By Ellea Soki

Although I was incredibly excited to visit Palestine and participate in the Zajel programme, I was apprehensive before I left as I was so unsure of what to expect. I distinctly remember being driven to the airport by my friend and thinking “What am I doing?” and “Is this really a good idea?”. However, the minute I arrived at An-Najah National University all my worries were put to rest. I was made to feel so welcome by the team of volunteers and within 24 hours of meeting the other volunteers and internationals I knew I had made an excellent decision.

The workshops were definitely some of my favorite parts of the camp. I was asked to lead a workshop on English Language and Public Speaking. Never having taught before, and not feeling particularly confident in public speaking myself, it’s fair to say that I was terrified. Understandably, the first workshop was the hardest; I did not know what to expect, and within an hour of the class we had run out of material for teaching and were improvising on the spot (in front of 50 people!). However, once that first workshop was over, and we knew exactly what to expect in terms of numbers and the desired content, I took to it like a fish to water. I discovered an ability for teaching that I never knew I had and, as a result, I have been inspired to go into teaching as a future profession. The students in my class were enthusiastic, incredibly eager to learn, and persevered even when the activities were difficult.

Another great aspect of the Zajel programme is the incredible amount of Palestine we were able to see. In two short weeks – alongside running workshops and attending lectures – we went on day trips to Bethlehem, Hebron, the Arab Rashaydeh Desert, Jenin, Sebastia, and some areas of historic Palestine such as Akko and Upper Galilee. A particularly distinctive moment was during our trip to Hebron, where we walked down al-Shuhada Street. Once it was a bustling market street filled with shops and street vendors, but it now lies dormant; a ghost town of what once signified livelihood and prosperity is now nothing but an empty shell, littered with Zionist propaganda, leading to one of the many settlements. Due to some miscommunication, we ended up taking a wrong turn and ending up on the other side of a checkpoint, and had to pass back through it again from the Palestinian side. It took us an hour to pass back through, with the IDF soldiers deliberately holding us up. What for us was only a minor inconvenience, is a harsh reality faced daily by many Palestinians.

Overall, I’ve had the most incredible and valuable two weeks of my life; I’ve come out of the experience a far more educated person on the Israel-Palestine conflict, formed friendships that will last a lifetime, and had experiences that I will carry with me forever.