Day 11: Celebrations
Today we are going back to the house in Battir to celebrate.
It seems very long since we have seen our friends, even though it is only two
days. It makes me realise how close we have become in such a short time. The
others feel the same, we can’t wait to see them all again and what has happened
to the house while we were away.
We spend the morning in Bethlehem, doing last minute
shopping. I sit in Manger Square for a bit, updating my journal, and get
talking to a guy sitting next to me on the bench. It turns out he has already
met some of our group, and asks me to come to his shop for a coffee. Apparently
we have been in the local paper, and he goes round all his neighbours to try
and find me a copy, but they have all gone. Of course I end up buying something from his shop,
a really funky pair of handmade trousers in a traditional Palestinian style.
After lunch we drive to Battir and are welcomed in the
village hall. There are at least a hundred people there, including the Nema
family, neighbours, village officials, the builders, photographers and people
from the Holy Land Trust. And last but not least Marwan, who as always knows
everybody and has to translate for everyone. How I will miss them all when we
go back! But for now I enjoy the occasion and sit down with a group of children
who I have got to know during the build. Everyone is dressed in their best
clothes, very different from the building site! There are lots of speeches and
thank-you’s, as you would expect. Some of it is very moving indeed,
particularly Wa’fat’s message. She feels we have become her friends and her
home is also our home, we will always be welcome there. We have become part of this village in a way
that would not have seemed possible two weeks ago. There are more presents, and
of course there are refreshments and cake to finish things off in style. It’s
great to see Mohammed and Anas, the two young builders who I worked with on the
walls and who took us for a walk, now clean and smartly dressed rather than
covered in builder’s dust.
After the official proceeding we move to the house. Two of
our group plant olive trees donated by the HLT. The walls are finished now and
we are assured they will keep going with the work. There are more speeches and
photographs and then it is time to go. We take ages to say good-bye to
everyone, there are tears and smiles, exchanges of Facebook addresses and
promises to keep in touch. It is really hard to leave. I make a vow to myself I
will come back, sooner rather than later, to renew these friendships.
We spend a few final hours in Bethlehem and then get on the
bus to the airport. More good-byes, this time at the Bethlehem checkpoint as
Marwan cannot come with us to the airport (he is not allowed out….). Taking
leave of Marwan is hard, he has become so much part of our group and has been
the heart and soul of this project. It is difficult to think of the people we
leave behind, stuck in this restricted environment, oppressed and locked up
behind that awful wall. We can go home, free to go where we want, continuing with
our way of life that we take for granted: plenty of water, no checkpoints, no
need for permits, no threat to our houses, free to travel and go to the
seaside, many opportunities for our children. We are all very determined to raise
awareness and tell their story when we are home, but it feels as if it is not
enough. I know we helped to build a house and we raised a lot of money, and it
feels very good to have done SOMETHING, but it feels so little……
At the airport we get into a bit of trouble because of the
Battir souvernirs we were given. We all have the same one, and it raises
suspicion at the security check, not because of the link with the re-build, but
because the plaques might contain bombs. We are questioned closely and have to
be careful with the answers……but we were briefed well by Nive and eventually we
are waved through and still manage to be in time for the plane (Easyjet waits
for no one……). I am looking forward to going to our church the following day to
tell my story. It makes me realise how lucky I am with my friends at St. Paul’s
who feel like my family and who will welcome and support me.
It’s been an amazing and life changing experience. There is
no way to express it in words, although I have tried by writing this blog. I
have changed inside, in my perception of the Palestinian people and the way I
view the situation. I have learned things about myself that I didn’t’ know and
have shared a common faith in God with Muslims. I have made many new friends,
both in Palestine and also with the group of volunteers. We have got to know
each other in a way that you would not normally experience with a group of
strangers (which is what we were to each other at the start), sharing our
labour, our highs and lows, being tired together, frustrated together, eating,
drinking and praying together, and even sharing a very cold cave.
There are some people who will always stand out in my
memory.
Marwan, with his welcoming smile, his many jokes and big
laugh. Marwan, who will always help when a friend is in need, who is full of
hope and positive energy, but who can flip to his dark side at unexpected
moments and recount stories of imprisonment and torture that make you go cold
inside.
Wa’fat, with her quiet courage and friendliness. Wa’fat, who
changed before our eyes from not-quite-daring-to-believe, to a woman full of energy,
hope and smiles. Wa’fat and her family, who will live with the eternal
dichotomy of the pleasure of a new house and the possible threat of another
demolition.
Athulla and Jamila, with their unconditional and warm
welcome to strangers, their strong faith and their readiness to accept the
faith of others.
The children who gave us unconditional friendship and taught
us much more than we taught them.
Maryam, who gave me her prayer beads in a gesture that has
created a bond between us. Maryam, who has seen untold trouble in her lifetime,
having to flee her home more than once because of war. Maryam who was there
every single day of the build, despite the rain or the cold, and who led the
singing after the roof was completed.
Wa’fat’s sister-in-law, who welcomed us to her home, brought
teas and coffees and let us use her bathroom, dirty and dusty as we were.
I could go on, but there are too many memories. It’s going
to take time to process all these experiences and writing the blog has been
part of that. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Below are a few websites if you
are interested in learning more. You can contact me via Facebook if you would
like more information.
www.amostrust. org
www.holylandtrust.org
www.icahd.org
My Facebook name is Lia McLean
Official celebration in the village hall
The commemerative plaque presented to the Amos Trust
Planting an olive tree by the house
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We are given a souvernit of Battir by the Nema family
With Marwasn, Anas and Mohammed
The whole group with the house in the background
This sign is by all the cross-over points between the Israel and Palestine
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