Workshops and Random Reflections

The first workshop with the younger group at Askar was very intense and I have to admit that for some moments today I have felt very lost. Our first group was a mixed group of super enthusiastic 9 year olds ...23 of them. Our classroom turned into a battleground for two hours. The energy that these children have is explosive and trying to catalyze it in activities can be tough. They were all very interested in me and Erik as if we were some sort of scientific experiment. We were literally 'under observation' all day.

To begin, we asked all the students to come look inside my bag and describe something good about what they saw. Inside the bag was a mirror, and they ended up telling something good about themselves. This was a good way for them to introduce themselves and for us to understand what they value. The most quoted qualities by far were being 'honest', 'strong' and 'a good friend'. Afterwards we played games in which sentences or words had to be expressed to others using gestures, drawings and miming. Yaz, our local translator did a very wonderful job helping us and at the end we were able to pull off a fun lesson focused on communication while teaching a great deal of vocab and pushing the children to express themselves in English.

Our second group was a group of ten thirteen year old boys. They were very smart and full of energy and working with them was easier because they were and more manageable [ed. note: please consider this the opinion of Gioel, though they were wonderful boys, their managability is debatale, -Erik]. I was amazed by how communicative they were despite the poor use of English and I felt that by the end of the lesson we had established a good bond.

On Wednesdays, the local and international volunteers at Project hope try to get together for a common dinner in the office and some sort of fun activity. Tonight we had a speaker from the local university coming to speak to us about the political situation in the West Bank. The reoccurring theme is the need for patience. The list of issues to be addressed are many and involve most importantly the refugee status and the future of the Israeli settlement. Freedom of movement, is probably the quintessential discussion theme of our days in Nablus. The theme comes up constantly in discussions with the local volunteers.

Palestinians are not allow to be 'tourists' and applying for visas is very hard. The first obstacle is one that we would hardly think of in Europe or in the US: reaching the embassy. In fact, Palestinians in the West Bank have to apply for permits just to go apply to a foreign embassy. Many of the local volunteers we interact with have been in contact with people from all over the world and are very open minded; still they see visiting their friend like as dream. Our Palestinian friend F. just came back from Europe. He was refused a visa many times and had to prove to have 20.000 euro in his bank account, which off course not many people can do. The most frustrating situation is being refused a permit to go to Jerusalem. For example, in order to obtain a Shengen visa, Palestinian need to receive invitation from more than one country and F. in fact obtained one from Germany, one from Italy and one from France.

How to fight the occupation? Tonight we watched the preview of a documentary that portrays a constructive response. The movie dealt with Palestinian Hip Hop as a form of fight and way to get the aggression in artistic form. The documentary followed Palestinian Hip Hop groups in both Gaza, Israel and West Bank highlighting how the artists on the two sides of the Palestinian Territories have trouble contacting each other. In fact, despite the relative small distance, Gaza from the West Bank seems very far away and many people living in Nablus have not seen Jerusalem which is 69 Km away. Check points are an obstacle that is real, concrete and powerful on many levels.

Per I Miei Lettori Italiani ;)

Ciao a tutti,
Come va?

Io qui me la spasso alla grande.

Ho un miglione di cose da dirvi e non so da dove iniziare.

Prima di tutto qua mi sento sicurissima. Vivo in un appartamento proprio davanti all'ufficio di Project Hope e l'istituto di Cultural Francese, pochi minuti a piedi dal centro della citta'. SIamo in tanti in appartamento e sotto di noi c'e' ne' un altro, in tutto saremmo 40 con 3 bagni, ma ce la caviamo. Tutti sono gentili e disponibili e i volontari locali sono sempre pronti a darci una mano e ci accompagnano sempre in giro. Erik riparte martedi' ed ora devo trovare qualcun'altro per aiutarmi a fare il progetto. Questa settimana ho fatto le mie prime lezioni. Ho 3 gruppi di eta' diverse. Lavoro sempre in un campo profughi che si chiama Askar ed e' vicino Nablus. Faccio lezioni d' arabo due volte a settimana e scambio lezioni di italiano per lezioni di arabo con uno studente locale.

La gente e' troppo brava. Ma troppo. C'e' un senzo di comunita' e di collaborazione che invidio molto ai Palestinesi.
Lo scorso weekend sono andata a Ramallah, a Gerusallem e Hebron. Muoversi e' un po' difficile perche' bisogna passare un check point Israliano ad ogni passo. La zona dove sto' e ' una zona importante per la West Bank occupata. Nablus e' una delle citta' piu' conservative della west bank e le volontarie locali sono le UNICHE che non si coprono la testa.

