hope is a very important thing, that has been in my thoughts alot here. Some days it is really hard, because i get all these messages of hopelessness, see so many people who have given up the struggle. I know that i am a hopefull person, or else i wouldnt be here. there would be no point unless i was some sort of sadist to see so much suffering and not believe in change. i have to keep reminding myself that that is a part of me, and i have to hold onto it. Hope is a dangerous thing to lose, and here in palestine it is all anybody has left. We have to believe in change, or it can never be realized. Its that whole ghandi 'be the change you want to see in the world' kind of mentality. The things i have seen and experienced here have changed me, and i only hope that i could get through to at least one person when i go home. To tell them what ive seen, and to broaden their perspectives on the situation.
We did an amazing thing this week. The orphans from SOS village were going on a field trip and chris and i were invited to come with them to Ramallah. We sat in the front of the bus to help them get through checkpoints, though the soldiers still came on the bus with all their guns, even when it is just full of children. At that point i was upset, i have chosen to be in this situation, and i understand having guns around all the time is a position that i put myself in coming here, but i was forced to think of the first time i ever saw an M16, i certainly wasnt a little child like they were, honestly it might not have been until i came here. What a strange childhood it must be living here, being desensitized to guns like that by the time you hit puberty. Wh
en we got to Ramallah, there was a full fledged carnival, it was amazing! i didnt think they had anything like that in the west bank. There was a ferris wheel and all kinds of other rides, all with palestinian flags hanging off them. The kids were running around, trying to ride on everything and they were all just so hapy to be there. There was actually a little mini water park (when i went home to bethlehem nobody believed me that there was a water park in palestine, i had to show them all pictures and still i think there was some doubt). The kids were all holding my hands and dragging me everywhere begging me to go on all the rides with me. Its living on the edge enough to go to the west bank, i dont know if i have it in me to try a roller coaster too. none the less it was great, i was just so relieved that they got to experience something that seemed like a normal healthy childhood to me, something that i understood. All of a sudden there was no ocupation, there were no guns, there was no fear. These were just kids, like every other kid in the world, having fun.
en we got to Ramallah, there was a full fledged carnival, it was amazing! i didnt think they had anything like that in the west bank. There was a ferris wheel and all kinds of other rides, all with palestinian flags hanging off them. The kids were running around, trying to ride on everything and they were all just so hapy to be there. There was actually a little mini water park (when i went home to bethlehem nobody believed me that there was a water park in palestine, i had to show them all pictures and still i think there was some doubt). The kids were all holding my hands and dragging me everywhere begging me to go on all the rides with me. Its living on the edge enough to go to the west bank, i dont know if i have it in me to try a roller coaster too. none the less it was great, i was just so relieved that they got to experience something that seemed like a normal healthy childhood to me, something that i understood. All of a sudden there was no ocupation, there were no guns, there was no fear. These were just kids, like every other kid in the world, having fun. This week we did another thing that instilled me with a little hope. There is a place on the outskirts of beit sahour called oush grab, instead of going to the usual friday protest in the south, we went there. It was an old military base that they have now turned into a park. Lately i have also been struggling with the idea of non violence, and its many definititions. Ive b
een looking and trying to figure out what the most effective, true form of non violence is, and what we did in oush grab was just fun. They are trying to build a settlement there, and so the people are trying to make sure that when the settlers come, they see that the park is in use. Friday morning we went down with alot of other internationals and palestinians to play a game of bingo. This way when the settlers came, we could ask them if they were there for the bingo game, tell them it was 2 sheckels, or else they could just watch. I didnt get lucky at all in the bingo game, and truthfully much of the day was anti climactic, but i was still glad to participate in non violent resistance that wasnt quite so stressful. The israeli military came and exclaimes "what is this circus?" in hebrew, they had no idea what to do with us. We could hear horns blowing and everything, but ultimately we were forced to leave before we actually encountered any settlers.
een looking and trying to figure out what the most effective, true form of non violence is, and what we did in oush grab was just fun. They are trying to build a settlement there, and so the people are trying to make sure that when the settlers come, they see that the park is in use. Friday morning we went down with alot of other internationals and palestinians to play a game of bingo. This way when the settlers came, we could ask them if they were there for the bingo game, tell them it was 2 sheckels, or else they could just watch. I didnt get lucky at all in the bingo game, and truthfully much of the day was anti climactic, but i was still glad to participate in non violent resistance that wasnt quite so stressful. The israeli military came and exclaimes "what is this circus?" in hebrew, they had no idea what to do with us. We could hear horns blowing and everything, but ultimately we were forced to leave before we actually encountered any settlers. 
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