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From YouTube: Beyond What We See
Description
Storytelling and community conversations hosted by Cultural Conversations.
February 7, 2018
City of Bellevue, WA
A
Hello,
hello.
Everyone
welcome
it's
a
wonderful
to
see
so
many
people
here
this
evening,
friends,
colleagues,
council,
members,
mayor
Wow,
really
really
fun.
We
are
so
excited
that
you
have
taken
tonight
to
come
and
spend
with
us
in
an
evening
of
cultural
conversations.
So
I
just
want
to
give
you
a
hand
and
say
thank
you
for
showing
up.
A
A
Okay,
great
welcome
to
our
fourth
annual
evening
presentation
of
cultural
conversations
in
in
the
CC,
the
council
chambers.
Okay,
our
theme
tonight
is
beyond
what
we
see
tonight.
We
will
be
exploring
moving
beyond
the
cultural
assumptions
that
we
make
about
people
at
first
glance
and
experience
how
we
might
find
points
of
connection
with
others
when
we
take
a
moment
and
pause,
listen,
open
ourselves
to
other
perspectives
and
challenge
ourselves
to
be
courageous
and
learn
about
others.
With
sincere
curiosity,
that's
the
theme
of
our
evening.
A
To
kick
off
our
evening
is
someone
very
familiar
with
this
welcoming
space
of
council
chambers.
He
calls
council
chambers
his
home
every
Monday
night
John
Chow,
Manik
Bellevue's
new
mayor
has
been
invested
in
serving
the
city
in
the
East
Side
for
a
very
long
time.
He
has
served
on
Bellevue,
City
Council
since
2004
and
has
twice
been
deputy
mayor.
What
we
know
at
first
glance
is
that
he
is
consistent.
He
is
invested
while
he
works
a
full-time
job
in
the
private
sector.
A
He
is
a
native
of
the
Pacific
Northwest
in
a
proud
graduate
of
Washington
State
University
got
that
right:
okay,
go
Cougs!
The
mayor
is
a
long
time,
they'll
be
residents,
he
has
a
head
and
a
heart
for
really
knowing
the
community
and
serving
you
who
live,
work
and
visit
Bellevue
as
we
do
this
important
work.
Mirch
almanac
is
a
champion
of
a
city's
diversity
advantage
plan
in
the
council
vision.
Bellevue
welcomes
the
world
diversity.
Is
our
strength.
I'd
like
to
have
merit
Almanac
come
up
and
say
a
few
words.
Thank
you.
A
B
Good
evening,
everyone
welcome
Wow
overflow
crowd
here
tonight,
and
that
is
wonderful
to
have
this
conversation,
so
my
name
is
John.
Shulman,
AK
and
I've
been
the
mayor
for
just
a
little
over
a
month
now,
but
have
been
on
the
City
Council
for
14
years.
I
want
to
and
actually
I'm
gonna
introduce
them
as
part
of
my
family,
because
Monday
nights
we
get
together.
B
B
And
I
believe
that
councilmember
John
Stokes,
who
had
just
served
as
mayor,
is
also
going
to
be
here
tonight.
So
this
is
a
wonderful
time
to
come
together
as
a
connected
community,
a
resilient
community
and
also
I
think
in
the
words
of
dr.
Martin,
Luther,
King
jr.,
a
beloved
community.
That's
what
we
strive
to
be
now
you're,
looking
beyond
the
surface
tonight
at
people,
so
I'm
gonna.
Let
you
in
a
little
bit
on
me
I'm,
an
orphan
I,
wasn't
orphaned.
As
a
small
child.
I
was
just
orphaned.
B
Last
year
my
mother
passed
away
in
1984
my
dad
lived
to
be
96
years
old
and
passed
away
on
March
17th
last
year.
He
was
really
my
best
friend
and
a
huge
supporter
of
mine,
but
that
now
makes
me
an
orphan
and
I
have
to
carry
on
the
responsibilities
of
our
family.
One
of
those
and
I
think
a
lot
of
you
would
have
the
same
experience.
B
A
lot
of
your
cultural
connection
to
family
is
around
food
and
for
me,
being
Polish
American,
it's
about
kielbasa,
that
great
Polish
sausage,
dad
and
I,
and
my
children
and
my
siblings.
We
made
it
every
single
year.
It
was
always
present
at
celebrations
and
particularly
at
Christmastime.
Some
of
the
best
pictures
I
have
of
my
stepdaughter
and
daughter.
Growing
up
are
of
them
going
through
that
process
of
making
sausage
so
with
dad
gone
that
fell
to
me
this
year.
B
I
didn't
even
know
where
to
go
to
get
the
casings,
but
I
figured
it
out
and
on
a
Saturday
afternoon
with
my
daughter
back
from
Gonzaga,
we
spent
that
time
together
continuing
a
family
tradition
and
advancing
our
culture
by
even
though
dad
was
gone.
We
sat
together
made
Polish
sausage
and
it
was
delicious
on
a
white
Christmas,
which
is
very
rare
to
have
that
as
as
our
breakfast.
So
that's
a
little
something
different
about
me,
something
you
didn't
know.
I
know
that
you'll
all
be
sharing
some
stories.
B
A
Okay,
I'd
like
to
recognize
that
the
elected
officials
who
are
here
tonight
for
their
support
and
leadership
with
the
City
of
Bellevue
in
the
greater
east
side
and
with
was
there
anyone
else
that
we
may
have
missed
I
just
want
to
make
sure
that
we've
got
everybody
and
Conrad
Lee
correct.
Okay,
we
cannot.
A
A
A
So,
for
many
of
you
here
this
is
the
first
time.
What
is
this
program
of
cultural
conversations?
Cultural
conversations
is
a
place
of
safe
place
for
community
connection
that
inspires
change
through
storytelling,
new
friendships,
awareness
of
diverse
cultures
and
common
bonds.
Many
times
we're
asked
about
this
program.
What
is
cultural
conversations?
You
know
you
know
people
are
getting
together,
they're
having
coffee
they're
talking
what
what
is
it
that
goes
on
there
and
the
thing
that
we
would
tell
you
and
anybody,
that's
ever
been
would
say
you
have
to
come
and
experience
it
yourself.
A
You
really
just
have
to
be
here,
so
we're
hoping
tonight
that
you
will
also
be
able
to
understand
what
makes
this
program
so
special
for
many
of
the
people
that
are
here
tonight
and
there
are
very
many
ambassadors
of
the
program
that
are
here
and
what
I
want
to
do:
a
wonderful
community
that
has
been
a
storyteller
or
attended
a
cultural
conversation
if
you
could
just
stand
and
wave
your
hand,
so
everybody
knows
who
you
are.
If
anybody's
been
to
the
cultural
conversation
wave
your
hand
yeah
the
very
many
people
that
attend
cultural
conversations.
A
A
It
is
my
honor
to
do
this
program
with
my
partner
Bob
to
ninja,
who,
along
with
Julie
Ellen
Horne,
took
the
seed
of
this
idea
listening
to
women
in
the
community,
and
that's
become
the
program
that
you
see
today.
Barb
has
been
with
the
city
for
over
20
years.