Fa un caldo cane, ma si sopporta bene..sarebbe meglio se potessi andare a maniche corte, ma non si puo'; qua le donne sono tutte coperte e dobbiamo andare pantalonilunghi e maglie a maniche lunghe. I ragazzi possono indossare t-shirt, ma pantaloni lunghi anche loro.
Tornando alla geografia locale. Nablus dista un paio dore massimo da Gerusallemme, pero' e' divisa dal muro e dai check point che rendono il viaggio complicato. Non si puop' fare senza passaporto. Nablus e' una citta' antica e bellissima. E' vicina al monte dove si dice Dio abbia dato i comandamenti. In tutta la citta' non si vende Alcol, e per bersi una birra si va dai samaritani, una piccola minoranza originale nel mezzo di un conflitto assurdo. I samaritani vivono in una montagna che sta' 10 minuti da Nablus e 3 soldati patetici controllano il passaporto anche per andare li.

Cmq la situazione e' migliorata nell'ultimo anno perche' l'initfada e' finita e ci sono meno piu' check point aperti. Per i palestinesi le cose restano molto difficili. Per avere un visto devono fare i salti mortali e dimostrare di avere tantissimi soldi in banca. Siamo ancora in completa occupazione.

Le persone pero' restano cordiali, e dicono sempre 'inshalla' cioe' 'se dio vuole'...lo dicono per tutto. TIpo. 'ci vediamo domani' , ' inshalla'. Le persone che ho conosciuto sono tutte molto pazienti. Cioe' come si fa a vivere in una zona occupata ed essere pazienti non lo so, pero' l'Islam aiuta molto, questo e' poco ma sicuro.

Noi 'occidentali' veniamo trattati benissimo. I bambini ci chiedono ' what's your name' mille volte al giorno. AH, ci sono tantissimi bambini, ogni famiglia ne ho 4 o 5 di media. Forse sono tutti questi bambini a rendere la citta' cosi' vivace e dinamica. Sono molto felice qui. Mi piacerebbe viverci per quento sono felice. C"e' un' aria buona e gli unici a rovianrala sono i soldati israeliani con le loro mitragliatrici enormi.

Beh' le cose non finiscono qui, ma ora iniziano le preghiere che risuonano per tutta la citta' sugli autoparlanti e creano un 'atmosfera magica. Mi sento in colpa stando al computer con questa quindi ora vado al balcone a contemplare il panorama. Per raccontare c'e' tempo, ma questi momenti di preghiera sono speciali.

Days not to be forgotten-

It is quite sad how often we tend to forget the simple but beautiful days of our life. Today was one of those I don't want to forget. Here is my day.
At Project Hope's office I gave an Italian lesson to a local volunteer and afterwards I found myself making soap boxes with other 15 people. The scene was very funny.
Two local volunteers enter the common room with a big box full of little carton boxes to be folded into soap boxes. They sit and while chatting start folding. I was on a couch next to them on my computer. After few minutes every single person who enters the room sits and starts folding boxes. From two the 'folders' become five. The floor is covered in boxes. In ten minutes the room is packed with people...and COVERED in green boxes.

What struck me was this sense of 'automatic participation' like when in a house somebody turns on the tv and sits on a sofa. Than passively somebody else joins in; there is no need for an invitation or comments. Nobody was asked to help today. People were just investing a little of their time in folding boxes while laughting. As the room filled with boxes, the air filled with a sense of light minded gayness and a sense of community that I very much envy about the Palestinian society.

After our boxing session, Erik and I took a cab with one of the local volunteers to Askar. Our first lesson to the Youth Center's staff was quite a success. We had three students: two older men and a 20 year old woman. After a 'placement exam' we had a little chat and our students presented themselves. H. is an accountant and he told us about his 5 children. One of them, 19 years old, was killed by Israeli soldiers in 2003. A. has 4 children and has a past as a soccer player, he is now apparently a referee and proudly showed us his 'FIFA referee ID card'. S . is attending her first year of computer science at the university. Apparently, a very high percentage of young girls finish university before they marry. The youth center, they explained, is operated completely by volunteers who are elected every two years.

When our time ran out at 7, our new students offered to teach us some Arabic while Erik and I tried to copy elegant symbols written from right to left. They offered us some delicious tea with fresh sage and then offered to drive us back home from Askar. In the ride they talked about Palestinians and how important it is for them that people like us (western) really understand that they do just want peace and freedom.

