Friday, May 28, 2010
Off to school
Summer holidays are soon approaching for the students.
Last week, the town of Tulkarem proudly presented their annual graduation ceremonies at the local “kindergartens”. Preparations at some started as early as three months ago. The young ones will be off to big school in the New Year and looked very smart on the stage; it was evident by the performances that Education and gender equality is strongly encouraged. The children were dynamic, impressive and very confident on the stage.
As usual, the mothers were in full view to cheer their babies. However, I am happy to announce that many fathers arrived to show support as well. Hala Azoonee, the manager for public Education, also attended the ceremony. She thanked the parents and teachers for their hard work and interest during this very important stage in the children’s development.
Last week, the town of Tulkarem proudly presented their annual graduation ceremonies at the local “kindergartens”. Preparations at some started as early as three months ago. The young ones will be off to big school in the New Year and looked very smart on the stage; it was evident by the performances that Education and gender equality is strongly encouraged. The children were dynamic, impressive and very confident on the stage.
As usual, the mothers were in full view to cheer their babies. However, I am happy to announce that many fathers arrived to show support as well. Hala Azoonee, the manager for public Education, also attended the ceremony. She thanked the parents and teachers for their hard work and interest during this very important stage in the children’s development.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Separation
Many people develop an opinion by their perceptions and misconstrued notions. These thoughts often influenced by feedings from propaganda and inflammatory reports continue to fester until it gives rise to provocation and eventually the proverbial wall.
However, in the case between the Jews and the Arabs, the separation that exists between them is not only proverbial; it is physical, emotional, and spiritual. A huge 9m high wall built in 2003 that is almost 70% complete separate Israelis from Palestinians. Initially the purpose was to prevent the Palestinians entry into Israel when the two nations were at war with each other during the time of the Intifada. The argument was that Arabs are terrorists and Israel should protect its citizens against terror attacks. Instead of building the wall along the agreed demarcations (known as the Green line), it now stands around 25% further into Palestinian territory. This means that a Palestinian requires a spe
cial permit to travel into territory owned by Palestine because it is under Israeli occupation and farmers cannot attend to their farms that Israel confiscated. A further implication is that Palestine is now dislocated from the rest of the world with little opportunity for trade, travel and infrastructural development since they are under Israeli control. Palestinians require permission from Israeli Authority for most transactions and are constantly under scrutiny. Their existence is falling more and more dependant on Israel. This situation is crippling the Palestinians who often state that they live in a prison.
However, in the case between the Jews and the Arabs, the separation that exists between them is not only proverbial; it is physical, emotional, and spiritual. A huge 9m high wall built in 2003 that is almost 70% complete separate Israelis from Palestinians. Initially the purpose was to prevent the Palestinians entry into Israel when the two nations were at war with each other during the time of the Intifada. The argument was that Arabs are terrorists and Israel should protect its citizens against terror attacks. Instead of building the wall along the agreed demarcations (known as the Green line), it now stands around 25% further into Palestinian territory. This means that a Palestinian requires a spe
cial permit to travel into territory owned by Palestine because it is under Israeli occupation and farmers cannot attend to their farms that Israel confiscated. A further implication is that Palestine is now dislocated from the rest of the world with little opportunity for trade, travel and infrastructural development since they are under Israeli control. Palestinians require permission from Israeli Authority for most transactions and are constantly under scrutiny. Their existence is falling more and more dependant on Israel. This situation is crippling the Palestinians who often state that they live in a prison. Thursday, May 20, 2010
Out on the Town
Be careful when you go out on the town in Jerusalem you might end up riding a camel…
The day before all this excitement , I visited the Garden Tomb where Jesus was buried. The beautiful landscaped Garden Tomb with flowers and areas for reading and prayer adds to its spiritual message. Many people touched by the experience often go into meditation. The next day my tourist experience became more adventurous when I continued on to the Mount of Olives where Jesus prayed and triumphantly entered Jerusalem on the donkey one week before Easter. The scripture according to Matth
ew 21:1-11 says people praised and worshipped Him and threw olive palms and cloaks at his feet. There is also a memorial of the Lords prayer written in several languages. This is proof that the word of God that unites humankind with one powerful prayer is alive all over the world.
