Blogs from Nablus, West Bank, Israel, Middle East
October 15th 2011
I catch the service taxi from Hebron to Ramallah 19 shekels then from Ramallah to Nablus 17 shekels I think? cant really remember the prices about 3quid each lets say. straight away a tourist guide hustles me into taking a tour with him, I wasn't sure about it but I thought it would be worth while and save me time if he could show me directly some of the main attractions of the city. he wants 100 shekels 17 pound, I hustle him down to 70, 12 pounds. then the hotel of his friend they wanted 100 again got it to 70 shekels. we go on the tour, my tour guide begins to explain to me about the 2 mountains surrounding Nablus Gerizim and Ebal. I wont bore you with the history but they make a ... read more
June 28th 2010
This is it once again. Spent more than 3 weeks travelling through the middle east and enjoyed it too much. This report is just a summary of my trip. My first night in Jordan I met up with John and Joelle, my lebanese friends who were in Amman at that time. It was really lovely to catch up with them. On saturday i started my travels towards lebanon by service taxi. The syrian controls have been hilarious as usual, met some very kind people on the way, monks and nuns who spontaneously offered me to show me their monastery near Saida and offered me a bed for the night. We spent the evening watching charlies angels, drinking lebanese Almaza beer (delicious i must say)... I didn't imagine these deeply religious people to spend their evenings in ... read more
July 23rd 2009
I’m looking back on my past two months here in Nablus, and I am simply stunned by how quickly time passed. I look back on former doubts- I almost stayed in Canada, and then I almost got sent Back to Canada when I arrived- I have a hard time believing that I almost threw it all out the window. The minute I arrived in Nablus, I was completely embraced by the locals. The minute I arrived at the center, I was completely embraced by the staff. How to phrase this without going cliché or cheesy? I’m taking with me at least basic knowledge on how to research and prepare grant and project proposals. A much more in-depth understanding of the conflict here. Of conditions of life here. Some personal insights. A MUCH improved understanding of ... read more
July 21st 2009
So I woke up this morning, and took a service to work, as per the norm. The routine kind of subconsciously sinks in, making you feel incredibly settled and content. However, one should realize: Routine can be boring. Nablus, and the CSC for that matter, is far from boring. Thus, routine cannot exist in Nablus. To elaborate: I get into the center, and I’m met by the director’s daughter Fayrouz, who asks me if I ‘am coming, or not.’ Uh, I’m sorry, what? Well, I have learned that being completely unaware of what is happening sometimes leads to the best days. We show up, I get jazzed up in a CSC vest (very utilitarian chic, I might say), and I am left to my own devices while everyone is running around. I see: a bunch of ... read more
In Which I Become a Palestinian TV Star
Published: July 21st 2009Middle East » Israel » West Bank » Nablus
July 21st 2009
Yesterday was MADNESS. Literally, the most dangerous event that has occurred to me thus far in Palestine. And it had nothing to do with anything political, economic… not about human rights or civil society. It had to do with Dessert. Nablus is famous for its Kunafa, a ridiculously rich dish that, as my roommate and I have determined, is both sweet and savoury; insanely delicious but also kind of disgusting. It is vermicelli, with goat cheese, with sugar sauce; and I wouldn’t doubt if they slip some crack into these addictive bad boys. In any case, I have heard faint buzzing over the past couple weeks that Nablus, in its Shopping Festival, was vying to make the Guinness record-breaking kunafa in the city. And I’m thinking: who tried to break this record before? All of us ... read more
Water, Settlements, and Prisoners, Oh My
Published: July 9th 2009Middle East » Israel » West Bank » Nablus
July 9th 2009
These are scant entries, but I'm mad busy with work here. Water Issues Among other things, the Israeli consumption of water is four to five times the Palestinian consumption rate. The settlements are seven to eight times the Palestinian consumption About 25% of the local communities go completely without water. I read a statistic the other day, saying that the average consumption among the Palestinians is 10-15 liters a day. That, I think was the average 5 years ago- I am realistic enough, and know enough about the situation now, to assume that it’s worse. In any case, 10-15? I originally thought: not so bad. (basita) I mean, I try and finish 2 litres of water a day, and that leaves me sloshing around back home (and still dehydrated here. People weren’t meant to live at ... read more
Tangled Christmas Lights: Brief Overview of the Workshop Topics
Published: July 5th 2009Middle East » Israel » West Bank » Nablus
July 5th 2009
I don’t know exactly how much everyone out there knows about the history of what are now the occupied Palestinian territories. Whew… let me think about this. The Palestinian issue is so freaking complex, how to summarize it? …it’s kind of like, well, you know how every Christmas (and this is a universal thing, ha), you excitedly unpack your decorations; only to find your string of lights is now a giant undecipherable ball of tangled mess? Poor analogy, but that’s kind of you can perceive this conflict. All of us who just finished the workshop are all on this high, but then we realize that we are all going to run into a brick wall. Really, really quickly. But back on topic. The Israeli-Palestinian issue has a lot of different facets which frustratingly complicate the issue. ... read more
June 21st 2009
An unfortunate, but ubiquitous, part of any school experience is the classic bully-loser situation. Guys might steal lunches, topple books, and/or physically assault the poor victim. Girls refine it to an even greater degree: backstabbing, gossiping, and/or completely ostracizing a person for no discernible reason. The victim is either left to defend themselves, which, upon seeing the effect of their torture, probably goads the bully on. Or they can suffer in silence, counting the days until there’s some sort of spontaneous conscience formed by the aggressor, or simply wait until graduation. I think of this situation, and the sheer frustration that ensues, because of a friend of my roommates’ that unfortunately has entered my world. You think that we get over bullying after high school, but, as many could point out, that is most unequivocally untrue. ... read more
June 18th 2009
Chapter 2: The Actual Marriage Welcome to the longest. entry. ever. Its 1230am, and I just came back from my first Palestinian wedding. Good style be damned, I’m just trying to retain every little thing about it. First, the clothes. Sparkles, sequins, shiny fabric of every kind, embroidery, and elaborate coiffures. Even the hijab were arranged into little flowers, or bunches, as if hair. Apparently it’s become quite an industry in itself! And the makeup. I think the bride’s actual face was halfway down there. Pink eyeshadow is du jour, or basically a LOT of whatever matches the clothes that you are wearing. Heavy kohl in the eye creases, and eyebrows plucked and drawn in even when completely unneeded. Hair bows, bands, clips, and everything. There was one cousin (among the MANY MANY) that was wearing ... read more
June 18th 2009
Leadership Training Institute - Proposed Schedule Date Morning (10:00am-12:00pm) Afternoon (1:00pm-4:00pm) 21,june2009 Introduction to the Summer Training Program Welcome event to get to know each other 22,june2009 Presentation: Contemporary Political Geography of Palestine Guided tour of the Old City of Nablus and discussion on the 2nd Palestinian Intifada 23,june2009 Presentation: West Bank Land and Water Issues Visit to the village of Beit Furik and discussion on the effects of Israeli settlement activity in the region 24,june2009 Presentation: Palestinian Political Prisoners Visit to al Fara’a Prison and a discussion on the 1st Palestinian Intifada 25,june2009 Presentation: Legal, Environmental and Economic Lenses of the Apartheid Wall Visit to the village of Na’aleen and discussion about the popular resistance to the Wall 28,june2009 Workshop: Int... read more
