Nablus is cold; nobody has heating. I can see my breath while sitting on the couch.
The first ever English class in the village of Deir al-Hatab: twenty-five smiling faces, bright eyes following every step I make.
Stifled laughter. Singing "Head and Shoulders" has never been so fun.
Spikes and flares in the road. Guns. Israeli soldiers. A temporary checkpoint. Panic: my passport is at home. I make it to my first day of teaching in the village despite the obstacles. I am starting to understand how existence is resistance in Palestine.
Lopsided letters. "Cat is spelled C-A-T. Not C-A-K."
Successful tutoring session: conflict resolution between the lone Real Madrid fan and the rest of the class rooting for Barcelona. Lesson planning for tomorrow= researching Barcelona and Real Madrid.
My first class of the day in the village has 10 more kids than usual. Who snuck in and why?
During a tutoring session of six 10-year-old Palestinians:
Leen manages to break the doorknob off the door. Ahmad says, "Leen, you are a disgrace." Cons: students are breaking things and being mean to each other. Pros: student uses new vocabulary word correctly.
Day two of taking the servees from the station:
"Here, this one." A servees driver I have never seen before gestures to the open door of the orange van. "Deir al-Hatab?" I ask, surprised. "Yes, yes, you want this one," he replies in Arabic. I don't even have to tell him where to drop me off in the village. Word travels fast here.
When you teach English in Palestine, happiness is having seven 12-year-old Palestinians pounding on their desks singing "We Will Rock You" by Queen, rendering it quite well.
The first ever English class in the village of Deir al-Hatab: twenty-five smiling faces, bright eyes following every step I make.
Stifled laughter. Singing "Head and Shoulders" has never been so fun.
Spikes and flares in the road. Guns. Israeli soldiers. A temporary checkpoint. Panic: my passport is at home. I make it to my first day of teaching in the village despite the obstacles. I am starting to understand how existence is resistance in Palestine.
Lopsided letters. "Cat is spelled C-A-T. Not C-A-K."
Successful tutoring session: conflict resolution between the lone Real Madrid fan and the rest of the class rooting for Barcelona. Lesson planning for tomorrow= researching Barcelona and Real Madrid.
My first class of the day in the village has 10 more kids than usual. Who snuck in and why?
During a tutoring session of six 10-year-old Palestinians:
Leen manages to break the doorknob off the door. Ahmad says, "Leen, you are a disgrace." Cons: students are breaking things and being mean to each other. Pros: student uses new vocabulary word correctly.
Day two of taking the servees from the station:
"Here, this one." A servees driver I have never seen before gestures to the open door of the orange van. "Deir al-Hatab?" I ask, surprised. "Yes, yes, you want this one," he replies in Arabic. I don't even have to tell him where to drop me off in the village. Word travels fast here.
When you teach English in Palestine, happiness is having seven 12-year-old Palestinians pounding on their desks singing "We Will Rock You" by Queen, rendering it quite well.
V! I'm so happy you are having a blast in PALE! I miss you and think about you a lot!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading my blog, B!
DeleteI miss you uber amounts!