Where is Tulkarm?

That was my first question when I opened my e-mail on Wednesday night to an e-mail from the Jerusalem EAPPI office, which included the Tulkarm  (also spelled Tulkarem) “handover report.”  Although the accompanying e-mail said we would have our placement assignments on Friday,  the sending of the report confirms that this is where I will be for the next three months (my host in D.C. received a similar report from East Jerusalem).

I must admit that my initial reaction was disappointment; I’d really hoped to be placed in Hebron, a place which I had visited twice and to which I felt “connected.”  But part of the job is accepting what you are given – and remembering that I have left myself open to whatever comes my way!.

And, despite my never having heard of it, Tulkarm is a city – of about 50,000 people – and an urban placement was my other “wish!”  

A brief perusal of the map tells me that Tulkarm is in the northwest of the West Bank, close to the Mediterranean sea, although the Wall prevents access to the sea by locals.  I also read that the climate is “Mediterranean sub-tropical,” which I’m guessing means I probably won’t need all of the wool socks and long underwear that I have packed!

I’ll be getting my first view of Tulkarm in a week or so – in the meantime, get out those maps and atlases and check it out! 

Goodbyes

When all the packing is done, and all the “goodbyes” are said, there’s nothing left but to begin the journey!  For those who were wondering – yes, I did get it all packed!  I probably took too much and probably will be missing something crucial, but its done! I left home at 6 this morning, hauling my 47 pound rolling duffel (WAY too heavy!) down the street while carrying my computer/backpack on my back!  (While I plan to “lighten up” on my way back, I’m already looking for a volunteer who will meet me at PDX when I return in May!)

I wanted to look out the windows of the MAX train and say “goodbye” to Portland, but it was dark, and it was raining, so I pulled out my book and let the train move me another step closer to my destination.  My “usual” airport breakfast spot is Gustav’s, and today was no exception.  I feel drawn to my last touches of the “familiar,” while anticipating the draw of the “unknown.”

Tonight, I’ll be in Washington, D.C., meeting my fellow EA (George) and tomorrow we will begin meeting people from Church World Services (CWS) and learning more about the work we will be doing for the next three months.  There, too, I will meet with representatives from my local congressman and senators’ offices.  

And ultimately we will learn where we will be placed once we arrive in the Holy Land.  I am told that most EAs have this information several weeks before leaving home but, for some reason, George and I are still “in the dark” as to our assigned work places!  EAPPI has seven placements, three in cities (Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron) and four in rural villages and, while the work is similar in all locations, the specifics are different as they are tailored to the needs of the community.  In any event, at this point only God (and maybe the EAPPI office in Jerusalem!) knows where I’ll be sent.

For now, there’s an airplane waiting and a journey that has already begun…

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

A peek at my closet floor...

Every time I start to prepare for a trip, the lyrics of this Peter Paul and Mary song come to mind, “All my bags are packed; I’m ready to go…”  Well, this time, the bags are not yet packed, although otherwise I’m pretty much ready to go!  (I leave on January 29.)  I confess to a box filled with clothes and other miscellaneous items (hot water bottle, saline spray, duct tape, mailing tube) that has been sitting on my closer floor for several weeks now, with items being added to or subtracted from it as I think of them.  And, as the box has now reached overflow status, I also confess to a number of items on the closet floor, awaiting a final “yeah” or “nay!”

All along, I’ve been preparing for seriously cold weather – no indoor heat, being outdoors at 4 am, snow, etc.  Accordingly, I have raided and added to my ski clothes – accumulating piles of heavy wool socks, long underwear, mittens, scarves and the like.  Then, a few days ago, I went to weather.com and learned that the temperature in Jerusalem (which is one of the highest and thus, theoretically anyway, coldest spots in the Holy Land) was 62 F.  While I’m not inclined to toss the warm stuff, I’m now thinking about warm-weather clothes as well – lightweight pants in addition to the cords? T-shirts along with sweaters and fleeces?

Of course, all of this will have a serious impact on my reputation as a “light” packer.  Friends and acquaintances are generally amazed that I can spend a month overseas with just a carry-on sized bag and a backpack.  Not this time!  My “main bag” is an oversized duffle (with wheels), in addition to the carry-on backpack (computer, change of clothes, emergency toiletries, reading material and the like).

Still, I wonder.  Am I taking too much?  Not enough??  Will I still be cold?  Hot??  Of course, while I still don’t know exactly where I’ll be, I do know that I will have at least semi-regular access to markets and city shops, where I can undoubtedly buy whatever I find I still need.  And everyday household items (deodorant, shampoo and the like) will be readily available.  

Then I spent a couple of hours with two local EAs, who gave me lots of good advice, including on packing.  “Take half of the stuff you got out and leave it behind,” said one.  “Two pairs of pants and three shirts,” said another!  Back to the drawing board…

Hollywood Beckons!

Of course, in addition to books and magazines, visual media plays an important part in how tIhis  or, indeed, any subject -  is presented – and received.  I was delighted to see that two Israeli films that deal with the Palestine/Israel “situation” have been nominated for “best documentary feature” Academy Awards.  One film, which I have seen, is “Five Broken Cameras,” a joint effort by a Palestinian photographer and an Israeli filmmaker.  The story is seen from the successive lenses of five video cameras – originally obtained to document the early childhood of a Palestinian child, but ultimately used to document life under Occupation.

 I have not yet seen the second nominee, “Gatekeepers,” but, with its story of interviews with all living Shin Bet heads, including the current one, it promises a thought-provoking look from the perspective of six different men, all with the same mission.

 A third movie, which presents life in present day Israel and Palestine is the fictional “The Other Son,” a classical “switched at birth” story of two babies – one Israeli and one Palestinian – who are forced to deal with the knowledge that they were raised in a culture very foreign to their biological heritage.  As the two young men, now 18, struggle with questions about their identity, their parents struggle with how to accept “the other” as a member of their family! In English, Hebrew, Arabic and French (with subtitles), its playing in a number of "indie" theatres.

See you at the movies!