If
you
could
listen
in
on
how
we
form
these
topics
and
how
they
develop,
you
would
know
that
we
are
so
honored
to
hear
the
stories
of
so
many
courageous
and
remarkable
women
and
men
in
the
community.
In
fact,
going
beyond
what
we
see.
A
We
know
that
everybody
here
tonight
is
remarkable
doing
this
program.
We
know
how
we
are
changed
as
individuals.
We
see
the
changes
in
others
and
witnessed
the
vibrant
connected
community
growing
here
on
the
east
side
and
beyond.
Please
welcome
me
G,
please
join
me
in
welcoming
Barton
Inga
who's
gonna
come
up
and
talk
a
little
bit
about
the
program.
Thank
you.
C
C
Like
Carole
said,
I've
had
the
pleasure
of
planning
this
program
with
Julie
yang
Carol,
just
about
everybody
on
our
neighborhood
outreach
team,
and
it's
been
life-changing
truly
for
the
neighborhood
outreach
team
and
for
the
community
and
for
me
personally,
it's
just
been
an
honor
to
witness
and
be
a
part
of
the
sort
of
I
think
of
it
as
unlikely
connections
in
the
community,
because
they
those
connections,
create
so
much
resiliency
in
our
community
and
it
really.
It
really
is
amazing
to
watch
and
be
a
part
of.
C
So
the
community
of
cultural
conversations
has
grown
much
larger.
Since
we
began
the
program
in
2009,
we
get
requests
every
year
for
us
to
help
others
with
this
program
as
far
away
as
Somalia
as
close
as
neighborhood
groups
and
apartment
buildings
and
faith
communities
and
schools
right
here
in
Bellevue
people
ask:
can
we
have
a
men's?
Only
group.
Can
we
do
this
program
in
the
evening?
Can
we
do
this
program
on
the
weekends?
Can
we
have
programs
for
small
kids?
Can
we
have
programs
for
teens?
C
So
this
year
we
decided
to
go
a
little
bit
further
with
documenting
the
program
and
created
a
best
practices
handbook
for
organizers
to
encourage
all
of
you
to
help
others
and
help
yourselves
create
your
own
unique
cultural
conversations.
So
this
is
it
and
it's
available
for
you
as
you
leave
tonight
and
you're
welcome
to
that,
and
it's
also
going
to
be
soon
available
on
the
website,
so
real
quickly,
Sujata.
C
Where
are
you
Sujata
there?
You
are
so
she
walked
into
cultural
conversations.
A
couple
of
years
ago,
newly
arrived
from
India
with
a
business
card
that
read
corporate
and
community
storyteller
and
the
rest
is
history.
Sujata
has
helped
us
document
cultural
conversations,
and
this
year
she's
helped
us
to
create
that
that
best
practices
guide
that
will
help
more
people.
C
C
Exploring
beyond
what
you
see
as
you
grab
your
tea
or
coffee
on
your
way
to
your
table
just
take
a
minute
to
take
a
peek
at
the
storyboard
that
talks
about
Melanie
and
Kim's
story
of
starting
the
French
bakery
or
actually
buying
the
French
bakery.
That
was
already
existing
I'm
going
to
read
a
quick
quote
from
a
longtime
participant
of
cultural
conversations
about
the
bakery
and
Melanie
and
Kim
when
people
meet
Melanie
and
Kim.
Often,
there's
a
brief
pause.
C
You
don't
expect
to
see
an
Asian
couple
running
the
French
bakery,
especially
when
so
authentically
French,
and
they
are
much
more
than
that.
Their
philosophy,
Melanie
and
Kim's
philosophy
is
all
about
helping
people
mentoring,
their
staff,
even
though
the
donating
food
to
the
community
every
day
that
their
bakery
is
open,
so
Melanie
and
Kim.
Can
you
just
stand
briefly
real,
quick
so
that
we
can
thank
you
for
all.
You
do
for
the
community.
C
Okay,
we're
gonna
start
the
storytelling
I,
always
like
to
remind
everyone
before
we
start
the
story,
storytelling
that
these
amazing
and
courageous
storytellers
are
not
professional
storytellers.
They
they
are
here
tonight
because
we
asked
them.
Would
they
be
willing
to
tell
their
stories
and
I
just
think
it's
important
to
take
a
minute
to
recognize
that
it
takes
so
much
courage
to
get
up
and
share
personal
stories,
some
in
their
second
and
even
third
language,
and
so
I'd.
C
Ask
you
to
hold
that
sacred
and
to
send
positive
energy
to
them
when
they
come
up
here
to
share
our
storytellers
often
mention
that
they
could
feel
your
support
and
they
can
feel
your
respect
while
they're
telling
their
stories
and
during
this
program,
and
your
support
creates
that
safe
space
that
carol
was
referring
to
at
the
beginning.
So
with
that
we'd
like
to
turn
the
program
over
to
Debbie
Lacey
she's,
our
storytelling
coach
she's
been
with
us
from
the
very
beginning,
Debbie.
D
Just
real
quick,
so
we
can
get
to
these
amazing
stories
tonight.
Thank
you
so
much
everyone.
What
a
gift
this
evening
is
to
gather
in
community
to
hear
stories
just
as
people
all
over
the
world
have
been
doing
for
thousands
of
years.
Many
of
our
ancestors
have
been
doing
this
very
thing
telling
stories
and
listening
to
stories.
The
author
Terry
tempest
Williams,
said
that
story
is
the
umbilical
cord
that
connects
us
to
the
past
present
and
future.
She
goes
on
to
say
that
story
is
a
relationship
between
the
teller
and
the
listener.
D
A
responsibility
and
story
is
an
affirmation
of
our
ties
to
one
another.
She
speaks
of
the
responsibility
and
that's
something
we've
witnessed
during
these
events.
The
storytellers
aren't
the
only
ones
with
a
job
here,
don't
be
nervous,
I'm
not
going
to
ask
you
all
to
come
up
to
the
stage
some
of
you
may
want
to
after
tonight.
You're
all
part
of
the
story,
though,
by
giving
your
attention
by
reflecting
on
your
own
experiences,
you'll,
naturally
weave
your
story
into
theirs.
D
We
invite
you
to
listen
for
parts
of
the
stories
that
remind
you
of
your
own
experiences.
However.
Diverse
and
to
listen
for
moments
that
speak
to
experiences,
maybe
that
you'd
like
to
have
or
that
you'd
like
to
know
more
about
another
part
of
our
responsibility,
is
to
hold
the
stories
as
unique
expressions
of
the
people
telling
them.
We
must
avoid
the
danger
of
a
single
story.
That
is
the
assumption
than
any
one
story
or
anyone's
story
speaks
for
an
entire
group
of
people,
which,
of
course,
is
impossible.
Tonight's
stories
are
about
their
truth,
their
reality.
D
Your
experiences,
values
and
beliefs
may
be
similar
or
quite
different,
but
these
stories
aren't
about
persuasion
or
debate.
Every
story
is
an
invitation
to
understand
and
to
connect
we
honor
the
vulnerable
brave
act.
It
is
to
stand
here
in
front
of
a
large
audience
by
the
way
you
all
look
fabulous.
I
wish
you
could
see
you
from
this
point
of
view.
It's
been
my
great
privilege
and
honor
to
work
with
and
support
tonight's
storytellers
hearing.