Every time Palestinians talk about their struggle with us, they do it with a sense of mindful calm, adding 'Alhamdulillah' which means something like 'All praise be to Allah'. I feel faith actually must help a lot in their position. I am programed to be rational and to 'pretend' justice and if I step in the Palestinian's shoes for a second, I just feel crazy. What would I do in their position? I don't mean this as a political statement; Objectively, life has been and still is very tuft for the Palestinians.

We arrived home feeling strange. How can these people make me feel so well with myself? They have the magic power to make me appreciate my existence through the pride they take in every day actions, like folding boxes in group, or talking about their life in English while sipping tea with some foreign kids.

Notes on Nablus

06/06/09 1:34 pm Nablus, Palestine

Lets step back for a second and talk about Nablus. We arrived in this amazing city on Wednesday afternoon, after traveling from Tel Aviv through Jerusalem. The first impression was very different from what I had expected. As soon as we got out of the cab, there was so much activity and excitement. I was amazed at how vibrant this city is. From what we read and hear in western news and media, they would give you the impression that this place is a wasteland, a war zone; however, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Whatever tragedies and terrible events have happened here in the past, this city has recovered so well from these events. Still, though, the Israelis continue to hold the city in a noose (albeit, a loose one, for the moment) and are able to shut it off at any moment, on any whim that they might have. Despite this, it seems like the Palestinian people really able to make the most of the situation and live their lives as best they can. There are so many here, of all ages that are eager to help and talk to us foreign volunteers. They are so excited to invite us into their community and offer us all that they have.

The city of Nablus is an amazing place. Our first day here, after checking-in and filling out paper work with Project Hope, we were given a tour of the old city of Nablus by Anas, a local Palestinian volunteer. Anas walked us through the Old City, which was a central point of conflict for Muslim resistance during the second Intifada in 2002. The Old City is so different from anything that I have seen in America or Europe, I am still trying to figure out where to place it, because it is so absolutely foreign. A maze of small streets and side passageways forms the core of the city. Market stalls line the streets, where you can find everything from cheap Chinese toys, to the most exotic spices that you can find. The smells and sounds are intoxicating and constant.

The main industry, and the most well known export of Nablus, is olive oil soap which is well known throughout the Muslim world. Where there used to be about 30 soap factories in the city, there are now only 2 still operating. Anas walked us by a square of rubble in the old city. He explained that this used to be one of the most important soap factories in Nablus, but during the Israeli counterattack, they bombed the foundations, effectively structurally crippling the building. After the Intifada, the local leadership finished the demolition for safety reasons.

After this sobering image, we stopped at a street stall to sample the local delicacy: Kanafeh. Kanafeh is a local sweet that is make from sweetened white cheese covered with a pastry noodle (??,that’s what Wikipedia says) with the top dyed red. It is a very interesting taste, with the flavor of sugary syrup, I guess, and very, very heavy. One piece is plenty.

Everywhere we go we face looks, mainly of curiosity, and rarely of aggression. We did get some bottle caps thrown at us the other day by some young boys. But I think this behavior, which is very rare, is reflective of curiosity and ignorance rather than aggression, at least they were laughing at it. The vast majority of interactions are very positive and enlightening exchanges

**On a side note, as I am typing this, the Israeli air force just decided to make sure we’re all awake and flew an F-16 sortie over the city. You know, coming from Omaha, I’m quite used to hearing military aircraft flying over the city, but it is a very strange feeling when you think that they are coming from the “other side.”

Rock Star and Diplomat-

The amount of inputs I received in the last days is so enormously high that putting it in black and white is an Herculean challenge. In this corner of the world that people in Europe and America connect in their head to words like 'conflict' I just cannot stop smiling. I feel connected to the people around me with an electric cord and the energy I get on the street, at Project Hope and in the apartment is vibrant and positive.

Today we had the first meeting in the Askar Refugee Camp. Erik and I took a cab with the one of the project managers of PH, an amazing and super communicatice Palestinian woman. At our arrival we were served juice by three men head of the Askar Youth Center. We sat around a long table and I was asked to present our project. The PH program director was translating the explanation in Arabic as I explained the aims of our project and gave some examples of the activities we propose. We set up a definite schedule and were asked to give English lessons to the Youth Center's staff. Having somebody translating what I said was quite thrilling...
Afterwards, we went to meet the children. They were doing some activity in the camp's gym and at our arrival they all surrounded us and at least 10 of them offered their hand to shake asking 'How are you?' and 'what is your name?' with big smiles. A group of 9 to 11 years old boys performed for us an energetic group dance. In a day, I felt for the first time like both a diplomat and a rock star and I think we both left the camp excited to go back tomorrow, right Erik?

Cultural Shock

First Day in Nablus and Honeymoon Phase.

