Megon in Palestine: “Sharing What We See Happening Here Can Make a Difference”: Meet our volunteer, Megon, a previous member at Engage in Palestine in 2009 and 2011 and now in 2022. She taught English to Palestinian children at Engage in Palestine (EP). Unfortunately, her visa is ending, but she intends to return as soon as possible. In this article, she will tell you why she returns to EP.
OVERWHELMING
“The first few days in Palestine were overwhelming because everything was different. I have traveled to many countries, but I have never seen anything like this. Google maps, which I usually rely on, does not work here. So, when searching for falafel or a supermarket, my phone cannot help.”
SORE MUSCLES
“After the first few days, it got better. I started enjoying it a lot more, and I did not want to leave very soon. I only knew very little Arabic when I got here, a few words, but it was enough to help me in daily life. I expected the one-on-one classes to be very intense because I did not know Arabic, but my teacher was wonderful. We became friends, which characterizes the Center as a whole: we are a family or a group of close friends. The Palestinian people at the Center are some of my favorite people I have ever met. I laughed so much that my core muscles got sore.”
HOST FAMILY
“I lived in a small apartment above my host family, very close to the Center. I could walk anywhere, and not living directly in my host family’s house gave me a lot of privacy. When I needed something, my host family was always there. Also, as a vegetarian, it was convenient that I could cook meals for myself. In Hebron, the people – according to themselves – put meat in everything, so it is a challenge to eat with other people, and rejecting food is impolite.”
SAFETY
“Being a western woman in Hebron, I had no bad experiences. When I am walking by myself, people will ask me where I am from or how I am doing, but that’s it. I felt safer here, even walking around the street at midnight, than in Australia, the US, or the UK. Because of the whole concept of family justice here, I know that I can talk to people at the Center, and they will sort it out. Everyone knows each other.”
TEACHING
“The work as a teacher is sometimes challenging, yet tremendously fun. I first joined the class of another volunteer to see how he managed. He told me that most children rarely see a foreigner, let alone speak English with them, so they can be timid. But it becomes a lot of fun when you get to know them and their levels. Every class is different. My favorite class to give was the English club, with 40 or 45 teenage girls. The girls were brilliant and eager to learn. After the first lesson, one of them asked me if she could take a photo with me. The next moment all the girls were lining up.”
FUN
“One of my favorite memories was the trip to Jericho that we made with the volunteers from the Center. In the evening, we went to an amusement park, and we wanted to go into the bouncy house – the inflatable castle that kids jump on. So we convinced the kid who ruled the place to let us in. We had a very intense few minutes because the jumping was tough. I had some of the most fun I had in a very long time. There was a lot of traffic on the way back, but it wasn’t safe to leave the bus because there were settlers around and we were with Palestinians. Because of this we created a smoking area at the front of the bus. We amused the driver.”
RAMADAN
“I was in Palestine during the whole month of Ramadan. It was an amazing experience. My Arabic teacher helped me through it. She would text me, ‘Stop eating now’ or ‘You can eat now,’ and she made sure I was awake for Souhour. It was good to share this month with the people here. Sometimes I ate with my host family, sometimes at the Center, and sometimes I had other invitations. Having iftar at the Center was very nice because all of us would be a bit tired and low on energy during the day, but after food and coffee, we were over the moon and had a lot of fun together.”
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
“The situation in Palestine inevitably affects you when you are here. Because I live close to checkpoints, I heard gunshots, sand bombs, or fireworks nearly every night – sometimes lasting for hours. But I was not afraid because the clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers only happen in the same place, at the checkpoints. The situation is frustrating, and sometimes, it is hard to hold hope. But I think sharing what we see happening here, on social media or with friends and family, can make a difference. You can feel angry, but it is useless if you never put any action into it. So do something; even if five people see your Instagram story or you tell your stories to one person, it will eventually spread like fire.”
SEE FOR YOURSELF
Megon enjoyed her time with Engage in Palestine because of the people – she didn’t have so much fun in a long time – and because the children were eager to learn English. Although witnessing the effects of the occupation can be frustrating, Megon feels that she can make a difference by telling the stories of Palestinians and sharing her experiences with others at home. So, if you enjoyed reading this article and are curious to come and experience Palestine for yourself, we hope to welcome you soon at Engage in Palestine.
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