Many
more
stories
than
you
will
share
here
tonight
and
I
know.
You'll
be
inspired
and
touched,
as
I
have
been.
D
This
night
belongs
to
our
storytellers
who've,
put
so
much
into
preparation,
and
it
belongs
to
us,
as
a
community
taking
an
evening
out
of
our
busy
lives,
to
hear
stories
that
have
the
ability
to
transport
us
opening
our
eyes
and
our
hearts
to
the
many
different
ways
we
as
humans,
journey
through
life.
You
may
have
questions
for
the
speakers,
but
we
ask
that
you
hold
your
questions
until
the
second
part
of
the
program
when
you'll
have
an
opportunity
to
chat
with
them
and
with
each
other.
D
So
at
this
time,
I
would
like
to
invite
Karen
to
get
settled
and,
as
Karen's
coming
up
to
the
stage
I'd
like
to
introduce
her
Karen
was
born
and
raised
in
Jamaica,
where
her
family
has
lived
for
several
generations.
At
17
years
old,
she
moved
to
Florida
with
her
parents.
It
was
the
start
of
her
westward
migration
as
she
called
it,
a
journey
of
adventure
that
took
her
to
Canada
for
college
and
then
up
and
down
the
west
coast.
D
As
a
journalist
book
publisher
and
technical
editor,
she's
lived
in
Bellevue
since
1987,
and
this
evening
we're
going
to
do
an
interview,
style
format.
Karen
welcome
and
thank
you
for
being
here
yeah.
Can
you
tell
us
a
little
bit
about
when
you
first
lost
your
vision
and
the
extent
of
your
vision
loss,
so
everyone
gets
a
better
understanding,
of
course,.
E
As
a
baby,
I
began
crawling
into
walls,
I
was
beginning
the
first
stage
of
retinal
degeneration,
but
I
was
lucky
because
I
still
had
a
fair
bit
of
functional
vision
and,
as
I
grew
with
support
from
family
friends.
Teachers
I
just
charged
ahead
school
sports
travel
parties,
then
in
the
1990s
a
sort
of
dimmer
switch
went
on
in
my
eyes,
and
my
remaining
vision
began
to
fade
now.
I
can
see
glimmers
of
light
and
because
that
light
often
bothers
me,
I
wear
sunglasses
indoors
as
I'm
doing
tonight.
E
D
E
Well,
as
that
dimmer
switch
went
on,
I
realized
that
there
was
still
a
lot
of
things.
I
wanted
to
do
and
could
do
I
just
had
to
learn
to
do
them
differently,
so
whether
that
was
through
touch
or
with
technology,
for
example,
I
love
movies.
Now
there
is
technology
called
audio
description.
That
will
tell
me
what's
going
on
the
action
between
the
dialogue,
so
I
don't
have
to
lean
over
to
my
neighbor
and
say
so.
What's
happening
now,
I
also
love
to
travel
and.
E
So
when
I
get
ready,
I
know
I'm
going
somewhere
on
a
trip.
I
start
to
think
about
the
place
and
try
to
read
up
on
it.
Maybe
take
a
class,
maybe
listen
to
some
YouTube
videos,
just
to
get
a
real
sense
of
where
I'm
going
I'm
trying
to
essentially
create
a
movie.
In
my
mind,
so
I
went
to
Machu
Picchu
in
Peru
a
while
back
and
the
guide
and
I
were
standing
on
the
terrace
there
and
he
said
to
me
we're
looking
out
over
this
magnificent
Valley
and
there
are
these
tall
craggy
mountains.
E
All
around
us
and
I
turned
to
him
and
I
said
yeah
I
can
see
it
and
I
really
felt
like
I
could
I
had
a
real
sense
of
it
now.
I
was
also
using
my
other
senses,
and
other
people
are
on
me
soon
realize
this
and
everyone
sort
of
pitched
in
because
they
were
determined
to
make.
My
sensory
experience
as
wonderful
as
their
visual
experience.
E
When
I
get
ready
to
to
go
somewhere,
even
even
if
it's
just
their
own
Bellevue
I,
think
about
where
I'm
going
I
plan
it
out,
I
break
the
trip
down
into
stages
or
steps
and
I
try
to
visualize
each
step
and
then
because
my
dog
goes
just
about
everywhere.
With
me,
I
do
have
a
dog
he's
down
here
on
the
floor,
a
guide
dog,
then
we
take
off
and
I
give
him
the
commands
and
he
navigates
from
point
A
to
point
B.
E
E
E
And
sidewalks
are
parking
lots
for
motorcycles,
so
it
was
a
bit
difficult
to
get
around.
That
said,
you
know
this
is
where
we
don't
do
things
just
on
our
own.
You
know
it.
Other
people
help
people,
we
know
and
people
we
don't
know,
because
when
we
ran
into
trouble
we
hijacked
someone
on
the
sidewalk
and
in
very
broken
mixture
of
languages,
try
to
figure
it
out
with
them,
but
that
led
to
some
great
conversations
and
I
would
never
have
met
these
people
in
any
other
way.
D
Thank
you,
Karen
I.
Imagine
that
you
know
you've
accomplished
so
much
and
gone
to
so
many
places.
Do
you
still
have
things
on
your
bucket
list
and
I
should
clarify
for
some
of
you
that
may
have
english-as-a-second-language
what
a
bucket
list
is.
It
can
sound
very
strange
if
you
don't
know
about
that.
So
sometimes
people
refer
to
dying
as
kicking
the
bucket
and
so
bucket
list
is
the
things
that
you
would
like
to
do
before
you
kick
the
bucket
so
Karen
anything
on
your
bucket
list.
Well,
more.
D
E
Another
one
is
that
when
you
pop
up
at
our
elbow
in
the
grocery
store,
totally
out
of
context
and
say,
hi
will
immediately
recognize
who
you
are
now
see
on,
Alexa
can't
seem
to
to
get
it
right.
So
you
know
me
far
better
if
you
far
better,
if
you
say
something
like
you
know:
hey
Karen,
it's
Debbie
from
cultural
conversations.
E
E
E
We
have
a
mutual
friend
who
is
blind
and
who
knows
him
far
better
than
I
do,
and
apparently
she
had
asked
him
if
she
could
do
that
great.
No,
he
thought
maybe
I'd
like
to
do
that
and
so
I
sat
there
for
a
moment
and
I
thought
you
know
I'm
from
an
island
culture.
You
know
everybody
hugs
and
kisses
at
the
drop
of
a
hat,
and
could
this
be
the
Seattle
freeze
setting
in,
but
you
know,
I
said
to
him
well,
thank
you,
but
I
think
I'll
pass
this
time.
D
Karen,
thank
you
for
that
and
I've
been
teasing
Karen
lately,
because
now,
when
I
pop
up
next
to
her
I,
say
Debbie,
it's
I
mean
Karen,
it's
Debbie
from
but
I've
been
trained.
Well,
you
know
a
lot
of
us
take
for
granted
the
information
that
we
get
upon,
seeing
someone
for
the
first
time
and
how
that
helps
form
our
impressions
of
them
and
what's
it
like,
for
you
not
being
able
to
see
as
part
of
helping
you
form
those
impressions
and
get
to
know
people.
