Friday, August 22, 2008

uuuummmmm.....I Dunno

so anyway....I've been discovering some really interesting blogs...Israeli Blogs in English.It's so funny how there is such a broad spectrum of expats here but we can bond over our shared experiences in Israel.I remember when I first came to this country...first of all I was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of it. The breathtaking(literally) mountain views,the beaches,the Dead Sea, all these beautiful places.But I was also overwhelmed by the repeated questions to myself (and anyone who would listen!) like...............what the hell is WRONG with everyone here?..........why is everyone so STRESSED OUT?..........why is EVERYTHING so difficult?...........WHY are Israelis so RUDE?.......Nobody says PLEASE or THANKYOU!!!......why is everyone shouting???...WHY do they sell milk in plastic bags,just trying to get the flippin' thing open results in losing half the bag...! After 11 years you kind of get used to all that and it becomes..dare I say it...endearing!!! whenever I go back home to england now the first thing that really hits me now is the ORDER...yes,everything seems so civilized and ordered.I beam excitedly at shop assistants saying " oohh..thank you..thank you so much". Another thing is that it is so easy to drive because of the....ORDER. So now whenever I go home,it feels like a culture shock in reverse.In Nazareth we all basically live on top of one another,all the neighbours know eachother. You can here everyones arguments,everyones laughter , all the kids playing outside,the guy upstairs strumming his oud,the teenagers next door blasting out 50cent,families chatting together in the evenings,babies crying ....you name it....all the rich stuff of life. Now...... all of that used to actually drive me mad.I found it really difficult to understand how no one seemed to need any privacy. Basically, I grew up in a typical 1930's semi in a quiet Avenue,where everyone basically kept to themselves.In typical British fashion we'd all say "morning" or"hello" but that was about it.In Arab society it's actually considered impolite if you don't socialize with everyone and drink coffee and chat!!! So it really took some time to get used to although it still does drive me mad sometimes. but the funny thing is,is that when I went to England I actually started missing all that!! I remember thinking how odd and quiet it was at my parents house.......it really made me appreciate the sense of community here more.............................................

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've been here for 17 years and still get frustrated by the lack of personal space. It's like a completely unknown concept!