The Basket Incident

It's quiet around here today. Pops and Nanny went home yesterday after a wonderful three week visit. Yesterday morning I think Jack was wandering around looking for them. He had such a good time and didn't get too spoiled!

Yesterday I felt very proud of myself because we had our second language test. We go into a room with a Czech and we speak with them and then they give us our chart. I moved up one level in everything and two levels in some things and so I was very, very happy. All the studying is paying off. It is supposed to take 1100 classroom hours to become somewhat fluent in Czech. I've had around 150 so that should tell you how far I have to go. However, my joy in my language improvement was short lived.

Today, Jack and I went to the mall. I needed to drop off some dry cleaning and go to the baby store and the grocery store. All those places are in the mall. Today must have been "be mean to the American day" because it was not a good time.

First, the dry cleaners. This lady is always mean to me. The first time I went she wouldn't even take my clothes because I couldn't speak well enough. She is ALWAYS rude and rolls her eyes when she sees me. I was prepared for her though. It was the grocery store lady I was not prepared for. Normally, they are just fine, but not today. I'm in line to buy my food and when it is my turn the lady takes my shopping basket.

Now, this is the shopping basket situation (as in the little ones you carry): you put your food on the check out stand and then put the basket up before you go pay. But, I always keep my basket with me so I can quickly throw all the food in it after I pay and then get out of everyone's way while I bend down and put it all in Jack's stroller and arrange it so it will fit. I have a 25 minute walk home from the mall, so I have to fit it all in there just right. And I am a good steward of the shopping basket and always go put it in a basket stack. So, back to the lady who has just taken my shopping basket. She takes it away and tells me very rudely that I should have put it up. She then proceeds to throw -- yes throw -- my shopping basket on the floor over by the place where I was supposed to put it up. I told her I needed it and she just yelled at me and told me I should put it up. So, while she is checking my stuff I walk around her and get it back. She then throws it back again. By now I am seething mad. So, I just wait until I finish paying. Then I leave all my stuff right there in her way and walk over and get my basket back. And then I stand right in front of her and load my stuff into the basket. I wanted to scream, "You need Jesus you mean old lady!" Of course, that is probably not the best missional approach, but it was still the one I wanted to take.

So, next time you are in line somewhere and there is a foreigner who is having a hard time, be nice to them. Help them. Smile at them. That person is me.