WorldCab: Voices

For a long time, I have made a point of talking to cab drivers. I jot notes, or sometimes, now, I record them. The conversations are one person's take on whatever comes up. They don’t represent whole countries, accuracy, or the ultimate truth about anything.


In San Antonio, TX, at NCTE last week: A cab driver from Sudan told me he wishes people understood how big Sudan is, and that in many areas, things are all right, even good. He got tears in his eyes talking about Darfur, then said his brothers and a cousin are starting a building business in eastern Sudan, where he is from. He smiled and nodded in a perfect cadence, like he was listening to music I couldn't hear, while he outlined their business plan. He said they had found a good Kenyan source of building materials, cheap enough to get a good start. He has been in San Antonio for 10 years. His English and his Spanish are nearly fluent. He said there were over a hundred languages in his homeland, with most people speaking Arabic and English, at least a little. He is seriously considering going home. If he does, he says, he will figure out how to take a few years supply of Tex-Mex hot sauce. Saying that made him nod again, made him grin. He knows his brothers will like it, too...