Back to Life, Back to Reality...
- Hey Miss. Slaughter
- Nov 26, 2018
- 4 min read
I hope you sang the title of this, because I did. But you don't come to my blog to sing songs.. do you? Well maybe one day I'll sing a tune, but today is all about the vacation I really needed in Thessaloniki, Greece. Being away from family for Thanksgiving really got to me. I thought being in a fun city filled with things to do would keep my mind of what I was missing, but no. On the bus ride down I bursted into tears because I wished to be on a flight to Brewton, AL. But, I was like, this is only one year and I refuse to miss another, you could not pay me to not be in Alabama for Thanksgiving. But the trip, the trip as I stated was needed.
Let's take a moment to compare it to Macedonia, and Ta'Mara feel free to comment on this gurl. I FELT LIKE A PERSON!
When I tell you it I felt like a person, I mean people were nice to us, not ONCE did I get called out of my name, there was no cat-calling, or laughing, or pointing, nothing I tell you. Do you know how much I didn't want to leave that place. I went into a store and people did not follow me around weirdly, they asked me if I needed help and if I said no, they left me alone... what a freaking concept.
Day one, we took it slow and went shopping and just relaxed. No one bombarded us with questions or questioned our being in the city. I fell in love. Oh how I would love to just go into a store and be treated with respect and not be asked for a picture and after I say no a person tries to sneak one. The word of the day is RESPECT. The phrase of the year is RESPECT MY SPACE.
Day two, we climbed and walked so much I think I'm okay with never climbing a mountain again, lol. The scenery was beautiful. If you know me, you know I don't do the outside. But this was a different experience for me. Being able to walk in a city and enjoy the monuments and historical museums without being bothered was a joy. There are many places in Macedonia that I would love to go to and visit, but my anxiety of being harmed if I am anywhere by myself keeps me from leaving the house. This brings us to my love of day three. On our last full day, there were some things that Ta'Mara wanted to do that differed from what I wanted, so we decided to meet in the afternoon for a lil harbor cruise and spend the morning doing what we wanted. My first thing was to get to the bus station to make sure I had my ticket for my return trip. I walked about a mile by myself to the bus station. And guess what, nothing happened. I walked, sat in the station for a lil breakfast, and felt completely safe. Because you know what, people respected my space. Men were not cat-calling at me or honking at me. I was just a regular person. After leaving the bus station I had to walk towards our meet up point. I haven't felt that safe walking by myself since moving to this side of the world. No doubt about it. I went into Starbucks and my phone automatically connected to the wifi, I was like, that's it, I'm moving.
Oh! OH! AND! WE SAW BLACK PEOPLE. I haven't seen that many Black people in one place since I left the states. We did the international "Hey how are you.." Black person greeting with the head nod. It was wonderful. My heart was filled. You really don't realize how much you miss seeing people that look like you until you're in a city where you are the only one that looks like you. And you can't understand that feeling unless you have been in that position. I am joyful that I have meet everyone here, but sometimes I need some chocolate time.
So here we are, time to leave and I am saddened. I realize once I cross that border it's back to reality. Let us talk about the ride back shall we. Now, I know it is not everyday that a Black person crosses the border from Greece to Macedonia, I know this, so I wouldn't have been surprised by them taking a little longer with my passport or asking me questions. But when I tell y'all I was so close to breaking down....
The bus had already gone past both border patrols, so I thought I was in the clear. Nope. The bus with about 35 people on it was pulled over by four cops. Two of them came on the bus and stared me down. One stays at the front while the other walks to the back and walks right back up to my seat. Mind you they are in all their gear. He stares at me and says "passport" . I nervously reach into my fanny pack and give it to him. I felt like slavery just ended and I was being asked for my freedom papers. I have a card from the Embassy that says I live and work in Macedonia, but knowing Macedonia they probably would've said it was fake. The police officer gave me my passport back and gave the driver the go ahead to leave.
SO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME Y'ALL PULLED A WHOLE BUSS OVER TO CHECK THE BLACK PERSON'S PASSPORT!?!!?!?!!?
Someone told me if I feel unsafe to call the police, I don't trust them! Thanks to the stereotypes Black people are given they would rather arrest than to help. It was at that moment I knew I was back in Macedonia. I am never sitting on the window again. I may even just spend the extra money to fly. I don't get paid enough to be harrassed like this.
Reality really showed itself when I walked to work this morning and got pointed and laughed at. I guess that was my welcome home gift. Worst gift ever.
But let us focus on the positive shall we. That trip was amazing. I had so much fun and took in every moment of it. It was like a reboot to get me through until Christmas. Did you hear that? Ah yes, silver bells. :)
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