Saturday, October 18, 2008

Common People, Part I

" ... I want to live like common people
I want to do whatever common people do
I want to sleep with common people
I want to sleep with common people like you
Well what else could I do?
I said I'll see what I can do

I took her to a supermarket ..."

Well, the supermarket in Israel is a nice anthropological experience and I'd love to share this kind of experience with you someday. However, you can also go the ministry of interior. Or take the bus. Or just go to the doctor if you prefer:

A man with a tracing bracelet on his ankle enters the clinic. His name is Dror Ohana [yes, just like one of the known mafia families in Israel]. He brings along his ugly little dog, cheeco. Hanit, the receptionist, asks him to keep his dog outside of the clinic, since dogs are not allowed. Dror Ohana wants to see the dermatologist [this bracelet must have given him a rash…]. Hanit explains that he's fully booked for today and over the next few weeks he's on vacation. It makes Dror Ohana pretty angry that he cannot see the doctor today and wonders out loud: "I can't understand, why on earth is the doctor going on vacation when so many people must see him?!" [if only I knew, I would have given up my GP appointment and go to the dermatologist as well!]

Then he calls the information center asks for an appointment with the nearest dermatologist. He also puts the phone on loudspeaker, of course, while he was waiting [I believe it’s highly uncomfortable o use his mobile as a handset]. He pays no attention to Hanit, who demands he would not make these calls here or at least not on speaker. And since cheeco was still inside the clinic, she added that this is not the place for dogs!
But Dror Ohana says that no one could watch after cheeco, so he had to bring him along. Also, he cannot be left outside, unaccompanied! Then he adds: “Besides, if you were willing to help me and let me in today, I wouldn't have done that. This is all your fault so stop complaining!”

While Dror Ohana is holding [the information call center. remember?], Cheeco is chewing his lace, tearing it, and now he's free to wander around the clinic. Dror Ohana is still on the phone, but now he’s speaking to a representative who's trying to schedule an appointment for him [with another dermatologist. Remember?]. When he's done, he loudly asks all the people in the clinic: “Where is Ezorey Hen?”
Everybody is staring at him, but nobody answers.
“Where is Ezorey Hen? Nobody knows?!”

The receptionist asks him again to take the dog outside of the clinic. But then Dror Ohana discovers that Ezorey Hen is too far for him and he doesn't know how to get there, so he has to call again, to shout at the representative and schedule an appointment to another closer dermatologist.

After taking out his anger on the current representative, he gets a new appointment, to another dermatologist, who’s not on a vacation when most people need to see him!

Then Dror Ohana turns to cheeco, discovering the torn lace. “You ate your lace again?! Why? It’s a new one, bought it yesterday! You bad dog, this cost me 20 Shekels! OK, let’s go, Hanit doesn’t like us and don’t want us here.”

And then Dror Ohana, Cheeco, the ankle and the bracelet left the clinic and things became quite boring again.