Who would have thought the first time I got my face waxed would be in Palestine?

So, needless to say, life is different here. Very different. There are big divergences between Palestine and the US, like alcohol, or the prevalence of Islam, or contact with women, etc... The big societal differences. But there are also lots of other little things that go a long way in making one feel like a stranger. They can be creature comforts, or just different ways of doing little things, but they make big difference.

The other day I went to a small town outside of Jenin called Qabatia, where several of the people I have met here are from. We went to attend a wedding, which was totally fucking awesome. However, even wedding parties are gendered here. The men celebrate together, and the women celebrate together. At the men's celebration, there was a band and bright lights, and all the men, young and old, would dance around in a big circle. I am told that the women do no celebrate in such an "immodest" way, rather they hang around and eat and talk and sing songs.

Anyway, before the wedding, I went to a barber shop to get a shave. I've never gotten one in the states, because they're way too expensive. But in Palestine, it cost 15 shekels (about 4 dollars) to get a straight razor shave for my head and face. So, why the fuck not? First of all, the barber was both awesome and scary. This guy was talking on his cell phone, smoking a cigarette, and with his free hand was giving me a shave. With a fucking straight razor. I really wasn't sure whether I should be impressed, or worried that this guy was about to slit my throat. So the shave was done, and he pulled out some kind of gooey, lotion-ey substance that I thought was aftershave. That was until he rubbed it on my face, and it was sticky. And then in one forceful yank, much to my surprise, he pulled off what ended up being wax. I have to admit, I was shocked. It hurt. Like a bitch. Who shaves their face? Certainly not dudes, that's why we have razors. It was crazy. Afterwards, he didn't even give me any aftershave! I had to ask for some, and the guy was confused. After a few minutes on translation, he found a bottle. I asked my friend later whether this was common, and he's like "of course, it gives you much smoother shave!".

Whatever. Life is different here. As I said, very different. Another big difference: showering. Folks here don't shower with the frequency that we do in the U.S. I've taken two showers in 7 days. Holla! The first shower I took here was by far the most memorable shower I've ever taken in my entire life. The hot water in the building I'm staying in is broken (the water was off completely for the first few days I was here). My roommates asked me if I wanted to bathe, and I jumped at the chance, saying absolutely. I went into the neighbors bathroom where I was to shower, and there was a bucket of lukewarm water, and a cup, and that was it.  I drew the water from the bucket with the cup, and poured in over myself. It was super, super old school. I also have to say, it was quite difficult. Cleaning yourself without the benefit of any water pressure at all was a little challenging.

My second shower was at the house of a shepard (yes, a shepard, they still have those here) in the mountains of Qabathia. When people do have showers in their home, the water is heated with a small box mounted in the corner of the bathroom, and pipe leading to the shower head is connected to it. The water runs through it, and it heats the water, letting a very slow stream of warm water out the shower head. It's fine, except for the fact that this little box is electrically powered. Every time I accidentally touched the pipe, I got an electrical shock. Not just a shock, but a sustained electrical current. Every time I needed to grab the shower head, I got just a little bit electrocuted. I couldn't hold the shower head for more than 5 seconds, or else it would start to hurt really bad. I was kind of scared that I would die by electrocution while naked in the shower. If I die, I don't wanna go naked in a foreign country. However, I reasoned to myself, these take a shower in here pretty often, and they're not dead, so it should be good.

Whatever, life is different here. As I said, very different. I think I might have underestimated just how different it really is, and I might have overestimated my ability to integrate into and get used to a totally and completely different environment. I have never experienced the sheer amount of of culture shock that I am experiencing here. I have been fortunate enough to travel to many places in the world, but non of my other travels have prepared me for this experience. I've been to Iran, but I'm familiar with the culture, and I speak the language. Other than that, the closest I've been is Turkey, which is pretty westernized and "modern", as they say.

However, it's precisely these differences, big and small, that I came to see. And no matter how uncomfortable, they are still interesting, weird, wondrous, crazy, gross, strange, beautiful, and awesome. Stay tuned, more reports on Palestinian life to come.......