Jerusalem: Soaps

A Palestinian Family

Part V

If "Noor" was on TV, the house went completely still. Mom and Dad didn't like the Turkish prime time soap opera, but they watched. Mom still kept tabs on the plot even when she wasn't there. The boys dropped in for an update from their sisters. Salsabil pulled a chair right under the TV to watch glued and deaf to everything else. Mom and Dad's biggest concern about the soap? Muhanad and Noor, the two main characters live together unmarried.

Jerusalem: Wein Audrey?

A Palestinian Family
Part IV

Salsabil spoke Arabic very quickly to me, amused I couldn't always understand. She also spoke English, very loudly I should add. I don't think they realized how much Arabic I understood, though. One night Nusaiba, the mom, yelled at her kids, "Wein Audrey?! (pronounced Wayne)Wein Audrey?!" No one answered so I went to her and said, "I'm here." She looked startled and gave me a 'caught in the act' grin. She was asking where I was.

Jerusalem: Out-bridged

A Palestinian Family
Part III

Talaal and I became pals when I let him play my hand of Pit cards and showed him how to shuffle a bridge. Anwar and Ibrahim couldn't be out-bridged by their younger brother and I ended up with a lot of warped cards.

Talaal met me every day as I got off the shuttle coming home. I would ask him what he did that day. He quickly learned to keep it very simple and use hand gestures. "Leab" (play) he said then showed me things.

...to be continued.

Jerusalem: "You're Turning Green."

A Palestinian Family
Part II

Although my first night with the family was a little tense, the ice broke when I came home the second day with heat stroke. Salsabil says, "You're turning green. Do you need to go to the restroom?" For the next couple hours I ran back and forth to the bathroom. Once I even opened the door to the kids making gagging noises and giggling.

(no picture included...on purpose.)

...to be continued.

Jerusalem: A Friendly Parakeet

A Palestinian Family in Jerusalem
Part I

Ibrahim doesn’t feel completely comfortable with someone until his parakeet is walking on their head. Apparently that’s how the family bonds because they all, including their papa, seem to be pretty used to letting the parakeet perch there. And yes, staying in their home I, too, took a turn under the bird.

...to be continued.