Ralph, Netherlands

2008 was my first (and hopefully not last) year to come to Palestine. Zajel was a great introduction to Palestine. On the one hand people are able to mutually influence each other directly. I think we were able to make an impact on the children there and show the Palestinian people that there are still people out there who care about their situation. On the other hand, meeting and living with Palestinians creates an emotional bond which makes you more passionate about their cause, their situation becomes a lot more ‘real’ to you. Also I believe it breaks a lot more stereotypes we, unfortunately, have in the West about Palestinians. Even I had to admit that I had a bit of a prejudiced view of Palestinians before I came and found that our ideas and the things we liked were not so different as I thought they might be.

The camp was wonderfully organized, taking into consideration all the problems the local volunteers have had to face trying to organize such a camp in an occupied country. I guess as long as you’re not too fussy about creature comforts then you’re grand. We had a pretty tight schedule to follow which consisted of getting up early to head for the refugee camp where we worked with children aged from about 5 to 15. There were a number of events to choose from including sports, working with special needs children, music, arts and painting murals. In the afternoon we had lunch and after that a much needed siesta. When siesta time was over there was usually a presentation by a representative of certain organizations, a member of the press or an academic. If there wasn’t a presentation there was usually an activity organized. At nights there was usually time for a bit of relaxation, which included going to a coffee shop for a bit of argila, a concert at An-Najah National University and we even got invited to a local wedding. In the weekends there was time to travel either on your own or with some of the local volunteers. The first weekend we went to Jericho and the Dead Sea and the second weekend most of us, including most of the local volunteers, went to Bethlehem and Hebron.

Working with the children at Askar refugee camp was a great experience. There is something about children that is universal in the sense that children the world over are essentially all the same. The children seemed virtually unaffected by the occupation and were playing, smiling and laughing as any child would do. However, the more time spent in Askar the more you realise that the situation must have a terrible effect on these children. Also looking at some of the drawings after an art class was very unsettling as images of the occupation were the central theme of most of them. On the other hand they all seemed extremely excited and happy about our presence there and, even though it was hard to sometimes communicate, we got along great.

The cultural activities were very educational. Even though it was a great experience working with the refugee children, to me the afternoons were central to my experience in Palestine. If we can have the slightest of impact on the Palestinians that’s great, but what is crucial is being able to influence as many people back home. I haven’t been home for more than 36 hours at the time of writing and I have already had at least five people, who didn’t know a whole lot about the situation, agree with me how unjustly the Palestinians are being treated. I can’t begin to explain how valuable an experience it was to hear first hand accounts; Speakers included human rights activists, a member of the media and even an American lawyer. We also had to do a bit of presenting ourselves in the form of representing our own country. It is surprising how much you can still find out about each other’s countries. Even though I knew quite a bit about the conflict, I leave a lot better informed. What might be even more important is that one becomes able to speak on the subject with the confidence and authority that only comes from actually having experienced life in the country.

The entertainment nights were a good way to unwind from a full day of working and concentrating. It was also a great way of getting to know your fellow volunteers, both local and international. Coming from different backgrounds often led to interesting conversations and although I love talking politics, there were plenty of times when the subject required less of your intellect. Meeting so many different people and experiencing so many new things together was great. Though it is nice being back home, I already miss all of the volunteers, both Palestinian and international. You can expect me back soon!