Palestine, this happened - I was there!

I really was, it feels like it almost didn't happen though. Like the last time I went to the Middle East for two months, this seemed like a dream and an eternity at once. I was only gone for two weeks, but a lot happened. I wish I had more free time though. I travelled to Beit Sahour to volunteer with Paidia, an organization that runs day camps for kids. They have a ropes course and climbing wall, my first day of work involved drilling some boards onto the wall in the blazing sun. We weren't too successful though, I broke two drill bits and we had faced other problems through the morning that made working on the wall any further impossible. So we chipped paint off the front gate, that was what ended up being our project for the rest of my stay and we were able to finish by painting it Palestine-green on the last day. There were some injuries and a lot of swearing, my hands ached for a few days after I came home too. I made a difference though and I'm proud of the work we got done, even if I wasn't able to work with kids at all. I did make a connection and hopefully we'll be able to connect kids in Seattle with kids in Bethlehem. Again, something to be excited for and a future project.

I walked around a lot too, I saw some really old shit and took pictures and had a great time with the other volunteers I was working with. We went through checkpoints a couple of times, for us it was easy and a part of our exotic travels. I can only imagine what a pain and inconvenience the barricade is to people working and living with a divider between the two. How can this help negotiations? How can this lead to peace?

I made it home with trinkets and memories, evidence that I was there and proof to show my parents that even though the news shows a scary reality the place is actually pretty rad. I never felt threatend or expereinced the violence I had read about, though we will see what happens now after the UN bid. I saw families shopping in the markets and taxi drivers making a living, sharing their stories as they drove me home. People live and thrive despite the chaos that sometimes envelopes us all, we manage to raise families and grow old under Jasmin blooms. I'll miss the howling winds in Beit Sahour and the comforting call to prayer that drifted in through my open bedroom window, reminding me that life continues and even when I'm gone this place will still exist. Palestine does exist, I saw it and saw the pride that came with the possibility of a recognized Palestinian state. With hope we will be able to finish the thought of if Palestine were a state...

While living at the volunteer house in Palestine I was able to cook and was so happy! We had really basic ingredients and my housemate had no kitchen skills, though we were still able to eat amazing food. I thought up a few simple meals based around pasta, lentils, and fresh vegetables. There was a vegetable souq near to where we worked and had amazing produce for so cheap! I don't know if it was organic or fair trade, but I was happy to be able to create such good simple food while I was travelling. My housemate really liked what I made too and helped with dishes, declaring that she would have to marry a chef in order to continue eating so well. I loved her praise and hope when I recreate those meals they retain a fraction of their magic.

One of the first meals I planned to cook once I returned was an eggplant and tomato sauce, either with lingini or gnochi. I'm changing it a bit to use tomoato sauce rather than fresh tomatoes and also including carrots and zucchin for more vegetables. I've had a lot of food that I prepared and froze before I left, making it simple to feed myself while I hid out the first couple days back in town. Re-entry is a bitch, culture shock and time zone changes can take awhile to get over. I'm ready to make something though!

Maybe not as good as I remember...