Moments: Week 1 & 2

1) An old man was crossing the street with his bike and ran into a car that was slowly making a right turn. The man fell off his bike and within seconds he was surrounded by 4 other men who first helped him up (he wasn't hurt), they picked up his bike and all the items that fell out of his basket, moved them to the sidewalk, and then proceeded into what became a huge screaming match between the driver, biker, 4 random helpers, 1 bystander and a waitress from the nearby restaurant (where I was sitting). Everyone, in the middle of a very busy intersection, screaming at each other, taking sides, arguing about who's at fault, what each should have done, cars honking and so on. This continued for about 10 minutes and then they all went on their way, with no resolve. A bit nuts, but at least they are expressing some emotions. This is one of the most striking things about this country which I noticed instantly. People are not afraid to talk to each other, from an old lady who asks for help to check her mailbox (because she was too short - so cute), to random people yelling "I like your hat", to people complaining about a line up in the post office, to people haggling for a lower price in the market, to a couple having a heated debate about religion. I've had people start talking to me at random almost every day... and they're not all trying to get into my pants! It's refreshing.

2) I walked into a bike store on Friday around 6pm. The door was open but there was no one at the counter. I peaked into the back where it said "do not enter" and there was a man standing with his back to me talking to someone. I said excuse me a couple of times, and when he finally turned around, he was holding a bong that he was sharing with someone. He seemed very happy and said "sorry we're closed". I asked quickly in hebrew, "I just wanted to know if you carry used bikes" and another man (out of my sight) replied in a thick russian accent "no just new bikes". So I replied in russian, "ok, thank you". And the hidden man (probably also stoned) shouted back in a loud happy tone: "YOU ARE VERY VERY WELCOME! SHABAT SHALOM TO YOU AND EVERYBODY". I had a good chuckle and went on my way.