My friend from Bangladesh is a nuclear technologist who works for the same company I work for as a medical assistant. I met him many years ago, and since then, we have established a good work partnership, as well as a friendship, which has granted us the freedom to talk about many topics, like sports, food, customs, politics, and inevitably, religion, although I am not a religious person.

He told me the capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka, and the currency is the taka. Cricket, a bat and ball game played between two teams of 11 players, is his favorite sport. He also likes soccer, baseball, tennis, and many other sports, and we comment on the U.S. Open and World Cup soccer, which we both call football. When he tries to talk about boxing, I always reply that I don’t like boxing, and personally, I don’t consider it a sport. As regards food, he likes hilsa fish curry—with Bangladesh’s national fish—and lentils and spicy rice with chicken or lamb, which I understand are halal (permissible) foods. In politics, we agree that Donald Trump is a joker. Regarding customs, I learned from him that Ramadan, celebrated by Muslims, is a holiday month that follows the lunar calendar, and according to that calendar, Ramadan can be celebrated any month, depending on the year. That is different from the Christian celebration of Christmas, which is always in December.

I notice that sometimes he takes a break during his lunch hour to pray, following the Muslim traditional custom of bending his knees, body and head to the floor, while extending his arms to the front. He knows that I am not a religious person, but he refers to me as a good man, and I also think he is a good man. We don’t always need to think the same way to live in harmony.

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Luis A. Loli, age 58, born in Peru, immigrated to the United States in 2001. He writes, “I like to play the guitar, read books, share moments with my family, sing, and laugh. I am a fan of Universitario de Deportes, the best Peruvian football team.” Luis A. Loli attends the Queens Public Library’s Elmhurst Adult Learning Center. James McMenamin is his writing teacher, and Michelle Johnston is the center manager. Luis A. Loli was published in LR17 and read at the Celebration.