Join two wayward radio hosts on A Way With Words, the call-in radio show about writing, speaking, slang, old sayings, and more.

Login   •   Register  

Monday, October 01, 2001

From the ages of 6 to 10, the scarf was my daily uniform in Iran

"I was standing on the corner of Broadway and Pike Street, waiting for the light to change so I could cross, when a young man shoved me in front of a moving vehicle. Fortunately, the driver stopped in time. I faced the guy who pushed me, but all he said was "I guess I tripped and just didn't see you. Sorry.' He looked over my shoulder while talking to me. He almost sounded bored."

Seattle Post-Intelligencer. D. Parvaz dons her hijaabÑa full-body outer cloak or, in its modified form, a scarf tied around the headÑto find out how she'll be treated on the streets of Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. "I was ultimately reassured by the good in people. There were cute momentsÑlike when a boy wearing a 'Wassup!' T-shirt on a bus leaned over and asked 'Who is this Allah guy anyway?' or when the girl behind a coffee counter leaned in to hear me, as if expecting me to speak with a soft voice and a foreign accent."'

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

This is the personal weblog of Grant Barrett, editor of the Double-Tongued Dictionary, a collection of words from the fringes of English. More about this site...

Recent Catchwords