Letter from Palestine, 36. The-friendly-people-day.
8th May 2005
Dear friends!
I enjoy my time with a Norwegian visitor these days. My friend Stine is here for ten days. When I wondered what to write about this time, she said: “Write about the-friendly-people-day!” It was a good idea, because yesterday was, if not officially, at least we experienced it, the-friendly-people-day.
The first friendly people we met when we were about to cross the wall at Abu Dis, East of Jerusalem. Israeli soldiers are not those I expect to be friendly, so I was a bit unsure when we approached them. This passage was a bit further south than where I normally go, and everybody went the opposite direction, climbing over a closed gate. We asked if we were allowed to pass to get to Jericho. They were not good in English, so a Palestinian helped us with translating. He commented that these soldiers were friendly, they would let us pass. While we were waiting for some elderly, Palestinian women to climb over before us, we could see the friendliness of the soldiers with our own eyes. They assisted the women willingly getting the big vegetable bags over the fence. It was a difficult place to pass, but helpful soldiers gave us a hope and showed that these people in green also are human beings.
In Jericho we visited YWCA and the food production programme where I worked last autumn. There was no surprise that we would meet friendly people here. The staff was extended and it was a good atmosphere. The joy of seeing two Norwegian visitors was also great. Visiting my host family we got tea and cakes and enjoyed the nice characters of two grandmothers. We got help to get a taxi to take us to the Dead Sea and Qumran, and our friendly driver made sure that we would buy the food we needed before we left Jericho.
When we after our trip waited for a service back to Jerusalem, we met more friendly people. An old man sat by the road selling fruit and vegetables. He looked a bit like one of the figures in the Ivo Caprino film of the Norwegian fairy tale “The seventh father of the house”. That we paid well for some old fruit might have given him a good day, at least he had a large smile. Another man, whom I have seen in Jericho before, was more than willing to help us to find transport to Jerusalem. He found out that the bus we wondered about would leave after 15 minutes, so we could wait there with him until the driver would come and we could leave.
On the bus we met two boys who were friendly to talk with. I can admit that we were a bit surprised. It happens that boys here are more pestering than friendly. But now we met two who only talked friendly with us in addition to serving cold drinks and biscuits. I had the chance to impress with my Arabic phrases, and Stine got her pronunciation better on the words she had learnt as these new teachers were stricter than I am.
We had our dinner on one of the outdoor restaurants close to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and the host was quite friendly. He convinced us to order lemonade with mint, though Stine was quite skeptical, but it was tasty. When I hinted that the price of this simple dinner was a bit higher than what I thought was right, he came with tea and biscuits included, and everybody was satisfied with a nice meal.
These were some of the friendly people we met on our way yesterday. May be there was nothing special about yesterday. I could probably have written about the-friendly-people-day and referred to the day before, or some other day. We keep on meeting friendly people.
Friday we attended a presentation by ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against House Demolition), about the Matrix of Control. It gave us several good aspects on how the conflict is understood dependent on whether you use an Israeli or human rights framing, in addition to meeting more friendly people, among them the international contact person in ICAHD and two new accompaniers in EAPPI.
Friday night we met more friendly people when we went to Kabbalat Shabbat at the Jewish family I have visited once before. Joy and peace pervaded the evening also this time, and I felt that this house was in a special way filled with love.
Tomorrow we are invited for lunch to one of my students in Ramallah after work in Jalazone. I visited them a few days ago to taste the Easter cookies, and I had to come again for a meal, and I should bring my visitor from Norway. It was such a friendly family. They excused their small house, but I experienced it true how we say in Norwegian, that where there is a room in the heart, there is a room in the house.
Yesterday was not the only friendly-people-day. I think they will continue. It is just a matter of noticing it. Friendly people are everywhere, ready to improve your day.
Friendly greetings from Hanne.
Dear friends!
I enjoy my time with a Norwegian visitor these days. My friend Stine is here for ten days. When I wondered what to write about this time, she said: “Write about the-friendly-people-day!” It was a good idea, because yesterday was, if not officially, at least we experienced it, the-friendly-people-day.
The first friendly people we met when we were about to cross the wall at Abu Dis, East of Jerusalem. Israeli soldiers are not those I expect to be friendly, so I was a bit unsure when we approached them. This passage was a bit further south than where I normally go, and everybody went the opposite direction, climbing over a closed gate. We asked if we were allowed to pass to get to Jericho. They were not good in English, so a Palestinian helped us with translating. He commented that these soldiers were friendly, they would let us pass. While we were waiting for some elderly, Palestinian women to climb over before us, we could see the friendliness of the soldiers with our own eyes. They assisted the women willingly getting the big vegetable bags over the fence. It was a difficult place to pass, but helpful soldiers gave us a hope and showed that these people in green also are human beings.
In Jericho we visited YWCA and the food production programme where I worked last autumn. There was no surprise that we would meet friendly people here. The staff was extended and it was a good atmosphere. The joy of seeing two Norwegian visitors was also great. Visiting my host family we got tea and cakes and enjoyed the nice characters of two grandmothers. We got help to get a taxi to take us to the Dead Sea and Qumran, and our friendly driver made sure that we would buy the food we needed before we left Jericho.
When we after our trip waited for a service back to Jerusalem, we met more friendly people. An old man sat by the road selling fruit and vegetables. He looked a bit like one of the figures in the Ivo Caprino film of the Norwegian fairy tale “The seventh father of the house”. That we paid well for some old fruit might have given him a good day, at least he had a large smile. Another man, whom I have seen in Jericho before, was more than willing to help us to find transport to Jerusalem. He found out that the bus we wondered about would leave after 15 minutes, so we could wait there with him until the driver would come and we could leave.
On the bus we met two boys who were friendly to talk with. I can admit that we were a bit surprised. It happens that boys here are more pestering than friendly. But now we met two who only talked friendly with us in addition to serving cold drinks and biscuits. I had the chance to impress with my Arabic phrases, and Stine got her pronunciation better on the words she had learnt as these new teachers were stricter than I am.
We had our dinner on one of the outdoor restaurants close to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and the host was quite friendly. He convinced us to order lemonade with mint, though Stine was quite skeptical, but it was tasty. When I hinted that the price of this simple dinner was a bit higher than what I thought was right, he came with tea and biscuits included, and everybody was satisfied with a nice meal.
These were some of the friendly people we met on our way yesterday. May be there was nothing special about yesterday. I could probably have written about the-friendly-people-day and referred to the day before, or some other day. We keep on meeting friendly people.
Friday we attended a presentation by ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against House Demolition), about the Matrix of Control. It gave us several good aspects on how the conflict is understood dependent on whether you use an Israeli or human rights framing, in addition to meeting more friendly people, among them the international contact person in ICAHD and two new accompaniers in EAPPI.
Friday night we met more friendly people when we went to Kabbalat Shabbat at the Jewish family I have visited once before. Joy and peace pervaded the evening also this time, and I felt that this house was in a special way filled with love.
Tomorrow we are invited for lunch to one of my students in Ramallah after work in Jalazone. I visited them a few days ago to taste the Easter cookies, and I had to come again for a meal, and I should bring my visitor from Norway. It was such a friendly family. They excused their small house, but I experienced it true how we say in Norwegian, that where there is a room in the heart, there is a room in the house.
Yesterday was not the only friendly-people-day. I think they will continue. It is just a matter of noticing it. Friendly people are everywhere, ready to improve your day.
Friendly greetings from Hanne.
posted by Hanne at 8:23 AM
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