Livin' the Dream...

some of the artwork-comics done by the students here- not my students- but they are really amazing!

the street i live on!

Nablus city center at its finest...

I'd like to apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes. The more I teach English, the more I forget what the language is exactly supposed to sound like. I hear things like "before five years" instead of "five years ago" so often, that I'm starting to lose my ear for which is normal. Its actually pretty disconcerting. And having only a few words of Arabic, some fuzzy Spanish and the now forbidden Hebrew, my fall back options are not looking too promising. oh well... I talk too much anyway.

So what inspired me to write was my lesson today. We were talking about giving your opinion and the phrases that you use to do so. They were all pretty comfortable with the concept, so I read a few controversial statements and asked everyone to either agree or disagree. The results were pretty normal until I read the statement, "Women can do any job that men can." Guess who was on the agree side? All the men. On the disagree side? all the women. "We can't build things. We aren't that strong." "It's too hard." "Our bodies can't do hard things." And the men, "Why do we have to fight for your rights? You don't even want to stand up for yourself!" "There are ways for women to do hard jobs- machines, things like that." On and on. Until I read the statement, "Men can do anything that women can do." All the men disagree. All the women agree. "Men can learn to cook and clean." Men: "I can't be nice. I don't know how to be nice to children." I was beside myself. To imagine this debate happening in the states. And then I tried to explain how things would be exactly opposite in the states, and they thought it was HILARIOUS! Ha.

I also read the statement that "I think all my friends should be from my same background." Everyone agreed except one guy, who said that everyone in America thinks all Muslims are terrorists and it is impossible to be friends with someone like that because they can't understand you. You can be nice to them, and try to show them that that is not true, but you can not be friends because friends are supposed to care about you and support you and he wouldn't be friends with someone who he was scared of. And everyone else got furious. "How will we ever change things if you don't even try!" Wow. I had no idea what I was getting into. 

Finally, they all wrote about Nablus for homework and I got some really amazing and poetic answers. Some quotes:

"Everytime you think or try to see Nablus, you get the strange feeling about it, where it seems like the Old City will talk to you."

"Nablus is the only city in the West Bank which still has its private history within the hands of her sons and they are still holding it. We will still be faithful to it until out last breath. We will not forget out beloved country which is living in our hearts."

"Almost every week, each family in Nablus gets together, laughing, talking, playing and listening to the grandfathers and grandmothers. I think that all of this makes us special. I hope that every nation in the world has the same tenderness and happiness that we have."

It is such a struggle being here. To have every moment of everyday focused on this incredibly painful situation. It's exhausting. But it is also amazingly beautiful. I oscillate between wanting to say forever and wishing I could leave today. Bizarre. Wonderful. Confusing. 

I have also been feeling EXTREMELY guilty about being here. Guilty that I came here after making such wonderful friends in Israel. Guilty that I made such wonderful friends in Israel, now that I am here. Even feeling guilty about being guilty! I don't know how much of this is in my head or how much of it is real. It is definitely hard to live amongst the volunteers. Sometimes I think that the Palestinian people themselves are more understanding than the people who come to help them. This conflict has so many shades of grey, I think the only wrong position is one that is black and white. 

...I hope your coming weeks are full of the same tenderness and happiness that they are so proud of here in Nablus.... 

love!