Yesterday my husband and I took our kids to the park. Well, this is the south, home of fire ants. We returned home about five p.m. and all seemed well. My one and a half year old had fallen asleep on the way home. So, I immediatley put him to bed once we got home. He continued sleeping until three a.m. He woke me up screaming. I thought, well yeah he’s doing this because he went to bed early. So, I went into his room and tried to get him back to sleep. He kept screaming. I knew at that point that something was wrong. I turned on the light and my precious little boy was red, his eyes, his nose, his ears were all swollen. I immediatley woke my husband and we whisked him off to the E.R.
Well, once at the E.R. the adventure (it seems better to call it an adventure rather than what I would really like to call it) began. We waited four hours just to see the doctor. During that time, a man came in not breathing. In front of us, the doctor cut his throat and inserted a tube. Then, a couple of physchiatric patients were roaming the halls mumbling all kinds of junk while the nurses assigned to them tried to keep them from “commiting suicide.” One young fourteen year old girl was brought in overdosed. All this to witness on a Monday morning. Who said monday’s are boring…..not if you work in a hospital. That is for sure!
So, once the doctor came in she diagnosed my son with an allergic reaction. He was given a dose of steroids and benydryl. After two more hours of “observation” we were allowed to come home with a prescription for steroids and directions on how to give benadryl and apply topical creme to the bites.
My husband took the baby outside while I settled the insurance. Well, as I was settling the insurance (and may I say ALAHMDULLILAH (thanks and praise for Allah) that we have insurance) a Muslim brother came and gave me salaams. Then, proceeded to try to speak Arabic with me. I explained to him that I don’t speak Arabic. Then, he asked if I wasn’t a Muslim. So, I told him yes, a Muslim American. Well, then the charm came out.Here he came with questions and introductions and smiling and trying to shake my hand. He asked If I needed him to help me. It was all fine and good. Though, I was so tired that I could barely hold my head up.
Finally, I got my insurance settled and as we stopped at the Pharmacy an American man came up to me and asked if he could practice his arabic with me. I was like sorry to dissappoint you, I don’t know a word of Arabic. Then, that brought out the questions and answers. He kept trying to speak Arabic throwing words in after I explained I don’t speak Arabic. Finally, he patted me on the shoulder and told me to have a blessed day and kept saying May God bless you. It was really weird to get approached twice in one morning by people trying to speak Arabic.
A simple stroll in the park turned into this whole fiasco. Alas, I may never look at the park the same way again or more likely I will forget it all once I finally get some sleep. It’s funny really. I would totally laugh if this were a movie. 
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