Reflections from the first few weeks

Two weeks have passed since I first arrived in Israel-Palestine. It feels like I have been here a year. Not in a negative sense, it just seems like I have been exposed to so many different things over the past few weeks that it feels like a lifetime has passed since I left Canada. 

Work at the Peace College has been steadily picking up as the staff gets a better since of what my skill set is and I get a little more bearing on my surroundings and the mission as I begin to get into a new rhythm. This week was all about proposal writing, translating and transcribing documents into English and doing a lot of research for the Peace College. 
 
Life in Israel and Palestine rolls on. My experience thus far has met expectations, both the good and the bad. One of the hardest things to get used to has been the "siege mentality" of every day life. While the community members of the village and my co-workers are certainly not oblivious to the every day violence and civil tension, they are certainly far more accustomed to the heightened security and social violence that has become a staple of every day life for Israelis and Palestinians. While I have begun to get used to the fighter jets that fly over us, literally every day, I still find armed settlers, soldiers and check points daunting as I continue to explore these two troubled countries. It has now become instinct for me to swing my backpack to my chest and open it up for a security check in one fluid motion when I go to the store or enter a security zone. One of the other volunteers who has been to Israel and Palestine several times says that he often stops and opens his bags on instinct now when he passes police officers back in Europe. Apparently, it's a hard habit to kick.

If the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the first source of ethnic, civil and political tension in Israel-Palestine, the second highest social powder-keg has to be the relationship between the more secular Israeli middle class, the Ultra-orthodox, racial minorities and newly arrived militant Zionists from the former Soviet Union. Yesterday violent protests broke out in Tel Aviv over migrant workers and Jews from Africa countries seeking Israeli citizenship, with one MK from the Kadima party saying that Sudanese migrants were "a cancer" in Israeli society. Scary.


Neve Shalom~Wahat-al-Salam is a welcome refuge from all of that. The village has to be one of the most tranquil places I have ever lived in. There lots of lush, green gardens in front yards, olive groves, Arab and Jewish kids playing together and generally all around good vibes. 


This weekend I have opted to stay in the village. I've been invited for Shabbat by one of my co-workers and I'm looking forward to spending the weekend at a slower pace.


Next week I am hoping to start adventuring again. While I chickened out about going through the Abu Dis checkpoint by myself last weekend, I am hoping to visit Ramallah next weekend. I have been trying to remind myself that I am here till August and there is no need to rush to see everything all at once, but my travel bug has been itching something fierce. 


I've posted some new photos from my explorations around the village so be sure to check them out on the NSWAS pictures page and tune in next week for more adventures from NSWAS and Israel-Palestine.