CITY OF OUTLAWS

The overcast, gray, and gloomy weather in Dayton area for most of the year appears to have a negative impact on the inhabitants. The absence of the sun has a major influence on the behavior of people. A day without a shining sun is very depressing, discouraging, and demoralizing to the soul, character, and well being. This is exactly what we had discovered after moving away from Dayton to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where there is plenty of sunshine. The city of Albuquerque is located at about the center of the state. It is surrounded by the Sandia Mountains to the east, which are the tail-bones of the Rocky Mountains. The city was established by Spanish settlers in 1706 on a high desert, about 5000 feet above sea level, where the sky is beautiful and pure blue. The sceneries and the landscapes are as far as the eye can see in all direction except the East. Surprisingly enough, the latitude of Albuquerque is about the same as that of Bani Naim, Palestine. The name Albuquerque sounds to be more of an Arabic origin. Rio Grande passes through Albuquerque, but this river is no longer “ grande ” due to the dams built across it on many locations. It is more or less a trickling spring or what I would call a “ Rio Chico .”

The town is a true multicultural mix where the indigenous people, Hispanics, and Anglos are living side by side. The first impression during the first a few months of our arrival is that Albuquerque is a peaceful, serene, tranquil, and soothing town to live in. Driving outside the town is enjoyable for those who do not like any kind of noise. It is quiet, noiseless, and beautiful especially when the sun sets. These enchanted feelings appear to transform anybody to a different state of mind with unlimited imagination of stretching the truth. A large portion of the inhabitants, either local or moved in, reported their experience of being abducted by aliens or had close encounter with unidentified flying objects (UFOs). As a matter of fact, the most UFO encounters were reported by inhabitants from New Mexico. The Roswell episode is regarded as the most infamous event by the UFO believers. The plentiful sunshine has done its charm and trick on soothing and relaxing people around here as compared to the tight, stiff, and rigid behavior of those who live in Dayton area. The openness and vast space surrounding Albuquerque are good relief for those with claustrophobic, hydrophobic, or any other kind of phobic disorder.

The landscape in New Mexico is quite amazing. One may notice diverse landscapes by just driving twenty or so miles in any directions from Albuquerque. This may have something to do with the motto of the state, which is the “ Land of enchantment .” The city of Albuquerque however is somewhat isolated, just like any oasis in the Sahara desert. The closest city to Albuquerque is Denver, Colorado. Exploring New Mexico during the first year of our residency was at the top of my family list. Small towns are scattered across the state. We also noted that there were so many ghost towns. There was no logic about the distribution of towns (inhabited or abandoned). My wife and I came up with a theory about the random locations of towns in New Mexico. We figured that during the rush to the west, the most common method of transportation was the use of wagons. Traveling a long distance from the east coast could take a year or so to reach the western territories. That took its toll on the wagons and the animals that pulled them. So whenever a convoy of wagons broke, the travelers would settle in the same spot and form their own town. Our fiendish theory was supported by the antique looking wagon wheels scattered across towns as decorating items to the front yards of houses and homes.

The weather in Albuquerque is quite unique. The average rain fall is about twelve inches per year and about eight of them fell during the July-August monsoon season. I was surprised to hear the use of the word “ monsoon ,” since it is an Arabic word. During the monsoon season, the day starts quite coolish in the morning. By mid-day the temperature reaches 90-100 o F (~32-38 ^o C). Cumulus clouds start forming near the Sandia Mountains and by late afternoon the rain starts falling. The cycle is repeated almost every day. Occasionally torrential rain occurred, which causes chaos when driving around the town. The water rushed from the foothills down through manmade canals called arroyos. These arroyos are very dangerous even when the water depth is less than a foot. Several people perished in these arroyos every year. Watching water gushing through the arroyos is one of a few major attractions in Albuquerque. The hot air balloon fiesta is another attraction, which happened during October of every year. Balloons of all kind and shapes are flown over Albuquerque every year causing so much excitement to children and adults alike. Another attraction is the roasting of jalapeño in the summer time. The smell is nourishing to the soul and people would buy them by the bushels. One year I was brave enough to buy some, but could not figure out what to do with them so they were rotted and eventually thrown away. Residents of Albuquerque were proud of the “ big I, ” which is the intersection of the interstates 40 and 35. It was and still unclear to me why this intersection is so important to so many people.

