Orientation Days in Tulkarm for Team 39

 Team 39 arrived for the "handover orientation" yesterday evening.  Johanna from our team personally escorted them as they traveled by bus from Jerusalem to Tulkarm.  The new team brought everything they would need for 3 months.  They will spend four days participating in a thorough orientation from us and shadow our team in our daily tasks.  We have written a handover document providing clear information about this area and the work that we do.  Then they will return to Jerusalem for more orientation with the other new EAs.  I remember feeling overwhelmed after my orientation stay in Tulkarm.  Questions and doubts whirled around my head.  I wondered if our team could even be half as effective as Team 37 had been. 

It has been delightful to get to know the members of Team 39 who are assigned to Tulkarm.   Coming from Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Norway, they bring a wealth of expertise and new energy.

Team 39:  Lena, Gudrun, Live & Sean with Johanna and me

Lena (Germany) has a degree in religious education and is also studying social work.   I found out that Gudrun grew up in the same area of Sweden where my grandmother was born and raised.  It’s 200 kilometers from Stockhom in the Gavla area.   I felt an instant bond with her and know a little bit about the area after tracing my own roots on a trip we took a few years ago.  Gudrun has a degree in development studies and has previously visited Israel and Palestine.  Live(Norway)  has a masters in Nordic languages and is working as a scientific assistant.  After her term in Tulkarm she will be a summer EA in Yanoun.  Sean has a masters in Community Research and works for a Belfast based youth work charity.

Yesterday, our team took the new team on a walk around the city of Tulkarm.  They witnessed the weekly demonstration of family members of prisoners.

Team 39 observing the weekly demonstration of families of prisoners

When they returned they all told us how welcome they felt in the community already.  We agreed saying:  “no one remains a stranger for very long in Tulkarm.” 

We shared with them pictures of the demonstration we observed at an agricultural gate last week where several teenagers were arrested after a rock throwing incident.

Start of demonstration march to Deir-al-Ghusun Agricultural Gate

We had a “hafla” yesterday evening.  That means celebration or party in Arabic.  We invited many of the contacts we have in Tulkarm.  We were pleased with the response to our invitation and people of all ages came to greet us, visit with each other and to meet the new team.   That meant saying goodbye to our team and hello to the new team.  We purposefully moved from table to table to each spend time with as many people as we could.  At one point it was an honor to sit with 2 other social workers-- Lena from Germany and our friend Abeer who is trained as a social worker from Palestine and who hopes to be able to work in her own field.  We all shared similar thinking about every person’s right to self-determination and how each person deserves to be treated with respect.  This led to a discussion about the occupation of Palestine and how this affects and restricts the Palestinian people.

Overlooking valley from Shufa

Today we took team 39 to the village of Shufa.  It was a beautiful day and it was fun to see the countryside with sheep grazing and donkeys enjoying the pasture. 

As the time nears for my leaving Tulkarm, I realize how fortunate I have been to meet so many wonderful people in this area.  They have been incredibly hospitable to us "foreigners".  I have also been so blessed to have developed friendships with other EA's in the program.  Well, I must get to bed as we will have a busy tomorrow.  It is a bit crowded in our flat with four guests camping out with us.

Susanne