E
Of
course,
I
do
try
to
use
my
other
senses
to
get
a
picture
of
the
person
and
it's
remarkable
what
sort
of
information
you
can
pick
up
about
a
person
from
their
handshake
or
their
hog,
or
you
know
even
their
choice
of
Cologne,
but
still
there
are
gaps
and
I
will
often
turn
to
a
third
person
you
know
and
to
find
out.
Of
course,
that
can
be
tricky.
E
D
E
D
Our
next
storyteller
is
Ben
Shahab
II
Ben
is
best
known
for
his
work
as
an
IT
content
developer
for
the
City
of
Bellevue
and
Bellevue
TV
I
know
he's
well
known
by
by
many
of
the
staff
and
council
members
here.
Bennie
Ben
helps
share
stories,
but
few
have
heard
his
story.
Ben
was
born
in
Iran
and
recalls
a
happy
early
childhood,
but
when
he
was
7,
the
Iranian
Revolution
began
that
resulted
in
the
toppling
of
the
monarchy.
D
The
new
regime
put
an
end
to
the
Western
lifestyle
that
Ben
was
accustomed
to
Ben,
recalls
no
longer
being
able
to
wear
t-shirts
and
jeans.
The
women
in
his
family,
who
had
not
worn
veils
before
no
longer
had
the
choice
of
being
covered.
All
non
religious
music
was
banned
along
with
movies
from
the
US
and
other
Western
countries,
as
Ben
got
older
and
sought
a
career
in
the
film
industry.
D
He
worked
hard
eventually
earning
a
salary
three
times
what
his
father
made
in
the
Army,
but
Ben
became
increasingly
unhappy
when
he
realized
he
wouldn't
be
able
to
fulfill
his
dreams.
Due
to
the
strict
regulations
on
the
film
industry
and
heavy
censorship
from
the
government
on
the
art
around
that
time,
Ben
met
the
woman
who
would
become
his
wife.
Mona
Mona
was
of
the
Baha'I
faith
and
that
put
her
at
great
risk
in
Iran
at
that
time.
D
Since
the
Revolution
the
highest
have
been
systematically
persecuted
during
the
first
decade
following
the
revolution,
more
than
200
Baha'I
hild,
hundreds
more
were
tortured
or
imprisoned.
Mona's
family
decided
to
send
her
away
from
Iran
to
protect
her
hastily
Ben
decided
to
go
with
her
and
in
only
two
weeks
time
he
left
everything
and
everyone
he
had
ever
known.
The
couple
made
their
way
to
Turkey
got
married
and
waited
there
for
18
months
before
being
granted
refugee
asylum
to
the
US
Ben's
story.
A
different
lens
begins
in
Arizona.
F
Okay,
it's
been
an
honor
to
be
here,
especially
from
Tufts
some
great
speakers.
It
could
be
and
I'm
always
behind
the
camera-
and
this
is
really
hard
for
me
being
in
front
of
the
camera.
Let's
see
how
I
can
do
it
in
2003,
our
plane
landed
to
the
Arizona
with
$0
in
our
pocket,
because
we
have
to
say
year
and
half
in
Turkey
waiting
for
the
visa
me
and
my
wife
Mona
were
there
at
the
corner,
we
came
and
everything
was
pretty
new
to
us.
F
I
mean
the
freeways,
huge
stores,
everything
and
back
then
we
didn't
have
internet.
So
we
couldn't
really
know
where
we
going,
but
we
have
a
cloud
over
our
head.
We
came
to
Arizona
and
agency.
Take
us
and
they
told
me
you
have
options,
so
they
find
a
place
for
us
to
leave
for
a
few
months,
and
they
told
me
you
have
an
option
of
working
the
gas
station
or
dishwasher
and
I
knew
it.
Even
though
I
have
my
license
and
I
have
a
great
buy
new
it.
This
is
big
change.
F
I
have
to
start
from
zero
I
accepted
gas
station,
because
I
thought
maybe
help
me
to
improve
my
languages.
It
was
good
for
first
few
months,
but
we
find
that
this
is
not
the
place
we
got
to
spend
the
rest
of
our
life.
It
was
hot
over
there
and
then
people
asked
me
you're
from
Iran
is
desert
and
honestly,
it's
not
I
mean
if
you
just
google
and
search
it's
not
I
mean
centre
of
the
Iran.
Yes,
but
North
is
pretty
green
like
here.
It
decided.
F
Let's
move
and
we've
been
stupid
enough
from
hottest
go
to
the
coldest
to
Chicago
and
we
get
there
and
unfortunately
we
get
some
racist
issue
and
again
I
knew
it's
okay.
You
know
they
told
me
if
you
cannot
speak
English,
go
back
to
your
country
break
my
heart.
I
cried
that
night,
but
I
knew
it.
I
had
a
girl
in
my
over
my
head
and
I
knew
I
got
this
skill.
I
try
to
be
nice
person,
I
just
try
to
be
good
citizen.
What
is
that?
That's?
Okay,
few
months
later
we
find
that
yeah.
F
We
cannot
stay
here
either
back
to
Arizona.
Go
to
California
and
people
told
us.
What
are
you
doing?
You
have
to
build
your
credit.
You
have
to
stay
somewhere
and
I
said
where
I'm
not
happy.
How
can
I
I
want
to
find
someplace
call
it
home
be
happy
over
there
2006
August,
2006
they've
got
a
friend
here
in
Redmond
from
120
degree
in
Arizona
we
got
to
come
and
visit
her.
He
passed
over
the
five
Tony
people
was
boating.
Ski
boat,
greeting
I
said
this
is
heaven.
This
is
the
place
and
people
call
Seattle
breeze.
F
I
want
to
sell
CL
trap
because
you
tell
you
in
August
is
great,
but
you
see
the
rest,
but
you
know
what
no
it's
work
for
us
me
and
mana.
We
find
out.
We
love
here
is
green
and
we
can
build
our
future
here.
So
I
was
lucky.
I
find
a
work
in
the
construction
Lido
construction
company
based
in
Issaquah.
So
if
you
go
to
the
people's
house
and
fix
the
door
window,
plumb
being
things
and
I
was
so
happy
yeah
the
thing
this
is
good
going
on
2008
during
the
recession.
F
Economic
goes
well
and
that
little
construction
company
get
out
of
business.
I
go
to
the
other
agency.
I
said:
yeah
I
need
a
job
and
I
didn't
expect.
They
told
me:
hey
here:
is
red
carpet
go
to
the
camera?
You
know
I
expect
for
a
load,
but
that's
okay,
I
got
it
start
to
find
something,
and
they
told
me
there
is
a
company
based
in
factorio.
They
needed
driver.
Can
you
drive
yeah
I
can
drive
I
go
there
the
day
after
it
was
a
full-size
van.
F
F
Next
one
was
in
the
50s
read
in
Seattle
the
full-size
van
narrows
the
read:
that's
okay,
I,
never
say
no,
because
I
knew
I'm
not
in
the
position
say
no,
even
though
I
got
my
bachelor,
I
got
good
ink,
oh
my
god,
but
I'm
here
I
have
to
build
some
something
and
back.
