Part II
Twelve sets of eyes
greeted me. Most of them were Arabic, but two were fair-skinned representatives and two looked like they were from a hippy establishment.
All were seated in a clean, quiet, air-conditioned waiting room. It was modern. On the far side of the wall was a small aquarium. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought I was back in the States.
All were seated in a clean, quiet, air-conditioned waiting room. It was modern. On the far side of the wall was a small aquarium. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought I was back in the States.
Trying to find the
admitting window was another thing. I walked here and there, hoping my confusion would raise a little aid. I finally
asked someone, a kibbutznik I would talk to later. She told me to give my name
to the wife, who just happened to come out at that moment.
I rushed to her in my eagerness to get on the list, practically knocking her over. I didn't want to get left behind due to a 'misunderstanding'.
It was the only complaint of the auburn-haired, tie-die wearing, yoga teacher. She was a member of a kibbutz and had taken her children to Dr. Jaber since they were small.
"First come first serve," she said. It meant you could look forward to a 4-hour wait sometimes. "He is so good. Why couldn't he just include appointments into his system?'
I rushed to her in my eagerness to get on the list, practically knocking her over. I didn't want to get left behind due to a 'misunderstanding'.
It was the only complaint of the auburn-haired, tie-die wearing, yoga teacher. She was a member of a kibbutz and had taken her children to Dr. Jaber since they were small.
"First come first serve," she said. It meant you could look forward to a 4-hour wait sometimes. "He is so good. Why couldn't he just include appointments into his system?'
 |
| 2 hours later - In the Dentist Office Waiting Room |
Dr. Jaber’s wife
was the main administrator. Silent as the grave and fore-boding in her black burka she
glided in and out of the main room with a faint smile.
I waited for about
two hours before my name was called. Seven patients later, I got to go down that
mysterious hallway behind the fish tank. The well put-together
waiting room had served its purpose. I was significantly anxious and relaxed before I would go 'under'.
What came next really made me smile!
What came next really made me smile!
When I walked into
the dental office, the dentist chair was pink. The walls were painted a sunny Italian, stucco-yellow and there were pictures of Tuscany hanging here and there.
Everything was thoroughly modern. A crystal chandelier even rounded-out the ambiance
with a window opening to a green yard in the back.
 |
| Pink Dentist Chair with matching rinse bowl |
 |
| A piece of Italy in his office |
Before I knew it, there was
the man himself. Dr. Jabar. (you will just have to imagine a kind, be-speckled man, a little shorter in stature with a 'busy-bee' mode of operandi.
I was expecting a
much older fellow. Our banquet hall manager--who already looked 45-50,
said this Dr. Jaber was his uncle. However, this being Muslimland, siblings
from 2-4 mothers, could create an assortment of age-levels in brothers and
sisters. Nephews and uncles could be similar ages.
Sufi was one of the
most accommodating staff members with which the volunteers would interact. (We
only saw Yad Hashmona staff at meals. This made every interaction impacting. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
Sometimes we felt like an imposition—an after-thought. ‘Oh, you need to eat?' We have to feed the volunteers too? On top of all our duties, we need to make sure these extras have a hot meal?’
I heard from one volunteer, that when the college students (of an IBEX theology program hosted at Yad Hash) went home, the kitchen pretty much just served hot dogs—with a side of rice. Not too cool, Y8.
(To note: I couldn't really whole-heartedly recommend their volunteer program. Mainly because, we hardly got to spend any time with native Israeli's. Secondly, because it seemed like we were an after-thought.)
Nobody wants to feel like an after-thought when you're working really hard to bless a place and a nation that you have prayed for so much, spent your own money to get there and live on, workin housekeeping through rain or shine and in winter it is dark and cold as soon as you get off, and nobody seems to care.)
You work alongside of some of the most amazing people though. They are from all different countries and backgrounds. But you wish your host organization knew how this experience would reflect on your experience in Israel. You want to have only high thoughts towards the country you are visiting and love everything about it.
There were many kind strangers. I just don't think that many people knew about our situation. How alone you can feel when you are in a new place and dependent on someone else for your basic needs--at least in the beginning. There is alot more to say on this whole topic.
