Exploring diversity in Nazareth (13th October)

After saying goodbye to our Palestinian friends last night, most of us are feeling a bit flat and tired today. Normally our bus trips are filled with lots of chatter, but today most were taking the opportunity to catch up on some shut eye and there was definitely lots of energy missing from our group. We needed Mohsen to make us laugh or all of the Palestinian guys to break out in song at random times – their absence in our group was deeply felt today.

Our activities today included visiting a Kibbutz, where one of the community members shared how the members of the Kibbutz have worked together with their Arab neighbours and refused to engage in conflict with each other. We also had the opportunity to visit a miniature Nazareth, a replica of what it was like here 2000 years ago. In the afternoon, we visited a Suffi community, a form of Islam and also learned of the projects they are doing in the aim of creating peace.

We took some time out together tonight to reflect on where we are at and how we are feeling now that we have left Bethlehem. For many of us, it was hard to go back into ‘tourist’ mode today and not have the same opportunities for conversations that we have had in the last eight days. There is a lot for each of us to process and the prospect of explaining our experiences to our friends and family back home is going to be tough. Below, Mary shares how she is feeling and planning for when she returns home:

“After leaving the Palestinian friends, like most of us feeling so tired and so sad to leave the Palestinian friends. When we are in bus normally people won’t feel sleepy, but what i experience during our travel to Nazareth now is that all of us were feel sleepy. I think that all of us were missed our friends the Palestinians in Bethlehem.

And during our visit to Kibbutz, where their spoke man talked about how the life of the community’s people and I am so interest to hear that and he also talk about they were independent from Israel. Why i am interest to hear hem talking about their community, because like in my country we were also, and what he talk about is true, like in Solomon, there is no good Education. We are so lucky to have opportunities to visit Nazareth village, because we hear a lot from the Bible story and also in church that so amazing for me after 2000 years ago now. Later in the afternoon we visit the suffi community, one of their spoke man about the difference between the Islam and muslim people and he also talk about who their project work.

I think for me, when I return back home, I will try to stay in connect with each other, because it quite hard for me to access to email, it’s too expensive to check email in internet café. If people had a job with the computer they were lucky , because they will access to check email.”

PS. Having trouble uploading photos - will try again tomorrow.