Then,
if
you
remember
the
Thomas
book,
do
you
guys
remember
it
wasn't
navigation,
so
I
got
a
some
hiking
is
scaled
back
in
the
Iran,
so
that
is
skilled
thousand
miles
away.
Helped
me
because
I
really
get
fast
fact.
F
A
very
familiar
with
this
book
and
I
easily
could
find
no
north
east
south
and
to
me,
was
best
a
street
sign
here
in
Sierra
in
Iran.
They
named
it
after
poo
the
people
who
died
in
the
war
memorial
of
the
ban,
memorial
of
the
John
memorial
50
Street
memorial
memorial,
and
it
was
so
confusing,
but
here
start
from
the
numbers:
north
east,
south
east.
F
It
was
great
so
after
two
months
again,
I
become
a
really
good
driver
from
South
Tacoma
to
North,
Everett
and
part
of
my
job
was
going
to
the
Microsoft
each
time
I
go
to
the
micro
stuff.
You
know,
I
was
happy
with
the
home.
I
find
a
nice
place,
I
love,
but
going
there
I
said
now
I'm
start
to
getting
worried
about
my
job.
You
know
I'm,
not
this
person
to
deliver
it's
great
job.
Some
people
like
it
but
I,
didn't
came
for
this
and
I
know
have
some
skill
and
I
want
to
be
now.
F
I
want
to
be
better
citizens
who
can
you
know,
bring
my
culture
being
my
seat.
Being
my
skill
and
talent
to
this
community
I
started
getting
going
there,
seed,
Microsoft
people
what
I'm
doing
suddenly
one
day
when
I
was
pushing
the
hands
rock
I
saw
the
film
crew
I
forget
about
the
hands,
Rock
and
boxes.
I
ran
to
them,
I
said
wow.
How
can
I
see
the
camera
can
I
touch
it?
I
was
so
excited
and
they've
been
rushing
to
the
they
shoot,
and
they
said
you
know
what
man
you
have
to
start
from.
F
This
is
gotta,
be
tough
for
me
in
2000,
yeah
2012
I
end
up
to
go
to
the
walk
to
the
Bellevue
college
in
the
television
Department
beautiful.
A
gentleman
named
Rick
Adi,
he
very
welcome,
and
that
was
really
important.
Warm
welcoming
at
the
first
because
of
my
skin
color
and
my
language,
I
always
afraid
to
go.
Should
I
go
to
the
college,
can
I
completely
the
you
know.
Other
people
can
I
do
my
best,
so
varville
coming
was
really
melt
or
my
Eyes's.
F
You
know
I
said
what
I
mean
I
love
him
I
always
see
the
wing
behind
him,
you're
amazing,
so
he
verbal
coming
I
took
my
classes
as
I.
Get
some
support.
Financial
aid
support
some
agency.
They
helped
me
because
Noah
was
born
in
that
time.
Hey
no
and
then
maybe
three
sized
family
and
I
have
to
just
live
with
them.
F
Work
a
study,
little
bit
support
and
believe
me,
three
stars:
family
900
in
2012
I
was
most
happiest
person
because
I'm
study,
my
no
carrier
feeling
which
was
I,
didn't
your
honor
and
now
I'm
I
can
do
whatever
I
want.
So
part
of
the
my
job
was
between
college
and
city.
There
is
a
partnership,
so
they
do
like
right
now.
There
is
a
people,
people
behind
this
room,
let's
run
the
pulse
for
them.
Stay
here
you
cannot
see
them,
but
they
are
back
there.
F
Part
of
our
job
is
come
here
and
do
the
City
Council
night
I
meet
all
the
cast
member
and
mayor
every
Monday
night
and
we
do
the
other
stuff
for
the
city,
so
I
basically
started
working
with
the
city
and
college
while
I
started
doing
my
study
and
I
said:
okay,
I
love
this
job,
because
when
I
was
in
Iran
I
said,
maybe
I
cannot
say
my
expression,
my
feeling,
but
but
I'm
behind
the
camera
behind
the
visa
I
can
find
things
or
see
the
things.
People
may
not
see
it.
F
So
that's
what
I
find
this
a
good
is
to
this
measure
and
find
this
year
and
I
said
how
can
I
bring
it
here
now,
I'm
going
to
the
city
for
construction,
filming
or
interview
the
mayor
or
a
council
member
or
anything
happening?
How
can
I
bring?
How
can
I
change
it?
One
day
I
was
in
the
mini
city.
Hall
did
Barbara
Tony
Inga.
F
We
supposed
to
interview
two
woman,
they've
been
immigrant
from
China
and
South
America
and
they
they
go
through
really
bad
things
and
they
have
to
tell
their
story
and
imagine
they
were
in
the
room,
light
camera,
even
I,
get
shocked
and
those
two
women
I
saw
behind
the
visitor
something's
wrong,
not
right.
They
feeling
so
nervous
and
I
asked
Barbara.
Can
I
have
a
five
minute.
F
What
is
talking
about
people
going
out,
and
sometimes
people
I
mean
the
you
know,
I,
don't
know
some,
you
know
what
I
do
do
I
go
and
say
I'm,
one
of
you,
I
can
I
I
know
what
you
go
through.
I
go
through
those
things
it
works
and
they,
if
the
break
they
eyes,
you
know
and
they
and
they
start
to
talking.
After
that,
they
were
crying
and
tell
the
story.
I
was
crying
before
the
camera
and
I
find
that
I
can
help,
and
you
know
because
and
that
connection
it
wasn't
Ward.
It
wasn't
anything.
F
It
was
just
something
we
experienced
it
and
the
other
sorry
officer,
Lisa
I,
saw
early.
She
has
to
talk
about
human
traffic.
You
know
it's
a
very
sensitive
subject.
Again
they
said
man,
this
is
a
important
subject,
the
things
I
do.
You
know
I'm,
really
kind
and
loving
people
and
hogging
guy,
and
always
smile
and
I,
get
it
from
my
mom
thanks
mom.
So
the
first
thing
I
did
hagh
Lisa
and
you
know
I
said
forget
about
thing:
Lisa
I
start
to
tell
her
this
story,
and
they
said
this
is
another
thing.
F
I
remember
it
was
Iraq
Ian
from
Iraq,
which
we
have
a
war
back
then,
in
the
you
know
the
1972
three
he
came
to
the
program.
Bellevue
college
and
I
saw
him.
He
was
so
nervous
and
I
say:
hey
I'm
from
Iran
you're
from
Iraq
and
I
talked
to
him
and
break
his.
You
know,
I
find
out.
I
can
do
all
these
things,
so
in
2002
of
oh
in
2014,
Microsoft
call
to
the
our
college
and
say
we're
looking
for
one
cameraman
and
guess
what
they
told
me
to
go
there
between
the
20
students.
F
But
this
time
I
go
not
with
the
card
and
Hendra
and
I
go
with
the
camera.
I
cried
that
night.
The
game
but
I
was
so
happy.
This
time
and
I
said.
Thank
you
guys,
I
just
that
night,
the
first
night
I
cry
and
I.
Just
you
know
I
just
image.
It
see
it
and
want
it
from
the
God
and
just
year
and
half
I
mean
especially
young
audience
here.
It
just
happened
because
I
was
hard-working
and
I
knew
I'm
a
foreign
I'm
different
country,
I
have
to
double
work.
