Hannah has provided an insightful overview of our first few weeks here in Palestine and the fun things we have been up to. I will therefore concentrate on how my perception of Palestine has changed drastically since arriving and living in the West Bank.

The news that I was moving to Palestine for three months was met with great concern by my family and friends. In fact, when applying for the International Service scheme my mother stated that she would be supportive and happy so long as I wasn’t going to ‘that war-zone’. (I didn’t mention to her at the time that Palestine had been my country of preference on the initial application forms!) I was therefore elated to hear a few months later that I had been accepted onto the scheme and was going to Palestine, but she was really worried. My mother slowly came round to the idea after learning about all the safety measures International Service adhere to, but her concerns were completely unfounded: Palestine is absolutely nothing like the place portrayed on TV. Ramallah is a bustling cosmopolitan city in the heart of the West Bank. It has loads of lovely eateries, shops, bars and nightclubs. It may not be a true representative of the West Bank as a whole, but it is a great place to live and work! Only last night we were all dancing at Oktoberfest; Palestine’s own local beer festival. Although I cannot wait to get properly stuck in with the amazing work here at Sharek Youth Forum, I also feel the need to show friends and family back in England the true Palestine. The Palestinian people continue to amaze us all with their generosity; even when faced with so much hardship and adversity.   

The sun sets over Ramallah