'...The truth though is, I started out with nothing and I still have most of it..." Potashius
I once overheard a very wealthy gentleman of Indian descent say that he arrived in this country with $84.00. Now he is a millionaire, living a lifestyle that would be the envy of most high paid CEOs.
Me I had five soc ($500) when I left Kenya. A friend of my mother's saw it fit to give me an extra ka-ufiftee ($50) for "cai" - Kikuyu euphymysm for some non-descript spending, as I traveled. Of course I took her literally and bought me a cup of tea during my 8 hour layover in some huge impersonal european airport. I figured it would calm my nerves and keep me up.... there was no way I was gonna sleep and miss that connection to Boston.
So my first week here I was rich... $500.00 and quite some change from that $50.00. Of course some of that change was in Dannish Francs or whatever currency they used then and totally useless in the good ole US of A. Imagine my surprise then when I went to the store and after digging into my pockets for whatever change I had, the kind and polite store manager quickly pointed out ''none of that money is good here."
That was my very first experience, though I did not know it then, of racism in this storied land of black and white. I know now that she only refused my money because I was black. I actually didn't even know I was black... I had all my childhood suffered through endless teasing for my light skin... Imagine my surprise (pleasant) when I found out that I was actually black..... and lucky too since all the application forms I've had to fill out since then have this demographics section that wants to know what I am... and Black (of African Descent) is the only thing that comes close.... no brown. But I digress....
I once overheard a very wealthy gentleman of Indian descent say that he arrived in this country with $84.00. Now he is a millionaire, living a lifestyle that would be the envy of most high paid CEOs.
Me I had five soc ($500) when I left Kenya. A friend of my mother's saw it fit to give me an extra ka-ufiftee ($50) for "cai" - Kikuyu euphymysm for some non-descript spending, as I traveled. Of course I took her literally and bought me a cup of tea during my 8 hour layover in some huge impersonal european airport. I figured it would calm my nerves and keep me up.... there was no way I was gonna sleep and miss that connection to Boston.
So my first week here I was rich... $500.00 and quite some change from that $50.00. Of course some of that change was in Dannish Francs or whatever currency they used then and totally useless in the good ole US of A. Imagine my surprise then when I went to the store and after digging into my pockets for whatever change I had, the kind and polite store manager quickly pointed out ''none of that money is good here."
That was my very first experience, though I did not know it then, of racism in this storied land of black and white. I know now that she only refused my money because I was black. I actually didn't even know I was black... I had all my childhood suffered through endless teasing for my light skin... Imagine my surprise (pleasant) when I found out that I was actually black..... and lucky too since all the application forms I've had to fill out since then have this demographics section that wants to know what I am... and Black (of African Descent) is the only thing that comes close.... no brown. But I digress....
My instant riches didn't last long..... I learnt first hand how money can quickly disappear... even lots of it. By the end of my first week here... I was down to just the change. Yap,
1 comment:
hmm ... I suppose it counts that the lady was polite?
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