F
I
have
to
hard
even
more
than
regular
students,
so
that
work
and
I
was
with
the
camera
now
so
proud
of
myself
and
coming
get
hired
by
the
city
after
in
2015.
That
was
another.
You
know,
honor
I
mean
not
even
get
higher
here
and
so
I
can
do
the
job.
I
love
the
job.
I
do
because
I
become
a
mentor
and
teacher
for
the
new
students
which
they
come
into
the
program
going
to
the
back.
This
back
room
and
I
have
to
teach
them.
F
I
mean
how
did
I
I
didn't
even
think
about
that
when
I
very
first
day,
I
came
to
here
right
now,
I
I
think
I
have
everything
and
all
this
is
yes,
because
I'm
hard
work
here,
because
I
am
all
I
love
people.
But
honestly
it's
become
because
of
you,
because
you
welcoming
me,
you
open
the
door
firm.
You
accepted
me,
you
believe
in
me,
no
matter
who
I
am
what's
my
color
was
my
religion
and
give
me
the
chance.
Give
me
the
opportunity.
F
I
show
myself
I
bring
my
culture
I,
bring
my
skills
to
here
this
country
and
share
with
you.
So
thank
you
all
of
you
for
that,
and
now
every
single
day,
when
I'm
coming
out
around
the
house,
first
of
all,
I
say
thank
you
God,
where
I
am
I'm,
so
I
mean
I'm,
really
every
single
day,
I'm,
crazy
and
happy,
and
then,
when
I'm
walking
to
the
work
everyday
from
corner
of
my
eyes,
I'm
looking
for
another
guy,
pushing
the
hand
frog,
it
could
be
another
me
and
he
wanna
be.
F
But
this
time,
if
he's
coming
and
asking
me
pay,
can
I
be
a
cameraman.
Aha!
I'm
not
gonna,
tell
him
just
go
to
the
college.
I
said
come
to
my
office.
Come
you
not
have
a
connection.
How
can
I
help
you
I
do
my
best
to
so-so
I'm,
so
honored?
Thank
you
so
much
for
being
here,
I
love.
You
all
and
God
bless.
G
F
Place
I
start:
this
is
the
gas
station
I
start
after
15
years,
I
go
there,
it
was
10:30
p.m.
I
walk
in
there
and
the
guy
was
behind
the
cashier.
What
the
heck
this
guy
doing,
15
minutes
walking
and
looking
there
and
I
told
him
I,
say:
I
was
start
from
here
in
this
gas
station,
with
no
language
with
no
money
and
again
I
cry
when
I
go
back
to
hotel.
But
this
time
it
was
so
happy,
I
was
so
happy.
I
love
you
all.
D
Thank
you
again:
Ben
and
Gina
and
Gina's
Shulman
is
a
life
coach,
a
spouse
and
mother
who
moved
to
Bellevue
four
years
ago
expecting
that
the
city's
reputation
as
a
diverse
community
would
include
families
like
hers.
She'll
share
her
experience
as
an
african-american
living
in
a
city
where
changing
demographics
challenge
us
to
move
past
initial
assumptions
about
race
and
ethnicity.
Please
help
me
welcome
and
Gina.
H
H
It
was
a
quick
romance
three
weeks.
If
you
count
our
time
in
Israel
after
that,
romance
Kirk
had
to
move
to
Maryland
to
be
with
me,
but
he
wanted
me
to
meet
his
parents
before
he
moved.
He
called
his
mother
and
told
her.
He
met
a
nice
Jewish
girl
who
graduated
from
an
Ivy
League
school
loved
art,
just
like
her
had
a
wonderful
job
in
technology
company
in
Maryland,
and
she
was
really
excited
to
meet
me.
Kirk
called
to
tell
me
the
good
news
and
he
relayed
to
me
what
he
told
her
and
I
panicked.
H
H
H
H
Nobody
saw
a
striped
elephant,
okay,
one
person.
Okay,
how
many
elephants
had
a
trunk?
Everyone's
elephant?
Had
a
trunk
awesome?
Okay,
we
all
categorize
people
places
and
things
it's
normal
time
and
familiarity
help
us
recreate
and
expand
our
categories
of
people.
My
mother-in-law
and
I
have
a
wonderful
relationship
now,
because
of
time
conversations
and
grandchildren.
H
The
same
is
true
of
Maryland,
where
I'm
from
in
Maryland
I
was
a
striped
elephant
who
was
accepted
and
comfortable
with
my
Jewish
identity.
My
family
had
a
synagogue
we
had
attended,
since
my
kids
were
babies
and
to
the
chagrin
of
my
husband,
the
director
of
the
synagogue
was
my
first
boyfriend's
mother.
I
tell
you
that
to
say
that
our
community
supported
us
inside
and
outside
of
the
synagogue
we
belonged,
we
didn't
have
to
be
anything
but
us.
H
Four
and
a
half
years
ago
we
moved
to
Bellevue,
when
my
husband
told
me
of
the
possibility.
I
said
no
we're
not
moving,
but
once
I
knew
the
move
was
happening.
I
had
two
questions
as
a
black
woman
I
wanted
to
know.
Where
was
I
gonna
get
my
hair
done,
and
for
those
of
you
who
don't
understand
that
it's
a
whole
ordeal
and
I
still
haven't
found
a
place
in
Bellevue,
where
I
can
get
my
hair
done.
So,
if
anybody
has
any
recommendations,
you
can,
let
me
know
later.
H
Okay,
thank
you,
and
my
second
question
was:
where
will
we
go
to
synagogue
so
far?
I
found
two
options
now
this
was
a
huge
surprise
to
me
in
my
community
and
Marilyn.
You
do
this
thing
called
synagogue
shopping.
When
you
get
married,
you
go
to
a
different
synagogue
weekend
after
weekend.
That
could
happen
for
two
months
until
you
find
the
synagogue
that
fits
perfectly
for
you
with
only
two
choices.
H
But
as
the
summer
haze
started
to
wear
off,
I
started
researching
the
schools
that
my
kid
would
attend
and
there
was
only
1%
African
American
students
in
that
elementary
school.
But
there
was
also
another
category
mixed
ethnicity
and
I
thought.
Oh,
how
progressive
of
Bellevue
I've
never
seen
that
category
before
and
although
I
thought
diversity
would
look
a
little
different
here.
I
wasn't
worried
because
my
kids
had
always
been
the
only
or
one
of
two
black
children
in
their
classes.
So
this
wouldn't
be
a
much
different
experience
for
them.
H
It's
lots
of
time
at
synagogue,
a
lot
of
cooking
a
lot
of
cooking,
followed
by
a
day
of
fasting,
and
these
days
were
always
given
off
in
my
community
in
Maryland
I
was
so
concerned
with
moving
and
getting
my
first
and
third
grader
settled
and
I
didn't
notice
that
the
days
were
not
already
given
off.
I
went
to
school
and
told
the
front
desk
lady
that
my
kids
wouldn't
be
a
school
because
of
the
holidays.
