I have to remind myself that it's going to take time to get used to this place, to meet people, to not feel cautious.
Yesterday I was feeling a bit lonely, missing my friends in Tel Aviv. Living in Nazareth is different from living on Kibbutz Barkai. I'm not with other Americans, although tomorrow, one of my co-workers said she would introduce me to an American girl who volunteers with another NGO - yay! In sha Allah she is cool and we can become friends.
Here, I am an ajnabiyya (foreigner), as a child yelled out to me on the street (he literally said "ajnabiyya"). It's not unsurprising and it's happened before, but I am reminded that here, I inevitably stick out, and I have to get used to it.
Luckily, most people are friendly when they ask why I'm here and I tell them studying Arabic because I want to be a translator.
I'm somewhat nervous that there won't be enough for me to do at my internship. I'll be working directly with the guy in charge of writing grants, but he's only there two days a week. I have to find ways to make myself useful. This morning, I spent time reading blogs about Israel/Palestine and publications by the NGO in order to become more familiar with it and the issues they deal with; in the afternoon, I asked the woman in charge of projects if she needed help with anything - and hip hip hooray! She needed assistance with a translation for a YouTube video. I felt like I accomplished something. The translation was challenging but not too long.
I'm trying not to appear like a kid who doesn't know what to do with herself, but on the other hand, I need to keep busy! I'll admit I'm a bit timid when I ask people in the office questions, like I don't want to bother them, but I'm trying to maintain my confidence and be helpful but not obsequious.
In sha Allah I can carve out a place for myself in the organization. I am trying to take things slowly and not be too hasty, to observe people before I approach them, as I have a tendency to be impulsive when I get nervous.
After work, I went to mass - in Arabic! - at the Church of the Annunciation. I understood small parts of the sermon, and certain words in the hymns, and of course "Ameen" (Amen) and "Salaam" (Peace). Everyone shakes hands just like in church back home. I took communion, which I don't think I've done in a long time.
It's interesting how people view geography here. I don't know the name of the street I live on, but I know that I live down the block from Halawiyyat al-Sadaaqa (a well-known bakery shop), and to get to the main street (whose name I also don't know, but everyone literally calls it "the main street"), I turn down one of the little alleyways and then walk downhill to reach the center of town.
When I asked my landlady for her address, she wrote down her husband's name and the name of the neighborhood they live in, and told me that if I get lost, just mention her husband's name and the area, and people will direct me where I need to go.
I also noticed that the dress code is a little more relaxed here than in Baqa al-Gharbiyya, the town where I used to practice Arabic near Kibbutz Barkai. I'm not sure I would feel comfortable wearing a tank top, but I saw some women wearing sleeveless shirts (not tank tops) and one girl on the street was wearing shorts. However, I think I'll continue to wear T-shirts and long pants.
This weekend I'm going back to Tel Aviv. ;-) As much as I like to say that I enjoy traveling and new places, it's also nice to experience the comfort of people and places that are familiar.
The view from my rooftop.
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