Blogs from Nablus, West Bank, Israel, Middle East

We woke up way earlier than anyone should on Spring Break today. About 5:30, to be precise. We hopped on a bus with about 40 other people at 6:30 for a hike with an alternative travel company. An hour and a half later, we were deep in the West Bank, the semi-desert hills. Most of the other hikers were ex-pats living in Israel, although a couple were also just visiting the area. Some were American, some Canadian, one or two British, Belgian, or French, and a few more from around the world. All of them were very nice people and wonderful to talk to, and made for a wonderful hike! All in all, we did about 16 km, or about 10 miles, while climbing about 2000 feet in elevation. There was approximately 0 vegetation apart from ... read more

Day off of class in Jerusalem! Unfortunately...it's the Sabbath, which means that almost everything this closed until nightfall. The first day we were in the country, one of our professors Dr. Dallaire introduced us to Aroma. Aroma is this absurdly good coffee shop just outside the Jaffa gate, and its small chain of stores around Israel is the reason why Starbucks is nowhere to be found. (Though...I should note that there's a "Stars and Bucks" in Bethlehem near the Church of the Nativity, whose logo looks suspiciously familar...) So, I'm having to be content with finishing up my blog posts in the comfort of the hotel room until our test this afternoon. Yesterday, we explored the area of Samaria which is largely in the modern-day Palestinian West Bank. We saw many examples of vines, olive and ... read more

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

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

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