Diversity

I took myself to the zoo Sunday. I actually went to the park to take pictures for my new photo group and I actually was supposed to have company, but that fell through. It was hot, it's been hot a lot here lately, but it was so hot that I had trouble focusing my pictures because my eyes were burning from the perspiration. Still, I had a great time. There is much to be said for going to the zoo alone on a hot day to take photographs. No being nice and dawdling where I wasn't interested. In fact, I barely made it through my list of desired pictures before my energy gave out and I went home.

Tonight I went alone to a party where I didn't know anyone. It's the first time I ever did that, but it was actually kind of fun. Now I have to admit I have crashed a party, or two, but only with a friend. Tonight the party was for our apartment complex. I've really never been a party person, or animal, or whatever it is that makes people ache to go out and mingle with a bunch of people who are simply socializing and not playing cards, or doing some specific thing, but it seemed like the thing to do, tonight.

I don't know any of my neighbors here, but the people in the office apparently know me by sight and name! I hope that is a good thing! The heat index was 107 again today, so having a pool party was a good choice for those who wanted to put on suits and dive in. However, mingling with a bunch of thirty somethings in a pool is not my idea of a really ideal situation at my age, so I stuck to the club house. We had a choice of various Indian and American foods. Everything from hot dogs and hamburgers, or brats, to navratan, kurma and naan. It was all surprisingly good. We also had drawings for prizes like $100 off this month's rent and some other nice things.

I figured I'd be brave and just show up and make the best out of whatever happened. I walked in and the Director and her assistant welcomed me. I filled a plate and looked around. The first table was all speaking Spanish, quite fluently and since mine is very limited, I moved on to the next one. The people here were conversing in some Indian dialect I'm not familiar with and that table was full anyway. Looking around I realized I was a distinct minority. That intrigued me! Here I was in what I dreamed of as the perfect mix of Americans. People from India, Mexico, China, Japan and various and sundry different races were all living here and meeting in this little complex at a party.

Sometimes, in a similar situation, I will find myself naturally falling in with some group, talking about a subject we all are interested in, but with so many diverse languages this didn't happen tonight. I finally spotted a woman who appeared to have some things in common with me. We were both over forty, both dressed much the same with basically the same foods on our plates and there was room at her table. I asked if I could join her and to my relief she answered in full blown American, so we could talk and talk we did!

She turned out to be a comedian and actress who has been in several films, does stand up and has both a five year old daughter and a twenty year old daughter. She was funny and vibrantly alive, and very entertaining, which is a good thing, because it was one of those rare occasions when I was with someone who could out talk me! I did throw in a few lines here, or there, but she never really responded to any of them. She just went right on doing stand up sitting down, but I honestly enjoyed it.

I spent about an hour and a half then made my excuses and went home. I was tired. Earlier in the day I took a group of three year olds on a tour of the museum and then ran some errands. The tour was fun and the children loved it all, especially trying to match the pictures on the lanyards I gave each one, with the tail of the plane it looked like. I felt very much at ease, but I know I was a little up tight, because when I went out to unlock the Huey helicopter, I did unlock the bar across the door, but I forgot to actually open the door and the children got to watch me wrestle with it. Helicopter doors, at least on the HU-1s do not open easily.

Life is good. Neither my grandmother, nor my mother, ever had the opportunity to try all these things!