My minor in the occupied Palestinian territories
Ever thought about 20 year old guys shooting at 10 year old kid throwing stones? I have seen it. Thought about having to be present in your house 24 hours a day 365 days a year to prevent people from taking over your house? I have seen it.
The general realities portrayed in the media about the situation in the Middle East seem so superficial, and placing everything in some kind of perspective seems nothing out of the ordinary. However, actually being there, thinking back on it, is simply bizarre. Possibly the worst thing is how quickly you adapt yourself to the situation, accepting everything as if it were normal. The sad thing is though, it is not.
Of course this was not amongst my reasons for applying to the Birzeit University. I have always been intrigued by Arab culture, language and religion, and its relations with Europe. Palestine seemed to be the perfect place to learn Arabic, enjoy a totally different culture, and experience something on the foreground of international law and politics, although often controversial.
Palestine could not have satisfied my expectations more. The university was very well organised and the professors were good. Due to visa issues the semester is squeezed into three months, which makes the semester very intensive. The reward, however, is that you have plentiful time afterwards to travel around and experience life outside the university.
Upon my arrival in Ramallah the Ramadan started immediately, which basically provided me with a culture switch from one extreme into the other. In the Netherlands everything is very well organised, fast, and efficient (or maybe its just me, but let’s use it for sake of my argument). In Palestine most things work. During Ramadan however, especially if this is the first time you come across Palestinian life, everything works just a little different and most things are even more guess work than usual. Taxis might go, or not. University might close, or not. Offices usually work at half strength, and people not answering their phone is no exception. Also not eating on the streets during day time requires some adjusting skills, and finally, time is
relative. I guess it’s a sign that in Arabic describing time is done in quantities of five minutes rather than a single minute accompanied by seconds. Yet, there was nothing strange that some common sense could not handle.On the other side, people are extremely friendly and usually have time. Greeting people with a mere hello or just saying good bye might even offend people. Usually these greetings take up to a few minutes, they even invented a way of saying goodbye in short without offending people being: “yalla, bye”.
In short, if you’re looking for an inspiring time abroad, enjoying the Arab culture, experiencing what an occupation really entails, I would advise everyone to take this chance and visit Palestine!
By Gerard
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