Nassim Rousset, Canada

Working in the Zajel work camp for two weeks is one of the most enriching experiences of a lifetime. Every day we faced the situation the Palestinians are obligated to live in; be it: lack of water due to forced rationing, lack of freedom of movement due to the siege or a hectic routine dotted with fun and sad moments.

When you come to Zajel, you come prepared to face the unknown and are welcomed by what will soon be close friends.

The work at the Askar refugee camp with the children is like the work in a day camp with more freedom. Making the children smile, laugh, run around and just participate in activities is so rewarding and starts a day off with a blast.

The siesta time might have been the smartest move by the Zajel organizers. I highly recommend taking these two hours as a mandatory sleep. After a well deserved rest, the local volunteers grace us with a wonderful lecture every time. Even though we are in an Arabic speaking country, the talent of the local translators is astonishing. The information gathered during the two hours of the lecture (1.5 hours of presentation and a half hour of questions) is always useful for getting to know more; both to the well informed and to the clueless international volunteers.

The last part of the day, and probably the most amusing, is the cultural activity. During these 3 hours, we get some time to think about our day, converse with the local and international volunteers and get to experience some amazing local activities (smoking the shisha, enduring a nice Turkish bath, hanging out, watching concerts and visiting Nablus).

Every night, before going to bed, I reflected upon my day and felt a sense of accomplishment, a certain pride that I will be able to teach my friends what I have learnt in Palestine.

I recommend anyone that comes to bring a notebook with them to be able to jot down some of the more important parts of the massive load of information that is thrown at us. Even though that load is gigantic, it makes it possible in two weeks to grasp the Palestinians’ way of life.

Going to Palestine with Zajel was the best experience I have had in my short life (me being the youngest of the whole group with my 17 years of life). I am very grateful for the wonderful time and I will come again as soon as I can!