This event actually happened a few days ago, but I am just now emotionally stable enough to write about with a sense of humor!

We were with some friends visiting from the States and they were checking into the apartment that they were renting. While they were doing their thing Jen, Maisie, our friend Sue, and I were waiting outside on the sidewalk.

There was a big long metal barrier in the street next to the sidewalk that about 60 bikes were locked to. The rack was about 30 meters long and was in a pretty odd place. As we were standing out there I heard a lady making kind of a whining/complaining sound down near the end of the rack…almost a noise that a kid would make if they were grumpy about something.

I looked up and saw that the woman was actually blind and seemed completely disorientated. She would go to step off the curb and walk right into a bike…turn around and step up the curb and walk toward the building until she hit it with her guide stick.

This must have been so frustrating and I had to do something. I ran down to her and in my best French said,

“Excuse me madame. Can I help you?”

She mumbled something to me and then tried to step off the curb again. I said,

“There a lot of bicycles here. Can I help you walk?”

She mumbled again and stepped off of the curb into the bicycles. My heart really hurt for her and this was probably both humiliating and disorientating. I said again,

“Madame there are bicycles here. Can I help you?”

Apparently my best French wasn’t good enough. She yelled at me,

“Listen!”

And slapped the ground with her guide stick.

At this point another young French guy, who may have known her, ran up and spoke with her. She was very upset and I was getting there too…partly for her, but partly because she was so sharp with me when I was trying to help her!

As the young man led her away he said,

“It’s ok. He’s English”

I’m glad that he saw I was trying to help and I thanked him for saving me from a near beat down. I did have to work hard to fight back feelings of frustration towards her…it’s ridiculous I know…but I hate that even in times when I am trying to help somebody out it gets pointed out that I am a foreigner and all the pent up feelings of being an ‘étranger’ in a bizarre place come up. It’s weird to try to do something right and then end up feeling so wrong!

Oh well…Jen helped remind me that I was trying to do a good thing and that the lady was probably just really frustrated and took it out on me. I know she’s right…as usual. I pray more and more that I will be able to see people the way God does, and not be such a sponge of other peoples issues…ahh learning. Good times.