Week Two Review (Pt 2)

I forgot a few things last night that I would like to mention...

The traffic in Palestine is crazy, but in a really neat way. Everyone drives standard and there are steep hills everywhere. Many of the streets through the main parts of the city are one way, and for good reason because there is often two to three inches of extra space to fit through many spots. It is common to see vehicles jostle for position, only to have to tuck in their mirrors to get passed parked cars. It all looks very disorganized until you know the rule. If you get there first, you have right of way. This goes for pedestrians too, but only on the smaller streets. Honking doesn't work either, because many people honk to let their friends know they are nearby. It is common to see people shaking hands through rolled down windows. The taxis also honk to let you know they are there, which isn't as bad as it sounds. I remember the South African ones being much more annoying.

The greeting in Palestine is done in two ways. Either a handshake or a semi-hug with a few (2-3) kisses on the cheek. Because I have been following Zoughbi around and he seems to know everyone that we see, I think that I have shook around 150 hands in the last two weeks. Yes, over ten hands per day. The Palestinian handshake is a bit of a strange greeting for my upbringing because it is disarmingly weak. It's sort of like the handshake that you would receive from a Westerner who though they had to be polite, but wanted to make sure you know they don't think you're worth their time. It also doesn't have a set time limit. Mine have ranged from extended high-fives to partial interdigitation.

Finally, I was shown this video by one of my coworkers. I think it's pretty educational.