I’m sitting half naked surrounded by a group of Palestinian women, many of whom would traditionally be covered with a hijab and jilbab. It feels very much like I’ve stepped into some hidden world. It’s 100 degrees (40 Celsius), and I’m sweating and drinking hibiscus tea in a hammam steam room in Ramallah, Palestine. The women are all singing and clapping. I can’t tell if this is the normal hammam experience or if they are celebrating an engagement or impending wedding. It’s an odd experience to be sitting with them like this. All of us sweating half naked as they celebrate and we attempt to speak and interact. My broken Arabic isn’t getting me far but we laugh and smile at each other through the steam anyways.
