The Man Behind the Wheel

"Marhabaaaaa! Keifik?" Every time we climb into Munir's spotlessly clean taxi we are welcomed by this cheery greeting as he, always the gentleman, holds the door open for us. "My favorite part of driving is talking to the interns," he said. "Americans are always happy, and they always like to talk." This may not be news to anyone who has experienced Americans abroad, but neither is Munir's genuine interest in our lives surprising to me, as this open friendliness has become indicative of most of my interactions with Palestinians.

Munir has been driving interns all over Nablus (and the West Bank) for four years now, ever since TYO first opened in 2007. With each trip, he has taught us valuable lessons to use and build upon before our next journey with him. I learned quickly to listen carefully as, without fail, Munir always remembers to quiz you the next time you get into his car. "Hatha al-Diwar. Hatha hajiz. (This is the central circle. This is a checkpoint)." On my first grocery shopping trip, Munir decided to teach me the names of all the stores and the ever-necessary word "fatoora" or "receipt." Inevitably, on our very next ride to the store, I had my first vocab test, which I passed only after every word of "badee narooh ile mahal fouwaka (I want to go to the fruit store)" was drilled into my head. Ever since, whenever I call him up, he makes sure to correct my pronunciation and verb agreement, my unofficial Arabic tutor checking up on me. This has produced great results, as my halting Egyptian Aameya has slowly morphed into a more confident Palestinian form of colloquial Arabic.

So if it's our bi-weekly trips to Salfit to teach English (an hour round trip), a weekend trip down to Hebron, or a simple trip to the grocery store, Munir is there for the interns, ushering us through every leg of our discovery of Palestine. If one passenger even looks slightly concerned, whether we're eyeing a passing army vehicle or we're simply stuck in traffic, his immediate "Noooo problem!" always calms us down.

What lies ahead for our humble guide? "I will go wherever TYO goes. Anywhere they need me." So, future TYO interns, you can look forward for years to come to many long and interesting rides with the ever-charming Munir. Yaslamu li kiteer rihlat momtaza, ya Munir!