There was one young Israeli man who lived on the kibbutz that everyone loved! He was made the new volunteer coordinator sometime later. He hung out with the volunteers, went to a fellowship in Jerusalem and they all did alot of activities together. They got to discover Israel through a real Isreali.... A great fit. Poor guy, I bet every one of the girls is in-love with him by the end of their time there.
Thus, when ‘Sufi's, ‘Welcome! Welcome!’ filled the air, it was such a relief! We were there at the right time and there was food to eat. To be welcomed to dinner. What a pleasant surprise. You see, sometimes there was a bar mitzvah or a wedding or a company appreciation dinner going on in the banquet hall where we ate and we would be hurried out or told to come a little later or 'why didn't you come earlier!?' (Yes, these were some of the crazy things we worked through while vol-ing at Yad Hashmona. (Food was a big one along with visas and volunteer trips, etc. .....)
Sometimes we felt like an imposition—an after-thought. ‘Oh, you need to eat?' We have to feed the volunteers too? On top of all our duties, we need to make sure these extras have a hot meal?’
I heard from one volunteer, that when the college students (of an IBEX theology program hosted at Yad Hash) went home, the kitchen pretty much just served hot dogs—with a side of rice. Not too cool, Y8.
(To note: I couldn't really whole-heartedly recommend their volunteer program. Mainly because, we hardly got to spend any time with native Israeli's. Secondly, because it seemed like we were an after-thought.)
Nobody wants to feel like an after-thought when you're working really hard to bless a place and a nation that you have prayed for so much, spent your own money to get there and live on, workin housekeeping through rain or shine and in winter it is dark and cold as soon as you get off, and nobody seems to care.)
You work alongside of some of the most amazing people though. They are from all different countries and backgrounds. But you wish your host organization knew how this experience would reflect on your experience in Israel. You want to have only high thoughts towards the country you are visiting and love everything about it.
There were many kind strangers. I just don't think that many people knew about our situation. How alone you can feel when you are in a new place and dependent on someone else for your basic needs--at least in the beginning. There is alot more to say on this whole topic.
There was one young Israeli man who lived on the kibbutz that everyone loved! He was made the new volunteer coordinator sometime later. He hung out with the volunteers, went to a fellowship in Jerusalem and they all did alot of activities together. They got to discover Israel through a real Isreali.... A great fit. Poor guy, I bet every one of the girls is in-love with him by the end of their time there.
Thus, when ‘Sufi's, ‘Welcome! Welcome!’ filled the air, it was such a relief! We were there at the right time and there was food to eat. To be welcomed to dinner. What a pleasant surprise. You see, sometimes there was a bar mitzvah or a wedding or a company appreciation dinner going on in the banquet hall where we ate and we would be hurried out or told to come a little later or 'why didn't you come earlier!?' (Yes, these were some of the crazy things we worked through while vol-ing at Yad Hashmona. (Food was a big one along with visas and volunteer trips, etc. .....)
 |
| Friday Brunch in The Banquet Hall of Yad Hashmona (Their brunch could be on a Come See Israel! advertisement) |
ANYWAY. ...Meanwhile, back in the dentist’s office, what amazed me more than the good fortune of knowing a manager related to a dentist in the Holy Land, was how this relative was the DENTIST VERSION of my favorite banquet manager. Efficient, hospitable, moving in 4 directions at once with total ease, they were mirror images of each other in their respective professions.
One of the first
things Dr. Jaber did was welcome me to Israel and ask me if I liked it here. I
did. (Aside from some Yad hash let-down, I was really happy to be in Israel.)
The Arabic music in the background was soothing. He even would have changed it if I favored another style, but I wanted to breathe in all of this cultural exchange.
He then asked about my tooth. He took a look at my broken molar and within seconds got to work. He could have done the whole job without Novocain, but because of my nerves I must have had some.
The Arabic music in the background was soothing. He even would have changed it if I favored another style, but I wanted to breathe in all of this cultural exchange.