Localized rain is quite unusual during the monsoon season. One can see columns of rains pouring down from relatively small clouds scattered across the city and the surrounding areas. In many occasions, the rain was falling down on only one or two city blocks. I even noted time and time again the rain and hail fell in the back yard of my house while the front yard is as dry as a bone. These localized showers may have inspired the cartoonists who created the loony tune where the rain would fall only on bugs bunny, Donald duck, or daffy duck.

As our living in Albuquerque extended for several years, we started noticing things below the surface and with some depth. The crime level was quite high. Fatal shooting and car accidents were daily occurrence at that time. It was difficult for me to comprehend why someone would consume a large quantity of alcohol and then drive a car with a full speed on the opposite side of the highway. Whole families (children and parents) perished in car accidents due to driving while impaired. Driving on the interstate back and forth from home to work was very frightening, terrifying, and scary to me. I witnessed car accidents almost on a daily basis and had seen several fatal crashes. The last incident that happened before we left was related to a hand gun fatal shooting of a driver from Alabama passing through Albuquerque with his family. His crime was that he did not yield to the shooter. I saw adult males driving their cars backward on major streets as if it was a cool thing to do. Drag-racing was common in the streets of Albuquerque. On one occasion, my daughter drove her car to attend a school evening activity. In that evening she discovered the wind shield and all the windows of the car were smashed by a sledge hammer.

Unlike the neighbors in Bellbrook, Ohio, our neighbors in Albuquerque were friendly, forthcoming, and pleasant to talk to them. One of those neighbors was intrigued by having me as the first Palestinian living close to him. He educated himself about the brouhaha and madness of the Middles East by watching the unraveling events on television. As one may imagine, he became an opinionated character and loved to come out and discuss various issues on the side walk. Together we solved the most complicated issues related to Palestine. The only problem was that no one would listen to us. So our efforts and energy were wasted as if we tried to replace eating food by chewing gum. On one early summer evening he came telling me about a documentary program he watched on the discovery channel about the geography of Palestine, which included a documentary about Jerusalem as being the center of the three major religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism). He was astonished to see that the topography of Palestine is somewhat similar to that of Albuquerque.

As he was pointing to the east toward the Sandia Mountains, he said “ look at the pile of rocks we have here .”
“ Yes, I see these piles of rocks .” I replied.
“ They are the same as the piles of rocks you have in Palestine .” He added.
“ Of course they are identical .” I reminded him with the same latitude of Albuquerque and Palestine.
“ I cannot comprehend why you peoples keep fighting for these useless piles of rocks .” He questioned.
“ There is a big difference between our piles of rocks in Palestine and your piles of rock in Albuquerque .” I said.
His eyes open wide and demanded “ What is the difference? ”
“ Our piles of rocks are holier than your piles of rocks .” I explained.
He exploded laughing and said “ You always have an answer to every question .”
This neighbor was transformed from an ignorant sun-of-a-gun to a well educated and opinionated expert on the Middle East affairs. He became a pro-Palestinian fellow that would argue his heart out for the sake of every Palestinian child.

It took me many argument sessions to change the heart of a neighbor. But there were so many hard headed guys in Albuquerque that are difficult to argue with them. They do not afford to lose an argument or admit mistakes. They are always right and that is it. Many of them took the law in their own hands while the “ law of the land ” is obsolete to them. After farther observation about the inhabitants of Albuquerque, my wife and I came up with another wicked theory about the high crime level in Albuquerque. New Mexico is such a remote state that during the nineteenth century many of the outlaws and escapees settled in Albuquerque where the law of the west ruled. Many of the residents are the descendants of these outlaws. In other words, this is the “ city of the outlaws.” To my surprise and shock, many people including whole towns in New Mexico do not even speak English. The state government is not sure about their own state either. For example, the car license is identified as “ New Mexico, USA ” as if there is another New Mexico in a different country. I heard several guys proposing New Mexico as a buffer zone between Mexico and Colorado. Many boorish people do not realize that New Mexico is a state within USA. On one occasion, I was attending a scientific meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, and I was given an honorarium in a form of a check. I was instructed to go to a nearby bank to cash the check. The teller demanded to see my New Mexico passport in order for her to cash it. It took me a while and the bank manager to convince the teller that New Mexico is really part of USA. That woman however continued to look at me with a suspicious eye as if I was a fugitive from the “ city of the outlaws.”

Omar Manasreh
06 July 2008