Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 06:43:06 -0700

Howdy from Jenin. Another quiet day, HamdAllah {thanks to God}.
Thought i'd take this time to tell you that Palestinians are hilarious people
who love to laugh and make jokes. Thats not something i knew before i came
here, but its really true.
I'll tell you a joke i heard here in Jenin. First a little background,
you know how neighboring regions everywhere always have funny mock
rivalries, jokes about each other? Ok, so Nablus is the biggest city in the West
Bank, and they have a funny rivalry with Jenin. The joke is: Why did the
man in Nablus take a glass of water AND an empty glass to bed with him?
Because he thought, "Maybe i will become thirsty in the night, but maybe I will
not." Then theres another one, slightly tasteless but all in good fun. "Do
you know how to save a drowning Nablus man?" Of course you answer no, and
the teller says "Good!"
But everywhere you in Jenin people are laughing and joking, unless
theres something particularly bad happening. I have made friends with these
cabbies who work out of a cab station by our apartment, i swear to God
you could make a TV show about these guys, they are so hilarious, makin fun
of each other and various politicians. For my benefit they always include
impersonations of various American celebrities and politicos, Arnold is
a favorite, as is Bill Clinton {guess what the jokes about him are?}.
They also like obesity oriented jokes about Sharon, and jokes about Bush
being clueless and confused. They save the best for Arafat though, with alot
non PC references to his shakiness from Parkinsons and the fact that nobody
knows where he's from, he just kinda appeared, which is bizarre but
true. Most of thejokes are at each other's expense, they even do the classic
thing me and my brother did, where when someone says something you repeat it
in tone, but in a whiny nonsense form.
Ok, sorry, just got a phone call, sorry, i gotta go, you'll have to
take my word for it, Palestinians like to laugh. Struggle, Ben, Jenin
PS Later I am going to Jenin Camp to lift weights, should be
intriguing.