H
Blank
stares,
Rosh,
Hashanah
and
Yom
Kippur
more
blank
stares
had
there
never
been
a
Jewish
family
in
this
whole
school
who
needed
these
days
off
for
the
holiest
time
in
the
Jewish
calendar,
I
was
shocked,
I
stood
in
the
front
office
and
the
lady
handed
me
a
form
to
get
the
days
off
and
I
paused
like
any
mother
I,
wanted
my
kids
to
feel
safe,
welcomed
and
accepted,
and
in
that
moment
I
didn't
know.
If
that
was
possible,
we
had
a
lot
going
on
as
a
family.
H
We
had
only
been
in
Bellevue
one
month,
new
home
new
coast,
new
rolls
and
our
family,
and
this
was
the
first
time
my
kids
had
been
in
a
traditional
school
setting.
I
didn't
know
if
they
would
be
accepted
for
their
differences.
So
in
that
moment,
I
slid
the
paper
back
across
the
counter
and
decided
for
the
first
time
that
my
kids
wouldn't
attend
a
holiday
services.
H
My
brain
and
body
just
wanted
my
kids
to
fit
in
1%
African
American
and
from
what
I
could
tell
0%
Jewish
I
can't
turn
down
or
turn
off
our
blackness,
but
I
can
control
how
Jewish
we
seem
in
the
world.
My
husband
was
more
than
happy
to
take
a
break
from
services
that
year,
so
I
went
to
services
alone,
I
felt
a
little
afraid,
walking
past
the
security
guard
at
the
door.
H
I
chose,
invisibility,
I,
didn't
give
people
the
opportunity
to
include
or
exclude
me
and
believe
me,
everybody
wants
to
include
me,
Filipinos
think
I'm,
half
Filipino
when
my
hair
straight
Indians,
think
I'm,
Indian
and
Polynesians
give
you
a
nod
to
say.
Like
oh
yeah,
we
see
you
girl
and
I've
gotten
really
good
at
saying.
H
Oh
no
hablo
espanol
I
got
an
email
from
a
parent
at
my
younger
kids,
stool
school,
telling
me
that
a
croup,
a
group
of
kids
were
getting
together
to
form
a
math
team
and
the
other
kids
said
my
daughter
would
be
a
great
fit
I
said,
of
course,
Wow
Kylee
must
be
amazing
at
math
that
this
woman
is
almost
demanding
that
we
joined
this
group.
So
she
asked
me:
why
haven't
we
met
you?
Where
are
you?
Why
aren't
you
at
the
school
and
I
said
I'm
at
the
school?
H
H
H
People
have
asked
me
why
not
moved
to
Seattle.
There
are
more
black
people
there,
true,
but
after
four
and
a
half
years
Bellevue
is
my
home.
I
recently
learned
that
there
are
only
2.5
percent
of
Jewish
people
in
King,
County
and
us-wide.
There
are
only
two
percent
Jewish
people
of
color,
my
family
and
I
are
more
visible
and
our
Jewishness.
These
days
we
have
Passover
Seder
's.
Where
were
the
only
Jewish
people
at
the
table?
H
We
break
the
yom
kippur
fasts
with
people
who
have
eaten
all
day
long
and
we've
even
gone
to
the
synagogue
we
bought
belongto
on
a
Friday
night.
Once
we've
gone
once,
we
don't
always
fit
in
with
our
loud
East
Coast
laughs,
but
we
are
showing
up
more
often
slowly
finding
our
place
in
our
greater
community
and
as
I
open
up
myself
more
and
more
over
the
years.
That
I
found
that
we've
all
felt
like
striped
elephants
from
time
to
time,
Chinese
people
who
don't
speak.
H
H
Have
a
great
family
and
have
made
some
amazing
friends
in
my
four
and
a
half
years,
but
I'm
still
a
striped
elephant
and
a
land
full
of
elephants,
elephants
of
more
shades
and
religions,
but
I
keep
showing
up
in
the
communities.
I
want
to
be
part
of
so
when
a
striped
elephant
or
a
blue
or
purple
or
polkadot
elephant
shows
up
in
your
communities
time
after
time,
smile
and
let
them
know
they're,
welcome,
stripes
and
all.
D
D
Initially
he
came
to
work
for
Microsoft,
which
he
did
for
two
years.
Then
he
soon
found
his
home
and
community.
Here
in
Bellevue
at
first,
his
community
was
limited
to
Indian
friends
at
work,
but
he's
been
expanding
his
circle
recently.
Now,
during
the
day
he
works
for
Facebook,
where
he
focuses
on
speeding
things
up
in
the
evening.
D
He
switches
into
his
alter
ego
and
tries
to
make
the
world
slow
down
and
pay
attention,
or
so
he
thinks
Prashant
is
a
founding
member
of
Network
for
unity,
a
young
East
Side
organization
that
aims
to
nurture
solidarity
and
harmony
across
identities.
He's
also
a
board
member
for
the
meta
Center
for
non-violence
and
a
volunteer
for
Asha
for
education.
He's
going
to
tell
us
about
an
interesting
experiment.
He's
running
here
in
our
community
Rashad.
G
Two
years
ago,
I
ran
into
a
friend
of
mine
at
and
even
there
he
reveals
something
about
his
past.
That
made
me
realize
that
he
went
through
a
very
different
childhood
than
mine.
We
are
both
Indian,
though
an
outsider
cannot
tell
us
apart
how
a
bird
designated
both
of
us
two
very
different
experiences
as
an
operative
system.
The
Indian
caste
system
is
just
as
brutal
as
American
racism.
G
My
friend
belonged
to
the
bottom
of
the
system
and
I
to
the
top
listening
to
his
story,
I
understood
the
differences
between
my
theoretical
understanding
of
the
system
and
his
lived
reality
I
later
learned
from
him
that,
because
of
my
ignorance
about
the
system,
I
was
a
beneficiary,
a
participant
and
a
promoter
of
that
system.
This
drove
me
mad
with
anger
and
guilt.
G
When
sanity
returned,
I
saw
the
reasons
of
my
ignorance.
I
saw
parallels
of
that
in
the
new
society.
Had
I
had
moved
into
one
of
the
reason
that
caught
my
attention
was
something
I
call.
Learn
it
learned.
Segregation
I
saw
people
choosing
to
spend
most
of
their
time,
emotion
and
money
on
small
set
of
familiar
but
comfortable
people.
There's
nothing
wrong
in
that,
but
I
feel
that
when
this
is
practiced
at
a
large
scale,
it
leads
to
a
situation
where
people
are
ignorant
about
other
set
of
people.
G
G
I'm
kidding,
I
just
did
what
any
other
sane
person
will
do.
I
try
to
look
for
people
working
on
the
same
problem.
Last
year,
a
few
friends
and
I
started
a
small
group
that
aims
to
achieve
inter
identity
unity
in
the
East
Side.
It's
called
Network
for
unity.
Our
goal
is
to
create
more
social
bonds
between
people
across
various
identities.
G
When
I
say
identities,
I
mean
it
in
every
possible
way.
Ages.
Gender
races,
ethnicities
abilities
sexual
orientation,
everything
that
can
potentially
separate
us.
This
is
how
I
ended
up
here
to
talk
to
concerned
and
committed
people
like
you,
so
everyone
in
this
room
is
part
of
my
reengineering
project.
Now,
still
not
satisfied,
I
kept
wondering
if
there
was
something
else
I
could
do.