If I had enough energy, I would write a book just about today. My head is overloaded of information and my clothing damp with sweat. I will do my best before my first impression gets confused with my second one.

The day started early and the ride was smoother than we expected. We caught a cab to the central station of Tel Aviv and then hoped on a sherut taxi to Jerusalem. We spent little time in Jerusalem and my observations are probably very superficial. I missed the wind that made my hat fly away from my head in Tel Aviv; without it, the sun feels hotter and heavier. Jerusalem is crowded and I lost all my minerals during the little walk we did with our big backpacks from the cab to Damascus Gate. We drove to the Nablus check point with a fun Israeli-Palestinian who sounded very excited about us going to Nablus. In fact, with an Israeli passport he cannot enter the Nablus himself. As we were driving away from Jerusalem, he told us about his family and he explained to us that on the left of the big freeway we were driving on live the Arabs, on the right the Jews. Also children attend different schools, and that is just the way it is.

We had read that we are supposed to walk through the check point by foot and then hop on another cab on the Palestinian side. Surprisingly, our taxi driver just stopped in a parking lot and told us to hop in another cab. While we were nervously waiting for the check point, we arrived to Nablus. The second cab driver spoke no English but had a very communicative use of his ten fingers. We bargain the price and got to the city center. Going from Nablus to Tel Aviv is quite a weird transition. Under this crazy sun, women wear long black dresses and their heads are covered.

Project Hope is like a family, and all the people we met today had a vibrant, positive energy. We dropped our bag at the office, signed some papers and discussed our project in more details with a young woman. They sounded excited about our project and we learned that we will be working with the children and teenagers at the Askar refugee camp. We will have three age groups: 9-11, 12-15 and 16-20. We will go visit the camp on Sunday, after the weekend that here is Friday and Saturday. The actual workshops will start on Monday.

We thought we were done for the day and looked forward to a nice shower… Instead, we got a tour of the city by a local volunteer. He was very friendly and happy to talk about his life. He studies English literature at the local university but he wants to become a professional translator.

Back to the Project Hope office we were given a short lesson on things we need to know about Nablus. The project coordinator explained to us that just a generation ago, women in Nablus ‘would wear short skirts’. He added that ‘The intifada and the latest Israeli invasion left people with nothing left other than religion’. We are also not supposed to talk about it during our workshops, or at least do very subtly.
The rest of the day game me euphoria (I am still trying to come down from this Honeymoon state).

After the meeting we visited our apartment which is a crazy house right in front of project hope’s offices. The evening included a concert with local musician in the French cultural Center, right next to Project Hope’s building. In the evening we met a lot of local volunteers and had chats about little things while we waited for the sun to go down. Nablus is just magical, (I cannot stop saying it) and I spent the evening with a deep state of well being that I had not felt in a while.

The evenings here end at around 11, the city gets too dangerous after this time. I share a dirty room with 3 girls and in the whole apartment there are around 30 people. We have one bathroom for girls, and one for the boys, only. People here come from all over the world and are all ‘special’ in some way. The house is covered with books of all sorts. I will turn around and give you some titles just to give an idea: ‘English-Arabic dictionary’, ‘This Week in Palestine’, Open call of proposal from the Eu ‘the Occupied Palestinian Territory’, ‘Hebron, Restriction of Palestinian Movement’, ‘the World’ s Most Dangerous Places”…and so on. All the volunteers are very friendly, passionate, and ‘into it’, very into it. Most of them know people, or have themselves been harassed by Israeli soldiers and they really feel for the Palestinian people. I arrived in the middle of a conversation about how humiliating, mean and just (quote on quote) ‘fucking inhuman’ the Israeli soldiers can be. I have troubles good and evil analysis… it is just not that easy to me. I was listening quietly for a while about people being stopped and mistreated for hours at the border, about 17 years old Israeli with big guns beating up 60 years old Palestinian man…than I got in the conversation. I was trying to see it from the Israeli’s point of view. However, the odium is so deeply rooted…it escalated with every violent episode. It is hard to be diplomatic here in Palestine. So hard because people feel it on their skin and each person has its own experience and it is through these lenses they perceive reality.

Today, as we were walking to the old city, the local volunteer showed us a destroyed house. It was just in the middle of the city and it was destroyed in 2002, by Israeli bombing. A whole family was killed, 4 children included. In front of the house there is a memorial, translated also into English. In big letters stands the sign ‘Never Forget… Never Forgive…’. In the back of my head my conscious tells me that this is destructive energy, but I cannot talk. I cannot talk because I don’t understand and because my house will probably never be bombed. My opinion stands in a limbo between feeling the Palestinian’s pain and wanting to find a way to think more rationally.