Tuesday, July 13, 2010

He Followed Me...

Congratulations! I heard you got married during the summer. I said to an attractive young Afghani woman when I saw her in the hall the first day of school. Do I know your husband? Does he go to school here?

No, she replied. He's been in Canada for a long time. He followed me for three years. Finally he asked my father if he could marry me... My father asked me if I wanted him... And I said, Yes.

He followed you? What does that mean? I asked. I had heard the expression before (from a young Iranian woman who told me that young men often "followed" girls home from school in her country.)

My student explained: It means he likes me. Girls in my country don't go out on dates, so if a guy likes a girl, he follows her.

Does he talk to her?

No, he just wants to see where she lives, so that he can ask her father if he can marry her.

Your husband followed you for three years?

Yes. Then he told me that he wanted to ask my father's permission to marry me... And I said, okay.

Hmmm. In Canada, if someone follows someone else, we consider that "stalking"... I commented. "Stalking" is against the law. If you follow someone, that person could call the police and complain.

The young woman stared at me in disbelief...

As she walked away, I'm sure she was thinking: What strange ideas Canadians have!

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