Overheard

Another anecdote from my travels on Jerusalem's bus system:

Yesterday, I was on my way to Hebrew U, as usual. There was an American kid on the bus, probably a post-high school yeshiva student, who was asking for directions (in English) to "Sheshess Yumim" street. No one seemed to know where the street was, which confused the kid, who knew that it was a relatively main thoroughfare. He kept repeating it, "Sheshess Yumim," "Sheshess Yumim."

After a minute, I figured out that he wanted ששת הימים, which Israelis pronounce "Sheshet Ha-Yameem." The kid's yeshivish, Ashkenazi pronunciation was just totally incomprehensible to the people on the bus! Before I had a chance to intervene, the kid had managed to describe the area that he wanted, and he got off the bus at the correct stop.

But I was hard-pressed to keep from laughing.