Vignettes from the pharmacy waiting line

This evening, I went to the pharmacy to pick up a few prescriptions. Here are a few vignettes from my time standing in line:

Despite the take-a-number system that they have implemented, there is always someone who tries to argue why he or she should be served in spite of having neglected to take a number! This provokes a somewhat heated argument every time, but it always cools down before long.

Someone mentioned Obama's big win in the U.S., and a small political discussion ensued (all in Hebrew, of course!). Everyone seemed surprised when I told them that I had voted(also in Hebrew, although I later realized that I had said בחרתי bakharti, "I chose", instead of הצבעתי hitzba'ti, "I voted" -- the word בחירות b'khirot, "elections", does, however come from the same root as the verb "to choose"), since Israeli citizens who live abroad (or even who happen to be traveling abroad on election day!) cannot vote!

A man wearing a kippah (so he must be Jewish) went up and warmly embraced the head pharmacist, an Arab (most the pharmacists in our local pharmacy are Arabs), with kisses on both sides. Would that "Peace" could actually be that easy!

The same head pharmacist a little later was patiently serving a couple of Ethiopian women, one with a baby wrapped onto her back. He carefully explained to them how to take the medicines correctly. I think they were able to get the Hebrew well enough to understand what he had told them, too!

Another Ethiopian woman, also with a baby wrapped on her back, was still waiting in line while I was being served (by another Arab pharmacist). Her baby began to cry a bit, but when I looked at him and made faces, it distracted him, and he quit crying. I might add here that, although I don't think this woman even noticed much what I was doing, if women do notice that one is paying attention to their children here, they do NOT become paranoid and wonder if the person is some kind of weirdo. Instead, they smile and seem genuinely happy that someone cares about their children!