In this week’s New York magazine, contributing editor Michael Idov chronicles the story of one Nepalese woman’s 53 hours lost on the streets of Queens:Krishna knew the word home. She also knew help—Anu had taught it to her as part of her emergency-training boot camp. Somehow, from the depths of memory, a third word appeared: mistake. Perhaps these words could be fashioned into something useful. “Help, mistake, home.” No, even better: “Help, home, mistake.” This could work. She approached a friendly looking man with it, but he recoiled. Am I saying it right? “Help, home, mistake.” She tried it again, on a woman with a small child, but got the same reaction, plus a few unintelligible words over the shoulder as the woman speed-walked away, pushing her stroller. This was hopeless. Even if someone understood her, she wouldn’t be able to understand the response.
At about 10 a.m., Krishna saw two girls in tracksuits and sneakers, walking purposefully in front of her down Queens Boulevard. She concluded they were going jogging in the same park she had been headed for. The scale of the city was still incomprehensible to her—she didn’t even ponder the idea that there could be other parks. So she followed the girls around the corner and down Grand Avenue, for a dozen blocks. When Krishna began to lose faith in the effort, a promising thatch of greenery appeared in front of her, and she hurried toward it. But it wasn’t a park. It was a Catholic cemetery. Shocked by the size of it, Krishna missed the moment when her accidental tour guides abruptly disappeared. Steeped in the supernatural lore in Nepal, she assumed the two girls were apparitions. Cemetery ghosts. She kept walking.
Read on at http://nymag.com/news/features/59009/
8 comments:
Wow. A transcendental experience, and a thorough wander. I know this walk, and hope Krishna is feeling better. Wow.
I will point out that she actually chose a pretty thorough search pattern, on pure instinct, I guess.
uuuuuuuuuh,if i were in nepal and strolling around,or even in boston USA,i would at the least have THE ADDRESS of the place i was staying at--
in case i lost my way.
This poor lady went through 10 kinds of hell and I've commented on her story elsewhere, but you gotta admit, for all New York's evil reputation, no one tried to molest or rob or trouble her in any way even though she was a confused lady wearing lots of gold jewelry.
Two words: Learn English!!
"Two words: Learn English!!" - Indeed.
I live in Flushing and if people come to me looking for directions and they don't speak English (I speak spanish as well) ill send them in the wrong direction and let them have fun!
These people should have stayed in the third world. Whatever happens to them is their fault.
Either this is a phenomenal tale of human stupidity or at least part of this sorry tale is fabricated. It's incredible that an adult could get so hopelessly lost in a residential area after living in the area for several months. Even with no map, no written address, and no English language skills it's unbelievable that a person could go so hard-core missing. Maybe Krishna should acquaint herself with GPS before she returns to Pokhara.
Either this is a phenomenal tale of human stupidity or at least part of this sorry tale is fabricated. It's incredible that an adult could get so hopelessly lost in a residential area after living in the area for several months. Even with no map, no written address, and no English language skills it's unbelievable that a person could go so hard-core missing. Maybe Krishna should acquaint herself with GPS before she returns to Pokhara.
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This woman is exhbit A of what the tweeders want in Queens. Fresh off the boat, from a timeless culture that is stuck in the Middle Ages, totally clueless, not complaining about quality of life issues, indeed, has no idea who is in office, and has lots of needs easily filled by the machine.
I nominate her First Resident of Queens for 2009.
There are two problems there. The language one of course, and the problem of scale. She's probably never been anywhere near such a large city and had no idea that she could be so badly lost so she ignored the precautions her daughter imposed and did not reach out for help quickly enough.
Thirty-five years ago in Ireland, I experienced the exact same problem of scale in reverse. My cousin told us we were going to visit town.
I was standing in the center of the town which consisted of a store, a church and one or two houses when I turned to my cousin and asked her how much longer until we were in town.
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