I have been so busy, that I have not been able to write in this blog. Sorry guys, I received many or your emails, but I haven't been able to get back with you. Now is catch up time, if I can catch up.
I have been doing workshops in Ramallah and Bethlehem. I have 3 groups and have had to turn down two more groups. One was in Hebron, that would have been great! The other was in Northern Israel, a group of Arab/Israeli widows.
One group, with the Tamer Institute, has been doing great work in Ramallah. The leader, (I need permission to use her name) is very excited about the project, and wants to continue while I am away, if at all possible. The participants also expressed the same ideas. She also gave me the name of someone who is looking for projects to fund! I called them and they are interested and want a formal proposal. Maybe this project is not finished yet!
It would be good to have more time to do things right. I had no idea that in this culture things took much longer, than what I am used to. I can understand why, with the checkpoints, and busy schedules...sometimes it is very difficult to go to two places in one day.
On the romantic side, a nice person who works in one of the shops that I visit quite often, waited for me one day to give me flowers! How sweet, although the person was much younger than I, and I could not accept, due to the cultural differences etc...I was flattered. It has been nine years since someone has given me flowers. Someday....
I thought to myself that this person is going to make someone very happy one day!
On the Palestinian traditional note: I found out that the women who get married here, rent their wedding gowns, they do not and cannot buy them. How different that is than our western view. Also, the process of the marriage is three days, so not only do the women rent their wedding gowns, they also have a reason to rent two other very formal gowns!
I have not been able to write my notes, I have only taped them. Once, I translate the notes, I will post some more traditional and cultural information that I discovered.
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