The getting-to-know-you questions are a whole different ball game in Palestine. They usually follow a list like this:
1. What is your name?
2. What country are you from?
3. Are you married? (Occasionally followed by a marriage proposal if you are a single female.)
4. How old are you?
5. Why are you in Palestine?
6. What is your favorite football team? ("Football" meaning the sport us Americans call "soccer.")
Unfortunately in Palestine there are only two acceptable answers to the last question: Real Madrid or Barcelona. Despite the binary choices available for favorite teams, the general enthusiasm for football is infinite. The program I work for, Teach for Palestine (TFP), tries to capitalize on this general enthusiasm when creating more opportunities for girls in the local community. This takes the form of an end-of-the-year football tournament and weekly practices for the girls involved. The football portion of TFP is only in its second year of operation and so is rapidly expanding and reorganizing.
When the idea for girls' football was introduced in the village the coordinator at the women's center, who is my community liaison of sorts, was dubious about the project. She felt that the families in the village wouldn't want their daughters playing sports in public and that the idea of 11-year-old girls traveling to the city of Nablus for games would be unfavorable. Thankfully she was wrong. With a little bit of encouragement, all my female students received permission to participate in the football program. I credit the overwhelming excitement surrounding football and the positive experience of the TFP English program in Deir Al-Hatab.
The next challenge was finding a place to practice. One of my bosses worked tirelessly to receive permission to hold practices at a school in the village. This seemed the most practical course as I had about 20 girls who were desperate for the opportunity to play football. Carting them to Nablus once a week to use the field at a TFP affiliated school was out of our budget. It was also necessary to use the school facilities because the area is very hilly and there are no other open flat lots. Further more, the walls of the school would provide necessary protection from any potential scrutiny from less open-minded village residents who might harass the girls, a sad but important consideration.
On the edge of the village is a beautiful new school. It has a wonderful and large football field surrounded by a fence. The girls assumed we would get permission to play there and were very excited at the idea. To my dismay, the ministry was only able to grant us permission to use the small school in the center of the village that had a courtyard not much bigger than my classroom. Upon further investigation, I learned the reason we were denied use of the school on the outskirts of the village is that the school is often attacked by settlers from a nearby Israeli settlement. Allowing foreign NGO workers and groups of Palestinian girls to use the facilities outside of school hours was too much of a security risk. With all parties heartbroken, I had to pick just eight of my girls to play football since they would have to take expensive taxis into Nablus for a weekly coaching.
All the struggle paid off today though. My girls managed to put up a fierce fight and won second place in the annual tournament. They beat the rivaling village team of Salem (along with many other teams) and gave the defending champions a run for their money. The game was only lost in a "sudden death" style shootout, an impressive feat for the newest TFP site.
Now that the precedent has been set, many of the younger girls have told me they can't wait to be older and play football too. The residents of Deir Al-Hatab continue to impress me with their enthusiasm and support for progressive ideas and learning opportunities. Hopefully, the TFP football program will receive the support it needs to flourish in the coming years.
1. What is your name?
2. What country are you from?
3. Are you married? (Occasionally followed by a marriage proposal if you are a single female.)
4. How old are you?
5. Why are you in Palestine?
6. What is your favorite football team? ("Football" meaning the sport us Americans call "soccer.")
Unfortunately in Palestine there are only two acceptable answers to the last question: Real Madrid or Barcelona. Despite the binary choices available for favorite teams, the general enthusiasm for football is infinite. The program I work for, Teach for Palestine (TFP), tries to capitalize on this general enthusiasm when creating more opportunities for girls in the local community. This takes the form of an end-of-the-year football tournament and weekly practices for the girls involved. The football portion of TFP is only in its second year of operation and so is rapidly expanding and reorganizing.
When the idea for girls' football was introduced in the village the coordinator at the women's center, who is my community liaison of sorts, was dubious about the project. She felt that the families in the village wouldn't want their daughters playing sports in public and that the idea of 11-year-old girls traveling to the city of Nablus for games would be unfavorable. Thankfully she was wrong. With a little bit of encouragement, all my female students received permission to participate in the football program. I credit the overwhelming excitement surrounding football and the positive experience of the TFP English program in Deir Al-Hatab.
The next challenge was finding a place to practice. One of my bosses worked tirelessly to receive permission to hold practices at a school in the village. This seemed the most practical course as I had about 20 girls who were desperate for the opportunity to play football. Carting them to Nablus once a week to use the field at a TFP affiliated school was out of our budget. It was also necessary to use the school facilities because the area is very hilly and there are no other open flat lots. Further more, the walls of the school would provide necessary protection from any potential scrutiny from less open-minded village residents who might harass the girls, a sad but important consideration.
On the edge of the village is a beautiful new school. It has a wonderful and large football field surrounded by a fence. The girls assumed we would get permission to play there and were very excited at the idea. To my dismay, the ministry was only able to grant us permission to use the small school in the center of the village that had a courtyard not much bigger than my classroom. Upon further investigation, I learned the reason we were denied use of the school on the outskirts of the village is that the school is often attacked by settlers from a nearby Israeli settlement. Allowing foreign NGO workers and groups of Palestinian girls to use the facilities outside of school hours was too much of a security risk. With all parties heartbroken, I had to pick just eight of my girls to play football since they would have to take expensive taxis into Nablus for a weekly coaching.
All the struggle paid off today though. My girls managed to put up a fierce fight and won second place in the annual tournament. They beat the rivaling village team of Salem (along with many other teams) and gave the defending champions a run for their money. The game was only lost in a "sudden death" style shootout, an impressive feat for the newest TFP site.
Now that the precedent has been set, many of the younger girls have told me they can't wait to be older and play football too. The residents of Deir Al-Hatab continue to impress me with their enthusiasm and support for progressive ideas and learning opportunities. Hopefully, the TFP football program will receive the support it needs to flourish in the coming years.
 |
| The girls halfway through the tournament: tired but determined. |
 |
| Sarah (in black) intercepts the ball. |
 |
| Team captains face off. Jiana (in black) plays for Deir Al-Hatab. |
 |
| We even keep the refereeing fun! |
No comments:
Post a Comment