Land

Today I went to a beautiful area about 20 minutes south of Bethlehem. Although beautiful, it is an area of conflict. An extended family owns a large piece of land that is surrounded by settlements. The Israelis want the land, and the family has been in and out of court for years in an effort to keep their land. They are not allowed to build structures on it, so they have dug caves out of the hillsides. If the land is not in use, it is evidently easier to confiscate, but when permits for construction are denied, how can it be used? I went with a group of Palestinian young adults to support the family. We met the owner of the land and planted grape vines. It was more of a symobolic gesture of standing in support of the family than in helping further the agricultural use of the land, and it was a wonderful experience for me to meet others and see how this conflict over land affects real people. I hope and pray that this Holy Land will one day be a peaceful land as well.

Children

About 40 children came to the center today for the first day of Summer Camp. They were, of course, precious!! Like children every-where, they have tons of energy! They drew pictures, made Spongebob masks, and played games outside. I taught the older ones one of the games that my students love to play, called Set.

The most exciting thing about the day was the arrival of playground equipment!! A big truck delivered swing sets, sliding boards, and more! We can't wait to get it assembled!! I look forward to sending more news about the kids here in Bethlehem!

Creating Art at Summer Camp

Playground Equipment Arrives

Friends

It is wonderful to connect with old friends and make new ones. I went to a birthday dinner last night with Nawal, who is my friend that I lived with two summers ago. I enjoyed spending the evening with her family and catching up on how much has changed as well as how much has stayed the same. I just love the new friends I have made here at Wi'am Center. They are wonderful, and we are always laughing about something, even if things get lost in translation! This first picture of Nawal and me, and the second picture is of me with the Mayor of Bethlehem. Okay, so I am not a personal friend of his, but I did get to meet him, and I feel quite honored to have had tea with him!

Words

I am helping to research grant oppor-tunities and draft 'Letters of Inquiry' to different found-ations, and that has made me so aware of the power of words. When I was taking graduate history courses, I used to say that my thesaurus was my best friend! I am missing that friend right now!! It is sometimes difficult to convey the passion I feel in mere words for the projects that those here at the Wi'am Center want put into place. As I look out of the window next to my desk, I see the following quote on the Seperation Wall: "A country is not only what it does, it is also what it tolerates" ~Kurt Tucholsky, 1933. As a teacher, I would add that a country is also defined by how it educates its children. I am reminded of how important it is for us to teach our children not only how "the rest of the world lives", but why it is living that way. I just came across a new favorite quote by Vijaya Pandit: "The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war." What a call for us to be diligent in working for peace!

Hospitality

I just love the hospitality that is such an important part of the Arab culture. We serve tea or Arabic coffee several times each day. Anytime someone stops in, they are offered coffee or tea. The food is absolutely delicious! Mealtimes are such fun. Usually, there are many dishes that are put in the middle of the table and shared. Meals are not at all rushed. It is so much nicer than driving thru a fast food place and eating on the run! In the evenings when it is cooler, people sit outside and drink coffee and talk. It makes me rethink my ideas on hospitality, and how I am always in such a rush to things at home.

Wi'am Center

It is hard to believe that I have been here for less than 4 days!! I already feel very at home here at the Wi'am Center. If you are interested in more information than I can give here, check out their website at www.alaslah.org. This is a center devoted to conflict resolution. They work to resolve conflicts within the Palestinian society as well as educate citizens about nonviolent resolution skills and provide opportunities for children,youth and women to come together to learn and socialize. The Center just moved to its present location early this year. It has be given a ten year rent-free lease. They want to develop the land to include a playground for children as well as add a building that can accomodate large meetings. The picture I posted earlier is of the courtyard, which is right next to the seperation wall. The beauty of the trees and flowers stands in stark contrast to the symbol of oppression that surrounds the area. The pictures attached to this blog entry show the work that has been done as well as the space that is waiting to be transformed. Zoughbi, the director of the center, is also pictured here.

Bethlehem

I arrived safely in Bethlehem on Thursday night and am so glad to be here! Everyone at the Wi'am Center has been so welcoming. I am going tomorrow to visit with my friends in Beit Sahour. That is where I stayed 2 years ago. The attached picture is of the wall that has now made Rachel's Tomb a part of Israel.

Getting Excited

I am so excited about spending the summer in the Holy Land!!