So, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for you) this post is going to be short. I have been lounging around on my break soaking up sitting on couches in my friend Tala's house in Ramallah and time has just flown by. It's funny how a couch can feel like a luxury after living in At Tuwani for almost two weeks. I love the village, but they don't have couches:)
Anyway, there's so much to write about...but I'm just going to choose one short story. In goofing around with the video camera one quiet afternoon, I asked one of the little girls in the village to tell me her name, where she lives, and why she likes living in At Tuwani. Other children had done so and I expected to hear answers about liking the people, enjoying the summer camp, etc. When she got to the part about why she liked the village, it went like this:
"I love Tuwani because...no, I don't like Tuwani because there are the settlers and the army that come to the village."
She said this very matter of factly. A few days before, Israeli soldiers had shown up with two jeeps. My teammate Joy and I went to meet them. They said they had received a call that two sound grenades were found in the village, which was true. These grenades had been used and left after the Israeli army entered the village late one night in May, pulling everyone out of their beds at 1am, lining the men (and some CPTers) against a wall and searching them, while setting off flares and sound grenades during the entire ordeal. We called one of the Palestinians in the village and he helped direct the soldiers to where the two sound grenades were: one in a field where shepherds graze and wheat has been harvested recently, and the other just below the elementary school. The soldiers seemed a bit nervous as they went around, with their guns up and ready to shoot anyone that maybe hiding to ambush them. Children watched as the soldiers successfully removed the used sound grenades and left the village.
Children here are learning a lot from the army incursions and settler attacks that happen in the very place they call home. Fortunately, they are learning more from their parents as far as standing firmly and creatively in the face of such powerful forces. One such lesson came after a shepherd from a nearby village lost three sheep to the gun of a settler a couple months ago. The very next day, every shepherd in the immediate area was out in the same valley with their sheep. They were sending a message that they would not be terrified by such violence. Instead they would respond to it with courage and solidarity.
The little girl's answer to why she liked At Tuwani was very honest, and I am glad to know that despite the bleakness of the situation here people have still not lost their gusto. These are the lessons that will be passed onto the next generation.
Anyway, there's so much to write about...but I'm just going to choose one short story. In goofing around with the video camera one quiet afternoon, I asked one of the little girls in the village to tell me her name, where she lives, and why she likes living in At Tuwani. Other children had done so and I expected to hear answers about liking the people, enjoying the summer camp, etc. When she got to the part about why she liked the village, it went like this:
"I love Tuwani because...no, I don't like Tuwani because there are the settlers and the army that come to the village."
She said this very matter of factly. A few days before, Israeli soldiers had shown up with two jeeps. My teammate Joy and I went to meet them. They said they had received a call that two sound grenades were found in the village, which was true. These grenades had been used and left after the Israeli army entered the village late one night in May, pulling everyone out of their beds at 1am, lining the men (and some CPTers) against a wall and searching them, while setting off flares and sound grenades during the entire ordeal. We called one of the Palestinians in the village and he helped direct the soldiers to where the two sound grenades were: one in a field where shepherds graze and wheat has been harvested recently, and the other just below the elementary school. The soldiers seemed a bit nervous as they went around, with their guns up and ready to shoot anyone that maybe hiding to ambush them. Children watched as the soldiers successfully removed the used sound grenades and left the village.
Children here are learning a lot from the army incursions and settler attacks that happen in the very place they call home. Fortunately, they are learning more from their parents as far as standing firmly and creatively in the face of such powerful forces. One such lesson came after a shepherd from a nearby village lost three sheep to the gun of a settler a couple months ago. The very next day, every shepherd in the immediate area was out in the same valley with their sheep. They were sending a message that they would not be terrified by such violence. Instead they would respond to it with courage and solidarity.
The little girl's answer to why she liked At Tuwani was very honest, and I am glad to know that despite the bleakness of the situation here people have still not lost their gusto. These are the lessons that will be passed onto the next generation.
Showing one of the girls in Tuwani her interview. The photo was taken by her little sister who apparently wasn't too concerned with getting our heads in the picture.
1 comment:
Keep it up, Scruggs! I love you, friend.
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