I know it's Friday today, and I'm trying to catch up with it. So let me finish telling you all about my Tuesday and then Wednesday. Before you know it, my Turkish and English blogs will be synchronous as they're supposed to be.
December 14th, Tuesday it is.
Where was I?
So it's 8AM now and I'm out in the courtyard.
It's unbelievably gorgeous out! The air is so fresh, sun is shining, birds are chirping... Before I went to the School for Peace, I wanted to see the village in bright daylight. Got my film and photo camera with me. The air is so fresh that you feel mentally alert, or like getting high. :P I got lost for a while, maybe on purpose, until I saw the Garden of Silence and the Spiritual Center which is located right below the volunteer house. S. Center is a fantastic-looking building, like a giant concrete ball. It's good to find my way back home. I was getting hungry. Then I realized there's nothing "breakfastalish" for me in our kitchen. So I headed for the Ahlan Cafe. It's both a cafe and a gift shop, run by a Palestinian couple, Arif and Dalal. ( I thought they were Persian until today, so I have to correct my Turkish blog.) I assume they're in their early 50s. It looks like it opens at 10AM. So much for an Ahlan breakfast for me. So be it, I have raw almonds in my bag. They can help me survive until 10. Off to School for Peace.
It's a single story, simple but graceful building with a lovely front yard. I recognized Halim at first sight. He is the director of the school. I know him from his pictures on the website. He doesn't look like a talkative guy. He went into his office and I was about to follow him when the security officer blocked my way for a hug. His name is Nammur. He has an oddly high pitched voice contrary to his bulky figure. Nammur is Fatin's cat. He lives in the School for Peace. Fatin is the secretary. She's assisting Halim and Yael. A lovely Palestinian woman. She introduced me to Halim. He strikes me as a person who speaks short and to the point. I actually like that but I have to try to use shorter sentences while explaining myself. This was always an issue for me. We talked about the school, and what we expect from each other. Unfortunately to my disappointment, the research center is not active now. But there are so many workshops and things to get done. Writing for grants, mostly academic articles and whatnot. Halim, as well as Raida, said they could help me get in touch with the NGOs and people they thought I would like to meet with.
Then they took me to my room. It's next to Halim's office. It's small and cozy. The weather is warm but indoors are usually cold here. For a while I managed to resist the temptation of closing the door and turning on the heater. I wanted to see the front yard.
It was time to go to Ahlan again, and I found it open this time. Arif was there, getting the store ready for business. On the background you could hear the Iraqi musician Munir Bashir playing the ud, in Hejaz maqam. Exquisite! Arif made me a pita bread sandwich with lebane cheese and salad. Also some za'atar bread with madly tasty olives on the side. I know lebane from Turkey but never knew it was also Arabic until my dear friend Dana offered me a jar filled with lebane balls, stuffed in olive oil some years ago. He wrapt the sandwich for lunch and put the za'atar bread on a tray, a cup of green olives and a glass of water on the side. While he was preparing my food, I explored the store and with awe enjoyed the fincans (small Arabic/Turkish coffee cups), hand made bowls and plates, ewers, hamsas (hand of Fatimas), music cds and so much more! Apparently majority of the stuff they sell there, including the ingredients they use to prepare food, are from either from Palestinian families or the West Bank. Arts and crafts items are made my women organizations in the West Bank.
Btw, to see my breakfast at Ahlan, click here:
Goodness, those olives! Almost as good as my mom's! So tasty. And I'd like to point out that I DID NOT order olives, nor water. They are their treats, their "ikram". Yael's friend Mikael came to Ahlan with his little granddaughter. He's drinking tea while the little girl explores the garden on all fours. WE chatted a bit but I had to hurry so as not to be late to school. Not that they told me to be there at a certain hour but I want them to know that I really want to be there. Told Arif and Dalal that I would be there every day from then on. I would love to interview them and benefit from the stories they may share with me. No rush.
At school I worked on the English workshop report Halim has sent me to edit. Nammur was with me almost all the time. He likes my company. And I like his. The lebane sandwich is tastier than I imagined. I better get pita bread, lebane and, well more cheese and za'atar for home. And hummus and falafel. :)
Around 3, Halim's son Adan, 7, honored us with his presence. :) He is a blond sheep! So cute with his long curls and blue eyes. He run into his father's office screaming, "Baba! Baba!" Apparently he trains capoeira. I should recruit him to my capoeira classes for kids. Halim likes the idea, and I can't wait to start teaching again. This is THE perfect place to train anyway.
Maybe it's because of this motivation, but something happened to me when I went home tonight. I cleaned up the whole courtyard! Cleaned it up, as in sweeping and mopping. Took me almost 2 hours to finish the job and I have blisters in my hands now. It was worth it though. Now I can train comfortably there, every morning. The kittens were too funny while they were watching me frantically wiping the floor. Every time I pour buckets of hot water on the marble floor, they thought I was feeding them and almost burned their paws! Gave them milk and bread at the end. Speaking of the kittens, click here.
Mouna, my roommate, made spagetti with tomato/garlic sauce. I choked down a very full plate of it. Oh by the way, I met my third roommate, Sausan (it's likely that I mispronounced her name), a Palestinian elementary school teacher, who has been working for Neve Shalom for 2-3 years.
I'm very tired now, it's sleepy time for me. I want to wake up early and train tomorrow, in the courtyard. Then Ahlan and SFP. I need to practice my camera skills. It shouldn't be as clumsy as this one here.
Good night / Laila Tov / Leila Sa'eeda..
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