“It made me more tolerant of people and more understanding of their ways and why they did things and it probably made me a better person, I don’t know.”
One of the hardest lessons for people to learn is to be tolerant of those of all religious backgrounds. Mostly, this lack of tolerance is born out of a lack of understanding. While Vera was travelling for her work in the US Department of State, she experienced the cultures of countries all across the world; her favorite of these countries was Syria, of which its inhabitants are both Christian and Muslim.
Granted, asking her which was her favorite made her sigh and say, “I knew you were going to ask that!” As I found out, asking a traveler who has seen over 70 countries to name her favorite is like asking a mother of 70 to tell you who her favorite child is.
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Vera has taken many trips through Syria. “I knew Muslims and I knew Christians,” she told me. She had a friend named George who was very knowledgeable about Syria’s history. “He could tell you anything about it, so when people came to town visiting…I would ask George if he would go with us.” On one Sunday a man named Dave working for the Agency for International Development came through and wanted to see Syria. As always, Vera asked George if he would come along and, as always, he said yes. He took them to see the Krak des Chevaliers, a medieval castle that was built during the First Crusades on a rather large hill in Syria. When they reached the top of the hill in Vera’s small Chevy Vega, Vera parked and found a puddle under the back of the car.
“I don’t know what the heck this thing is,” she said, looking distraughtly at the puddle. She went in the car and turned the key. The car wouldn’t start. She looked at the gas gauge. It was full before, but now it was empty.
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They were in a Christian part of Syria and, unfortunately, it was Sunday so everything was closed. George and Dave pushed the car until they reached the top of the hill and Vera drove it to the bottom of the hill, the two men running alongside. They saw a farmer on a horse-drawn cart, and once they reached the bottom they hailed him down. He was kind enough to pull the car with his cart to a gas station down the road and they were able to fill the tank. Afraid now, the trio decided not to take the chance and drive the 200 miles back to Damascus. They asked the man at the gas station if anyone could take a look at the car and, though no one was working, he said that there was a man close by who worked on tractors and would be willing to help. They went to the mechanic who was in a Muslim part of Syria.
“I remember it was hot and it was summer and I had a sleeveless blouse on and that’s a no-no and they were all fascinated; here’s this woman with two men.” She remembers that it was getting dark and the people were preparing dinner. She called to George and said, “’you’d better come here and see what’s going on.’ And well, not only were they getting ready for dinner, they were getting ready to put us up for the night!”
It’s a belief of Muslims (and of Christians, for that matter), that if travelers come to your house at nightfall you need to give them food and lodging. Vera, though, had to get back to the embassy for the next day. They ate dinner with the people, and when their car was fixed they were on their way.
“They were really good people,” Vera recalled. Both Christians and Muslims went out of their way to help the three travelers when they were in need. Vera believes her experiences travelling have made her more tolerant of people and their cultures, now that she better understands the common kindness and humanity that people of all religions share.
My name is Jillian DiPersio and I am a junior at Windham High School. After learning the stories of my own grandparents, I have been interviewing the elderly. Through my research and interviews I have been able to dig up some incredible bits of history from the lives of local residents, as well as learn about people who are the products of a different generation. If you or someone you know would like to share your stories, please contact me at jillian@dipersio.com.
