kiss your wife for me
awhile back i had the wonderful opportunity to dine and discuss with paul rusesabugina. the movie "hotel rwanda" is based on his life. if you haven't seen the film yet, i really suggest that you do. paul has an amazing story.
i'll admit that when i arrived at the dinner i was feeling a little nervous. it was a little difficult for me to think about discussing something as heavy as genocide over green beans and potatoes. how do you act around someone who has lived through genocide? what do you say to a person who's bravery saved the lives of over 1,000 people? how do you ask questions about such a subject so as not to sound ignorant or tacky? i was able to calm down considerably as the dinner progressed b/c i realized that paul is just a man. he is just a man who did what he had to do.
i often wonder how i would act in similar circumstances. would i run and hide? or would i act? while i was watching the movie "hotel rwanda" i felt a little hopeless for myself. paul was such a super hero! he was so brave and strong. but dining with paul helped me to realize that super heros are human too. superman is just clark kent under that blue cape.
paul was very charming, laughing and telling jokes. he made everyone at the table feel at ease. he was filled with such hope for his country that it made me feel hopeful for my own. by the end of the night i felt as if i had known paul for a long long time. in fact, perhaps i felt a little TOO comfortable b/c i ended the night by asking him to kiss his wife for me. after a second thought i said, "well, you know, at least greet her for me." and paul said, "i will do all that you ask of me." ha ha. that paul...
i'll admit that when i arrived at the dinner i was feeling a little nervous. it was a little difficult for me to think about discussing something as heavy as genocide over green beans and potatoes. how do you act around someone who has lived through genocide? what do you say to a person who's bravery saved the lives of over 1,000 people? how do you ask questions about such a subject so as not to sound ignorant or tacky? i was able to calm down considerably as the dinner progressed b/c i realized that paul is just a man. he is just a man who did what he had to do.
i often wonder how i would act in similar circumstances. would i run and hide? or would i act? while i was watching the movie "hotel rwanda" i felt a little hopeless for myself. paul was such a super hero! he was so brave and strong. but dining with paul helped me to realize that super heros are human too. superman is just clark kent under that blue cape.
paul was very charming, laughing and telling jokes. he made everyone at the table feel at ease. he was filled with such hope for his country that it made me feel hopeful for my own. by the end of the night i felt as if i had known paul for a long long time. in fact, perhaps i felt a little TOO comfortable b/c i ended the night by asking him to kiss his wife for me. after a second thought i said, "well, you know, at least greet her for me." and paul said, "i will do all that you ask of me." ha ha. that paul...
posted by SN at 7:46 AM
2 Comments:
i don't mean to dis your post. it was a good one...and bless that paul. but superman WAS superman underneath that blue cape. rather, clark kent was superman underneath those glasses. he was from a different planet, remember? geez!
i stand corrected.
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