Taxicab Confessions

Last night, due to the -18°C temperatures, Brooke and I decided to take a cab home from my dad’s place. Our cab driver was a young Pakistani guy, who chatted amiably about how he’s completely shocked by the cold weather here. He remarked how in Pakistan, there’s a saying, “May the hot winds never touch you.” He joked how in Canada, it should go, “May the cold winds never touch you.” After living in temperatures that approach 47°C in summertime, he’s having a hard time adjusting.

Since so many cab drivers are often professionals in exile, I asked him what he did before he came to Canada. He said that driving a taxi was his first job, not just in Canada, but ever. Assuming he was just out of school, I asked what he studied. Who knows? Maybe he was an aspiring doctor or engineer. “Not much,” he said, “I mostly just played cricket.” From a life of leisure in sunny Pakistan to driving a taxi in frigid Canada. I wish him well.