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The lunch at Al-Quds University started with awkwardness. I and Kenzie sat at a table groaned with bottles of water and orange juice, face to face, with two Palestinian students in between. Contrary to other Palestinian guys we met earlier as we walked through the campus, who welcomed us with curious eyes and waving hands, […] Like Natalie, I felt that today was completely overwhelming. I really valued the chance to speak with university students our age to see what life on the ground is like. When words like “occupation,” “for the sake of security,” “human rights violation,” etc are thrown around, even in the most academic discourses, it’s hard to […] I really had mixed feelings about today. I have to say, our visit to the Hind al-Husseini women’s college was lovely. I thought the students there were extremely intelligent and articulate, and though some of us may have had different views politically (for instance, most of them were doubtful about a two-state solution), it was […] Attached, some pictures of our day as guests of Al-Quds University. We began our day at the Hind al-Husseini College for Women in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood of Jerusalem, where we had a robust discussion with a class of students. A number of our Smith students exchanged emails with their Palestinian peers in the […] On Thursday, as you know, we went to Bethlehem. On our way to the Church of the Nativity, we drove through streets full of touristy-looking stores, restaurants, and cafes, most of which we only got fleeting glances. Julia did, however, notice one cafe called “Stars & Bucks.” We all laughed and, as we did not […] (Note: written about Friday, 5.27) Today’s presentations have been a refreshing breath of fresh air. So far, we’ve heard from several viewpoints, many of which have been extreme. Many of us have wanted to hear a more moderate perspective – and have also thirsted for a more complete history […] Getting things across with language differences can feel impossible. I suppose that’s why its called a “language barrier”, but I often forget how much I take for granted my word choice and usage until I find myself in a situation where I’m not using my first language. Luckily, there are plenty of people in Jerusalem […] Words are rarely apolitical, just look at our own country and the appropriation of terms like pro-life and illegals by right wing movements. We use words as clues when trying to identify people’s political ideologies and upon hearing certain terminology, many of us check out of conversations because the words have become so loaded that […] While driving around Jerusalem, a friend of mine asked me if, as a tourist, the city was any more welcoming because the street signs usually have English on them. I initially didn’t know how to answer the question, but I began to think about it. Street signs are pretty important […] Yesterday we heard a very interesting historical lecture from Ir Amin regarding the geography and boundaries of Israel/Palestine. It was a fascinating lecture, really laying out the history of the geographical conflict with the best attempt to portray both sides we have seen. The speaker was an Israeli but quick to question or condemn when […] |