European Encounters [4]

[4] Before Dawn in Carcassonne

When I ascended to the train platform I almost passed the person with the hijab by. She was standing close to a man with a turban, presumably her husband, and while I needed help, my first instinct was to look beyond them. I had received strong messaging throughout my life that Muslim people were not okay, so it took me a few seconds to snap out of it... (I asked of myself: 'Why wouldn't this woman be as capable of helping me as any other person on this platform?') 

Addressing the woman directly, I introduced myself with a Hello, and proceeded to ask my question. I had a ticket for the train to Lyon, but there were a few other trains due to arrive at the same time, and I was worried about not being at the right place at the right time. The person with the hijab didn't know, and had limited English to communicate her thoughts to me, but, she set out to find out as much as she could about my train. 

I recognised in her the universal spirit of wanting to be helpful - she recognised a fellow traveller in need, and something about me was nice enough to arouse her sympathies. We both started navigating the platform in search for clues, going off in slightly different directions. Within the passage of a few minutes I had consulted the electronic screen closely, and asked another two passengers about their circumstances. Eventually I was sufficiently relaxed that I was going to be at the right place at the right time, and tried to communicate this to my helper. 

Only, she couldn't understand that I was satisfied. She kept searching: asking a station officer, and other would-be passengers around me. As I stood still, she was a flurry of activity. I started worrying that she would miss her own train while investigating mine. 

A few minutes before the train to Lyon was due, the Muslim woman's train pulled up. She addressed me one last time with the (correct) information she had managed to find, I thanked her kindly, and she ran a short distance to board. The doors of her train shut, but there was a station officer around to help her re-open them and make the connection just in time. I felt grateful to her, as well as a little guilty. 

Many times I've heard people say 'We are all the same', but it was this personal encounter which put things into perspective for me. When I took the chance on her, the hijab-wearing woman was just as altruistic as any other soul. I intend to stay open to interactions with Muslims, knowing that they are as deeply human as anyone else.