Fireworks? Gun shots?

So here I was this morning, walking to my Hebrew class and reading messages on my phone. One is from my sister, asking me to keep her updated more regularly because I live in a, as she put it, war torn place.

So I decide to send her a little video of my peaceful neighborhood as I am walking to school. That way she will be able to see how quiet and peaceful my direct environment is.

As soon as I push the record button on my phone, I hear loud bangs. In the past, long before the current havoc with Gaza, we used to hear sounds like these. But never this close.

I decide not to send my sister the video but send her a voice note in stead and try to make myself heard without the bangs.

In class, minutes later, it is hard to concentrate. The bangs get more frequent and even louder. What are they? Does this have anything to do with the police we saw galloping by on horses just hours ago? Or is it indeed fireworks, as my Arab Christian fellow classmate hisses in my direction when he sees my worried expression?

Then, I secretly, half tucked under my table,  check an incoming message from the expat forum. We keep each other updated about clashes, incoming rockets and other alarming every day occurrences in the Holy Land.

“In case some of you are wondering what all the loud bangs are about this morning”, it reads. I take a deep breath, finally, now I will know how far away these early morning clashes are from us.

Then it continues: “Today, Palestinian High School students throughout the country receive their year-end test results. Be aware there may be concentrations of students at various locations celebrating or bemoaning their scores. ”

And what do they use to celebrate and bemoan? They will shoot guns in the air and light up fire works. Awesome. Am I the only one who is jumpy enough to think this might have not been the most brilliant way to express emotions this week?

Probably. In the land where nothing is as it seems. I guess I am.