and asked half heartedly if there was a chance she could get me in today.
The lady's response was that all their regular people were booked, but they did have a new gentleman who just started monday who coulld take me. I was introduced to Metin who took me back and had my hair washed, then I climbed into the chair to havemy hair cut. Metin had a heavy accent so I asked him where he was from, he replied that he was born in Turkey and had lived most of his life there or in Greece.
I related that I had once been to turkey on a military missions and that seemed to get him going, his eyes lit up and he started talking.

I didnt really know what he was going to say but he related his tale of travel from turkey to greece to france to the UK and then finaly to the USA where he has lived for the past 5 years. I was careful not to let on but I wanted to see what his views of things in the middle east and what he thought of the USA were. Metin told me the story of his travels to the United States and why he came. His eyes shone with a light and love of an ideal.

Metin told me that in all the places he had to pass through to get to the United States, none could compare, here in the USA he could go into a club and be accepted as an equal, people talked to him and did not act like he was some second class citizen. He came here with just a few dollars to his name and only a few clothes...he talked proudly of how here in the USA he realized a dream he had no hope of accomplishing anywhere else..he had purchased his own car, he also had several pairs of Jeans and a nice comfortable place to live. He said he could not have achieved these things in his other homes. He was so obviously in love with the USA, I stated that surely the other countries he had tried to live in were also very nice and he laughed, he told me of how hard it had been for him to just get jobs in those countries, he told me of how he was treated like unwanted trash from Turkey. He told me how here, here in america he and others like him could come to live and be free to persue their dreams, they didnt have to follow a traditional family occupation, he wouldnt be shot for speaking out about the government and he could above all by learning about america actually become an american..something he could never do in greece, germany or france.

Metin told me about how people that he grew up with viewd the United states and how they all dreamed of living here. They all knew "In America you can be anything, do anything, accomplish anything"

He came here with nothing but his skill at cutting hair and he has achieved much of the american dream in just 5 years.

I mentioned to him that some people I knew thought that the USA was a just another country where greed and corruption ruled the day that the USA just exploited other countries and caused pain and misery...

When I told him that ...he got very angry, he nearly shouted what he did say that I can put here is that people who think that the USA is an evil or bad place have never truely experienced the hardships nor received the gifts that the USA freely gives to the peoples of the world From food to medicine to clothing millions and millions of people get help from the USA..


Im not doing this story justice...Im a pathetic writer and I know it...If I could just download my brain so that you could see what he said and how he looked while saying it...I was nearly in tears listening to him...he is an American I was proud to have met.

As I left I paid the $28 charge for the haircut, but I also tipped him $10 just for the pride and glory he made me feel for a country I ALREADY loved. Well anyway some of you have asked why Americans should think that the USA is so special...tonight I know why it is...no other country inspires the love and the emotions I saw in this mans face.

Sorry for this crappy retelling of a beautiful story, wish I cuold have done it better justice.

[ 02-07-2002: Message edited by: MagiK ]

[Grand-Ranger]

Great story Magik. I have never been to another country, so I know I take alot of things for granted that are here in the US. But its good here such storys to remind you of how great this country really is, despite of what everyone says.

[Sir ReGiN]

Very good story MagiK..
Really gives you something to think about [img]smile.gif[/img]