Session One of Palestine Summer Encounter 2009 has concluded, and Session Two is now underway.
This past week, the group had to say tusaluu bilsalaameh (“safe travels”) to two participants from Session One who ended their journeys with PSE, but they have also been able to say ahlan w-sahlan (“welcome!”) to a great new group of participants joining for Session Two. With 11 participants continuing from the first session and 20 new participants joining them, effectively tripling the size of the group, this session is already proving to be a great opportunity to engage more internationals interested in volunteering and learning in Palestine. This session, we welcomed new participants from the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Canada in addition to the current participants from the U.S., Canada, Chile, and France. The excitement of welcoming the new participants was tinged with feelings of anger and sorrow, however, at the news that two incoming participants were denied entry by Israeli airport security upon their arrival in the country. This brings the total to three participants this summer to have undergone this frustrating experience; they did not ever have the chance to learn of the conflict through participating in the program, but they were confronted with it firsthand in the ordeal that each of them faced. Welcome to the injustice of the Occupation.
During a few free days in transition between Sessions One and Two, participants were able to spend extra time with their host families and do some traveling around the country on their own. While the first session participants socialized and traveled, the second session participants were busy settling in with their new host families and undergoing orientation to their summertime living, working, and studying in Palestine.
After orientation, Session Two got off to a quick start with a welcoming dinner to allow the continuing participants to get to know the incoming participants. Great fellowship was enjoyed over long tables filled with traditional Arabic salads during a dinner at The Tent Restaurant, followed by the opportunity to witness a great Debkeh performance. After the socializing, participants were whisked away for a weekend together exploring the culture and the conflict in regions of the West Bank outside of Bethlehem.
On Sunday, the group visited the city of Nablus which included a visit to the religious site of Jacob’s Well, a factory which produces the well-known Nablus olive oil soap, and an excursion into the old city to see a Turkish bath and try the renowned kanaffe dessert. After getting a cultural taste of Nablus, participants saw the harder side of the city, witnessing the incredibly difficult life of refugees in the Askar Refugee Camp.
Spending the night in Ramallah and having the opportunity to experience the nightlife of the city was an enjoyable end to the first day of the trip, and the next day was packed full of opportunities to learn more about how Occupation is affecting Palestine. The group met with a lawyer from the Addameer organization and heard of numerous egregious abuses of Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli Apartheid legal system. Following was a meeting at Bir Zeit University in Ramallah to hear about how Occupation has negatively affected education. Finally was a visit to Stop the Wall, which included a presentation which both greatly informed and distressed participants—to hear of the gravity of the current situation in Palestine and future plans to further the negative effects of Occupation.
Participants have just begun the new session, but it has already proved to be a challenging and educational experience for all of them. We look forward to the even greater ways this session will expand participants’ views of life in Palestine and motivate them as they seek to find meaningful ways to respond to all that they encounter.
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