Transformations

When I first stepped off the bus into Nazareth, I was instantly gripped with this feeling of fear of being a Jew in an Arab city. I distinctly remember holding my bag closer to me and looking downward, speedwalking to the Inn. Having never been in such an environment before, I was unsure of who to trust and how to act. Because of the predominant Muslim population, I was soon drenched in sweat because I chose to wear jeans and a sweater despite the heat. Yet a mere week later, I have noticed drastic changes. I accept  the fact that I stick out like a sore thumb (an Israeli friend of mine calls me a glowstick because of my hair in the sun in contrast to the darker hair of the rest of the population) and smile at the regulars that I see every day.

What struck me deepest was an incident that occurred during my late night shift last night. A 30 year old woman and her mother came in later in the night asking if we had any rooms available. Saying yes, my co-worker was about to pick up the women's bags to take them to their room when both instantly tensed up and looked to me. It was clearly evident they were freaked that my co-worker (an Arab) was about to steal their bags. Feeling flustered, I instantly stammered that they should have no worries, the Fauzi Azar is an incredibly safe Inn. A second later, they snatched their bags away and guardedly peeked into the rooms. Constantly whispering to themselves and shooting glances at my co-worker, they skeptically interrogated me about the safety of the Inn. "Have their been any safety issues, any trust issues, can we knock off an extra 100 NIS from our room cost..." they asked. My first reaction was to be shocked at their impoliteness (my co-worker was born and raised here) but then I realized that this could have been me some time ago. It was last night that it finally dawned on me how comfortable I have grown here. 

However, no matter how many times I told them they had nothing to fear, they left the Inn to find another place. (Ironically, they felt safer ambling the empty alleys at 10:30pm than staying at an award winning Inn that was locked and secure...) My co-worker was beyond hurt and left early with tears in his eyes. 

So moral of the story...