The "wrong" side of town

I took a very late bus from school last night. My classes on Mondays and Wednesdays end at 9:30 pm (oy!) and sometimes I have to take the bus back to Jerusalem when I can't get a ride from a fellow student. Last night was one of them, but it was an unusual ride for me:

Firstly, when I got on with a few of my fellow students, I noticed that about 80% of the bus was charedi, often called "ultra-orthodox." I recognized the men by their black suits, black hats and of course long beards. Most of the women were too, wearing what we in Israel call "modest dress," consisting of skirts down to the ankles, 3/4 length or long-sleeved shirts, and a hat or hair covering if married. This type of dress I see all the time in Jerusalem, but usually not all in one place...unless I'm in the "wrong" side of town.

Enthralled by the latest mystery read, I had failed to notice that now I was the ONLY non-charedi on the bus by the time we reached central Jerusalem. Again, a bit odd, but I wasn't bothered by it. Then, the bus ride became very different.

Usually, but bus makes two or three stops in Jerusalem before stopping at the central bus station. This time, however, the bus took us on streets and into neighborhoods that I didn't recognize. And the bus seemed to make a stop every few streets to let people off. It wasn't the usual way through town.

The neighborhood we passed through looked very old. Even interesting to me. Then I noticed that everyone walking on the street or waiting for a bus was charedi. And the streets were really busy with people. At every stop, more charedi on the bus exited, until there was only me. And I began to panic a bit. I thought, "oh my god, I think I'm in Mea Shearim. Or some place like that. I cannot get off here." I was not dressed "modestly" at all -- with my capri pants and short sleeves, not to mention scoop-neck shirt. I panicked, thinking, "this bus ends in Mea Shearim. Then, I'll have to get off, and shortly thereafter I'll be stoned to death." Seriously. (I had just been reading a mystery, which upped my paranoia level.)

I moved up to the seat behind and asked in my simple Hebrew, "we go to the central bus station, yes?" He said "yes," but I truly didn't believe him. I think, no, he's dumping me in Mea Shearim as a joke on Americans.

Anyway, you should guess that I arrived at the bus station just fine, but with this adventure behind me. I have no idea why this was the "charedi bus," but it was. And I thought a lot about how some parts of town are the "wrong" parts of town, whether you live in Boston, Houston, Lexington, or Jerusalem. "Wrong" just depends on who you are on the bus, right?