Why Aren't You Black?

I couldn't stop reading

It was wonderful in a terrible way.  I don't know that I would recommend it to a mother of young children.  I just had to know what happened before I died.  I read it all day.  I don't have time to read a book all day which is one of the reasons I wouldn't recommend it to young mothers. 

However, it helped me to count my blessings.  In fact, I sat with Super Jack and Sweets and made a long list of our blessings.  Super Jack was able to understand that electricity is a blessing after not having it for half the day yesterday.  He named lots of things like shoes and DVDs and Jesus.  It was nice to hear him counting his blessings instead of whining about all the things he didn't get.  I'm always trying to remind my kids that they are blessed and that they really have no reason to whine. 

The story is about a pregnant woman who gets kidnapped by Indians along with her two sons and her sister-in-law.  She escapes and makes a very long and terrible journey back home.  Sometimes I just can't wrap my mind around the horrible things that people do and have done to each other.  Just terrible.

The night a few weeks ago when I stopped writing on my blog I wanted to tell you about something I thought was strange.  I was out on a date with my husband.  He stopped to get a crepe so I walked on a little further to Neranxi to get some nuts.  I was there talking to the shop keeper for awhile before Andi arrived.  I was having a really hard time understanding the shop keeper.  I did get that he was asking me where I was from.  I told him I was American.  Then he started saying something about me being black.  I wasn't getting it.  Fortunately, Andi arrived just then and explained that he was teasing me.  He asking why I wasn't black if I was American.  I still didn't get it  Then I realized he was saying I wasn't really American because I wasn't a Native American.

I explained that we don't call Native Americans black and that was why I wasn't getting his joke.  He insisted that he know where I was actually from.  I named a few countries and he seemed satisfied.  We walked on to the video store.  Andi saw a perfume shop and wanted to stop in.  He has been looking for a particular cologne for awhile now.  He was speaking to the shop keeper for awhile.  Then the attention turned to me and he asked me where I was from.  I said, "Amerike".  He began to ask why I wasn't black.  I couldn't believe it.  I had never had this response before and now within ten minutes it happened twice.  Andi and I gave each other a strange look.  Again I listed some European countries as my countries of origin and satisfied the shop keeper.

I have to say that I didn't think their jokes were funny.  I am American, as American as they come.  I didn't like Albanians trying to school me on what an American was.  However, I quickly ended the conversation and moved on. Just thought you'd find it diverting. ;-)