Moving in waves

Friday day/il jum3a:
"Ya okht, ta3ali jambee...bideesh a kon jambha hay," the man said to me. We were both drops in the wave of people that was trying to push through Bab il 3omood. He was swimming next to two female tourists who were laughing at the mosh pit that had engulfed them. My Muslim brother was not having it. I obliged.

This azma was caused by a mixture of post-salat il juma3 Muslims trying to make their way home, vendors trying to make their way to their stands and to sales, and tourists just trying to make their way. It was not fun or funny. It was hot, I was still wearing my prayer garb, an 3abay and esharb (which made it even hotter), and I, along with the rest of my crew, was holding several bags of groceries and clothes that we had purchased in the souq.

Whatever dam had held us in was finally opened after several long minutes. When I saw the opening of Bab il 3omood, it was quite literally a light at the end of a tunnel, and a breath of fresh air.

Friday night/eve of Shabat:
We had returned from our pass through mukhayam Jalozon, evening trist at ZAMN, walk through ma7soomt Qalandiya, and bumpy bus ride back to Al Quds. It was time to kazdir to find an ATM and take a tour of Maisa's YMCA stomping grounds.

We walked right into a wave of people: Three Muslim-Arab girls walking toward the Old City; swells of Jewish familes, fresh from Temple, walking away. I quite literally felt like a salmon with a survivalist attitude, swimming against a current. The groups varied in size and gender, but all were donned in traditional Jewish/siknaj garb: black jackets and pants, curled hair, head coverings, long dresses. Everyone looked the same, save us.

The crowds walked freely and scattered in the fresh air--they were not held in by any invisible force as I had been after my prayer several hours earlier.

I wonder if anyone asked a comrade to switch places so that he or she would not accidentally brush up against one of us? Doubtful considering they had plenty of space to flow. And even if so, I would've been able to tell--many of them were speaking English.