My escapades continued when I had the opportunity to ride a camel and ended with song and dance in west Jerusalem and dinner with my friend Kathy. It was a lovely day.
The day before all this excitement , I visited the Garden Tomb where Jesus was buried. The beautiful landscaped Garden Tomb with flowers and areas for reading and prayer adds to its spiritual message. Many people touched by the experience often go into meditation. The next day my tourist experience became more adventurous when I continued on to the Mount of Olives where Jesus prayed and triumphantly entered Jerusalem on the donkey one week before Easter. The scripture according to Matth
ew 21:1-11 says people praised and worshipped Him and threw olive palms and cloaks at his feet. There is also a memorial of the Lords prayer written in several languages. This is proof that the word of God that unites humankind with one powerful prayer is alive all over the world.My escapades continued when I had the opportunity to ride a camel and ended with song and dance in west Jerusalem and dinner with my friend Kathy. It was a lovely day.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
From A to B
The public transport system operating in Tulkarm is pretty impressive especially since the occupation and the separation wall have made it difficult for most Palestinians to be financially independent. Many people use this method in the West Bank to get around.
They travel mainly by three modes of transport, by bus, serviş or taxi.
As usual, the bus is the most economical but also the slowest. Traveling around the West Bank by bus should cost no more than 13 NIS. Then there is the serviş. It is the most frequently used; it comfortably seats around seven people but we have to wait for it to fill before departure. Thankfully, the driver never overloads and everyone must buckle up before he drives off. It is normally well air-conditioned and very economical. I normally pay from Tulkarm to Nablus (45-minute trip) around 8.50 NIS. Approximately 22 NIS will bring me to Ramallah (1½ hour trip) while traveling to surrounding villages in the Tulkarm municipality can cost between
3 to 5 NIS. A word of caution though, for religious reasons men and women socialize completely separate from each other especially in the West Bank. Therefore, it is not preferred for men to sit next to women in the servis or bus, but sometimes this is unavoidable. The third and most expensive yet convenient option would be for me to travel by taxi. On occasion, I use a taxi depending on the distance; I usually pay anything from 10 to 50 NIS.
I have to admit the driver can sometimes be a risk taker because they often overtake at times that are potentially “life threatening”.
We mostly travel by servis, as this is a way to engage with the Israeli / Palestinian population and to show an international presence in the country. In this way, we often have opportunity to speak and learn from the locals.
They travel mainly by three modes of transport, by bus, serviş or taxi.
As usual, the bus is the most economical but also the slowest. Traveling around the West Bank by bus should cost no more than 13 NIS. Then there is the serviş. It is the most frequently used; it comfortably seats around seven people but we have to wait for it to fill before departure. Thankfully, the driver never overloads and everyone must buckle up before he drives off. It is normally well air-conditioned and very economical. I normally pay from Tulkarm to Nablus (45-minute trip) around 8.50 NIS. Approximately 22 NIS will bring me to Ramallah (1½ hour trip) while traveling to surrounding villages in the Tulkarm municipality can cost between
3 to 5 NIS. A word of caution though, for religious reasons men and women socialize completely separate from each other especially in the West Bank. Therefore, it is not preferred for men to sit next to women in the servis or bus, but sometimes this is unavoidable. The third and most expensive yet convenient option would be for me to travel by taxi. On occasion, I use a taxi depending on the distance; I usually pay anything from 10 to 50 NIS.I have to admit the driver can sometimes be a risk taker because they often overtake at times that are potentially “life threatening”.
We mostly travel by servis, as this is a way to engage with the Israeli / Palestinian population and to show an international presence in the country. In this way, we often have opportunity to speak and learn from the locals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)