Driving on the roads can reveal the pathologies of a nation.
In the UK, people's anger and aggression all surface while driving the car in the form of road rage. Normally repressed, polite and understated, the British driver assumes a license to vent all his (or her) frustrations on the road.
In Israel, aggression pushiness and shouting is commonplace so the roads reveal a different type of pathology; egocentric, the average Israeli behaves as though he or she are the only person on the road. Ignoring other drivers or road signs, driving in Israel feels like playing Russian Roulette.
Having little consideration for the 'other' (any other) and being stuck in an ethnocentric world view has many other implications for Israeli society, some, on the 'micro' to do with the way people relate to one another in general, others, on the 'macro', to do with politics and the way one nation relates to the other.
My mother was discharged from hospital today with her own oxygen cylinder! After spending the long holiday weekend (4 days) by her bed side in a run down and soulless Tel Aviv hospital, my sister, father and I are relieved and happy that she is feeling much better.
After five weeks of not working (the longest 'holiday' ever) I treated my first patient today. I am very happy to be here.
Going to Givat Haviva to enroll on the Arabic course tomorrow and hoping to meet Thabet and Zeev (from New Horizon) next week in their Jaffa office. Will start my voluntary work after the Jewish Holidays and Ramadan.
Clare is feeling much better and thanks everyone for their love and support
2 comments:
Pleased to hear your mum and Clare are on the road to recovery - lets hope they don't meet the same drivers you've been encountering! It seems like you've had a tough few weeks so hopefully this is the start of the rest of the year.
Love and hugs from all of us here...
I wonder if you could contact me please Shi? Kindest regards Ashley
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