After
all.
You
cannot
organize
peace,
marches
and
community
picnic
every
day.
I
realized
that
if
one
honest
discussion
could
teach
me
so
much,
what
would
several
of
them
do?
G
That's
it
I
said:
I
am
going
to
make
many
such
conversations.
This
meant
talking
to
strangers
no
way
it
meant
making
the
strangers
talk
to
me
so
one
morning,
I
am
thinking
about
where
I
could
meet
stranger
willing
to
talk
to
me.
I
needed
strangers
and
I
needed
diversity,
so
bars
were
out
of
question.
I
had
recently
read
somewhere
that
people
who
frequently
visit
public
parks
were
more
likely
to
be
extroverts.
G
Bingo
I
said
to
myself.
If
there
is
a
safe
place
to
run
this
experiment,
it
must
be
the
park
now.
I
guess
all
of
you
know
about
crossword
parts
in
Bellevue,
lovely
Park.
My
family
has
been
regular
at
that
Park
in
the
summer,
and
it
has
amazing
diversity,
ethnic
diversity
to
be
very
correct,
so
I
decided
to
hang
out
there
and
treat
it
as
as
laughs
for
my
social
experiment.
G
G
When
a
stranger
sees
me
at
a
park,
their
limbic
system,
the
fight-or-flight
system
probably
sees
a
large-sized
middle-aged
Indian
man,
but
when
I
follow
with
my
son,
the
stranger
sees
our
dad.
It
helps
to
switch
identities
at
time.
A
few
days
into
my
experiment,
I
faced
a
little
motivational
problem,
I
still
wasn't
able
to
initiate
the
conversation
with
too
many
people.
G
Then
one
day
I
saw
him
hanging
out
with
bunch
of
Indians
who
had
come
to
visit
their
children
from
India
I
was
shocked.
It
was
uncommon
for
Indians
to
know
Chinese.
Even
though
we
are
neighbor
I
caught
up
with
them
and
asked
the
Indian
person.
Can
you
speak
Chinese?
He
said?
No,
then,
how
the
hell
are
you
guys
talking
somehow
he
replied
and
joined
us
nodded
in
agreement
both
smiled
mysteriously.
G
G
We
had
grown
fond
of
tundra
and
we
were
a
bit
shocked,
but
that
day
I
learnt
that
in
this
experiment,
I
will
meet
many
people
who
will
because
of
their
own
biases,
say
or
do
things
that
will
make
me
cringe.
I
have
to
find
ways
to
focus
on
commonalities
and
to
be
able
to
ignore
that
what
can
be
overlooked.
I
was
here
to
learn
not
to
teach.
G
The
other
thing
I
learned
was
that
I
need
to
be
interesting
enough
for
conversations
now.
I
don't
have
too
many
skills,
so
it
makes
it
a
bit
difficult,
but
if
you
know
some
art,
music,
dance
sports
painting,
all
of
these
things
can
help.
You
initiate
conversation.
So
if
you
have
these
capabilities,
please
come
to
me.
G
Needless
to
say,
the
experiment
will
break
down
at
some
point.
There
will
be
conflicts,
I
have
to
be
prepared
for
handling
them
or
moving
on
from
such
point,
there
is
another
episode
that
comes
to
my
mind
where
my
wife
had
some
trouble
with
a
particular
boy
misbehaving
in
the
park.
She
started
to
walk
towards
his
mom
ready
to
complain.
I
was
petrified.
I
was
petrified
of
their
argument,
causing
a
breakdown
in
my
experiment.
I
could
almost
read
Bellevue
reporter
mentioning
a
cultural
wall
war
tomorrow.
G
Thankfully
it
didn't
end
that
way.
When
I
caught
up
with
them
I
realized
they
were
engaged
in
a
very
mundane
discussion.
The
mom
had
already
agreed
about
her
son's
behavior
I
learned
that
there
will
be
times
when
some
respectful
confrontation
will
be
necessary,
especially
when
it
comes
to
children.
I
can
go
on
and
on.
There
are
one
story
for
every
day
of
summer:
I
spent
there,
but
it's
time
to
wrap
up.
I
want
to
tell
you
that,
no
matter
where
this
experiment
goes
this
summer,
it
has
already
immensely
rewarded
me.
G
My
social
circle
has
expanded
now,
and
it
only
makes
me
more
receptive
to
new
people,
ideas
and
thoughts.
People
who
know
of
my
experiment
also
feel
very
comfortable
sharing
their
own
experiences.
The
radius
of
my
experiment
has
also
gone
beyond
the
park.
It
now
includes
co-worker
and
poor
uber
drivers
who
are
trapped
with
me
in
the
car
and
evil
people
who
happened
to
be
friends
with
me
on
Facebook.
G
Each
has
a
unique
story
to
tell
one
of
the
gentlemen
in
the
park
shared
an
interesting
secret
with
me.
Apparently
he
used
to
be
a
smuggler
in
seventies
and
he
used
to
smuggle
watches.
It
was
a
big
thing
in
India.
By
back,
then,
then
there
was
a
this
uber
driver
from
Gambia
who
told
me
that
Amitabh
Bachchan,
my
childhood
favorite
Bollywood
star,
was
his
childhood
favorite
I
didn't
know
they
watch
Bollywood
movie.
G
G
The
most
important
lesson
I
want
you
to
leave
with
tonight
is
actually
a
paradox.
What
I
have
learnt
is
that
if
you
pretend
to
not
see
the
stripes
as
an
Geena
said,
if
you
pretend
that
you
don't
see
differences,
you
see
everybody
as
human.
We
are
all
elephants
you
subconsciously
subconsciously.
You
end
up.
G
Subconsciously
you
end
up
not
believing
that
you,
you
are
trying
to
still
say
subconsciously,
that
we
are
different
if
you
try
to
pretend
that
we
are
not
different.
On
the
other
hand,
if
we
learn
to
see,
appreciate
and
recognize
the
stripes,
you
are
more
likely
to
understand
that
deep
down,
we
are
same,
it
is
no
brainer.
Actually
I'll
give
you
an
example.
Another
friend
of
mine
from
Gambia
worries
about
experiences.
His
son
will
go
through
in
America
because
of
the
color
of
his
skin.
G
You
see
he's
definitely
going
to
act
differently
than
me,
but
deep
down,
we
both
love
our
children
and
care
for
their
future.
This
is
why
I
want
everyone
to
understand.
Why
and
Gina
wants
her
stripes
to
be
seen
last,
but
not
the
least
my
family,
and
especially
my
wife
priotiy,
has
been
very
supportive.
It's
a
big
deal
to
tag
along
a
mad
scientist
in
a
park,
but
I
am
sure
they
are
also
reaping
benefits
of
this
new
social
awakening.
G
I
learned
here
with
two
appeals,
one
if
you
happen
to
be
at
crossroad
Park
this
summer,
please
be
my
guinea
pig.
My
second
appeal
is
to
people
who
run
the
city.
Please
continue
to
support
the
park.
We
love
them,
perhaps
in
future,
and
newcomer
and
Gina
will
meet
an
old-timer
Prashant
here,
ready
to
see
how
stripes
and
welcome
her
into
this
community.
Thank
you.