I leave Israel next Friday, and I've come to realize that at this rate, it will take at least until school starts for me to finish all my blog posts. Must. Crack. Down on them.
Here goes:
On the fifth day of seminar, Maje, Sima, and Samantha brought us to a small village hidden in the mountains called Peki'in (literally hidden - you can't see it from anywhere unless you're right in it). Peki’in is a colourful village, nestling in the center of a beautiful valley, and it boasts a generations-old tradition of co-existence between Druse and Muslims, Christians and Jews.
We strolled around the town for a bit before entering what appeared to be someone's home. It was dark and heavily ornate with candles lit all over the room and things hanging from the ceiling. In front of us was a long table, enough for the forty-something of us, with plates and plates of appetizers already set up: hummus, cucumber + tomato salad, pita. What commenced was one of the best meals of the summer yet. There was one dish we ate with rice, lentils (I think), and these fried balls of meat. I don't know what that dish was called, but if anyone knows, please shoot me a message; it was the tastiest rice dish I put in my body in 2019.
Later in the day, we had our last lecture of the seminar (and my favorite one by far). This lecture was led by The Parents Circle Family Forum, a grassroots organization of Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost immediate family members due to the conflict. The PCFF operates under the principle that a process of reconciliation is a prerequisite for achieving a sustained peace, and we got to hear the stories from a Palestinian and an Israeli mother who lost her brother and son respectively.
Evening endeavors: getting on a party boat in Tiberias and sailing into the Sea of Galilee in the night. Dancing to a mix of Maje's playlist and Sima's playlist. Lots of singing happened. Being with wonderful people, far away from the stress bubble of MIT. Post-boat-cruise pictured below.
