Day 1
Today the Go Palestine campers had their first day in Ramallah Friends School! They all met in the morning and separated into four groups with their respective counselors and came up with very creative team names. This year we have campers from all around the world, Canada, Jordan, the U.S, the Gulf and even Hong Kong! They spent the morning getting to know each other and introducing themselves with fun team building activities to get the ball rolling. The campers had a pizza party at Jasmine Café followed by the annual group photo. On the way there, they walked through central Ramallah to get a feel of the city until they arrived on site to eat. They walked by Al Manara, Ramallah’s central square where they were able to see the five lions adorning the Al Manara roundabout; traditional symbols of bravery, power and pride representing the five founding families of Ramallah. On the way back they had a chance to walk through the Old City and pass by the Ottoman Court where they were taught about its history.
Back on campus in the afternoon the campers met with film director Emtiaz Diab who was invited to talk about her work and show them her latest movie “Nun Wa Zaytun”; an artistic portrayal of Palestinian lifestyle, values and heritage. This was followed by an animated Q&A session with the director where we discussed topics relating to grassroots Palestinian media as well the notions of the Palestinian as a story teller who constructs Palestinian identity through his/her accounts and experiences and how, through their own experiences to come they will fit into this role.