New York by night


Riding in a taxi across New York at one in the morning was a disappointment. There were no car chases, no sign of NYPD Blue just a 24hour Whopper Burger Drive-In to catch my attention. The journey was necessary because, along with 100 kilos of sewing materials and odd things, Virgin had flown us to Newark, New Jersey instead of JFK, New York. We spent the next day in the Big Apple, almost missed our early morning fight to Colombia but I had a long chat with an airport security guard.

He was from Guyana and had been in New York for 3 years and 5 months. When he arrived, his family told him he'd never get a job in the airport because of his religion. "Even when they see your name" they told him. He showed me his ID pass, it read "Mohammed ..."

And so the five day journey from Glasgow to the Seminary felt a tad Pauline because of its unpredictability. But that's the kind of life that's guided us, frightened me and kept us believing.

Classes start next Tuesday. The country's been a bit agitated with massive demonstrations against FARC, kidnappings and violence.

Photo: Olwen tries to get her mind around NY's Museum of Modern Art

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