9 Mr. Ib Santab (11022009)

I made a friend. :) He sat next to me on the plane. I mentioned him in my last post. I just said "Hello" when I got on the plane, but definitely paid attention to him the whole flight. He watched my movies without sound (since the sound comes from your own headphones and I know he didn't use any). I guess he didn't want to set it up for himself. Once during the flight, I looked down and realized our plane blankets and pillows were on the floor under his feet. I bent over to move them out of the way and he said, "No, no!" and then moved them himself, asking me to lean forward and then putting the pillow behind my back. He was quite kind. His hair was white, much lighter than his skin.

Midway through the flight, the flight attendants passed out entry cards to all. He was headed to Sanaa, Yemen, one stop after mine, so he got a different card. We were also each handed country-specific flu information cards. We had to check off if we had experienced any flu-like symptoms in the last 7 days. (Everything at the airport was focused on preventing the flu. And, several people wore handkerchiefs around their noses and mouths. I had a flu shot already, so I think I was fine :).) Well, I began to fill out my cards and he looked over my shoulder the whole time. I thought he was reading what I was writing and then I noticed he didn't have a pen. I offered him an extra one of mine since that’s what I assumed he needed and he said, "No, no, see?" and took a pen out of his jacket pocket. I still wondered why he was paying close attention to me until I finished my cards. Then, he put his cards on my seat's tray table and handed me his pen, smiling. He wanted my help because he couldn't read or write! He handed me his papers, passport and ticket. I filled it out, trying to ask him all the questions I didn't know the answers to. By the end of the trip, we were much better at communicating, but it was a little rough to start.

Well, I got to know him and we talked the remainder of the flight. His name is Pantil Ib Santab. He is 73 years old and has lived in Detroit, Michigan for the last 36 years working on the Great Lakes as a sailor. He repairs and cleans boats. He shared about his life and family and showed me his immigrant card from when he came to the States from his home country, Yemen. He wanted to see my passport and patted me on the leg, telling me I was beautiful and that I had a good smile. He liked my camera and was so genuine about talking about his country and giving strong compliments to America. I very much enjoyed every moment of our time together, from me explaining that Muslim is not an appropriate answer for "Nationality" on the entry card to him telling me gently "No, 'ess good, 'ess good" ("No, that's good, that's good.") when our plane flew over the airport multiple times to try to have appropriate tailwind and not try to land while other planes were landing. I had been trying to explain to him that we kept missing it and going too far. Funny thing to try to explain.

And lastly: my favorite thing that Mr. Ib Santab said was when we first began talking at the beginning of the trip: "You know, you have very good English." :) I thanked him.

Hope you are enjoying these details. Don't know how long I can keep it up, but I am going to try for my own memory's sake. Really, my big memories from Europe come from our blog and there is no way I would have done that without Tripp. Of all people, he knows how I loathe the whole blog scene, but how I appreciate it later on.

And to sign off, an important message to all Americans: Enjoy brushing your teeth in sink water! :)

Laura