He then asked about my tooth. He took a look at my broken molar and within seconds got to work. He could have done the whole job without Novocain, but because of my nerves I must have had some.
 |
| Do we have nitrous oxide outlets in the US? |
It couldn't have
been 30 minutes later and he was all done. He had created half a new tooth for the part that had come off. He even filled in a filling next to it (at no cost!) to match the tooth next to it. Our conversation gave me a quick glimpse into life as
an Arab-Israeli culture as well.
He did all this with complete confidence—not causing me any undo pain or discomfort and gave me an amazing discount as a volunteer. ( some volunteering has benefits. :] )
What a professional. After wishing me well, he was off! working on the cavities of a patient next door before his chair even stopped spinning.
He did all this with complete confidence—not causing me any undo pain or discomfort and gave me an amazing discount as a volunteer. ( some volunteering has benefits. :] )
What a professional. After wishing me well, he was off! working on the cavities of a patient next door before his chair even stopped spinning.
He must have
treated 60 people in one day. No problem. He told me to talk to his wife (when I
finished rinsing and spitting) as she would take care of my bill.
I didn't have that many shekels with me. I hoped it would be enough. After checking with her husband, his secretive-smile secretary and wife handed me a copy of the bill--400 shekels! That is equivalent to $100 American dollars! An un-heard of price in any country!
I couldn't believe it! It was a gift. Dr. Jaber, the banquet manager’s uncle, had really helped me out. And the Big Guy had really taken care of me. It was all the money I had with me too. An amazing discount for a shekel-strapped volunteer.
I wish I could have hugged him. As it was, I didn't even get to give him a last thank you. I had some candy with me so I gave it to his daughter's children sitting in a car outside.
But you can bet that the next time I am in Israel, I am going to make a special trip to bring him the best delicacy that Portland, Oregon, has to offer. I love Dr. Jaber. My Arab Dentist.
I didn't have that many shekels with me. I hoped it would be enough. After checking with her husband, his secretive-smile secretary and wife handed me a copy of the bill--400 shekels! That is equivalent to $100 American dollars! An un-heard of price in any country!
I couldn't believe it! It was a gift. Dr. Jaber, the banquet manager’s uncle, had really helped me out. And the Big Guy had really taken care of me. It was all the money I had with me too. An amazing discount for a shekel-strapped volunteer.
I wish I could have hugged him. As it was, I didn't even get to give him a last thank you. I had some candy with me so I gave it to his daughter's children sitting in a car outside.
But you can bet that the next time I am in Israel, I am going to make a special trip to bring him the best delicacy that Portland, Oregon, has to offer. I love Dr. Jaber. My Arab Dentist.
 |
| My view from the dentist chair - His chair (unseen) is still spinning to the right |
A Side Note:
Mid-way through the dental process—probably while waiting for a composite to solidify--he mentioned how the Arabs and Jews in this land were friends. There is all this media talking about the fighting and the conflicts, but Arabs and Jews have lived together in peace for many years right in the same neighborhoods. For all the media frenzy about Palestine and Israel, there is so much camaraderie and dwelling together-ness.
The reality of living in the Middle East is buying your bread from the Jewish guy on the corner when it's Friday, and you're Arab, and going to Farid's coffee shop on Saturday when you're Jewish, celebrating Shabbos, and all the Jewish shops are closed. Celebrating each other's weddings, grieving at each others' funerals, sharing sorrows and joys--and life in humid weather and high gas prices...
They are two halves of the same coin. Cousins, brothers. Sons of the same Father. Abraham.
The reality of living in the Middle East is buying your bread from the Jewish guy on the corner when it's Friday, and you're Arab, and going to Farid's coffee shop on Saturday when you're Jewish, celebrating Shabbos, and all the Jewish shops are closed. Celebrating each other's weddings, grieving at each others' funerals, sharing sorrows and joys--and life in humid weather and high gas prices...
They are two halves of the same coin. Cousins, brothers. Sons of the same Father. Abraham.
love you story. And to answer your question... nitrous oxide outlets do exist in the good ol' USA to :o) We tried to get them to pipe it into our new building but they refused :o( Now we have to get it in a tank instead.
ReplyDelete