Norway.. Peaceful ...Freedom..Healthy Life!!! Cold weather .. Amazing nature,, nice and educational people…But complicated life!!!
Oh..The voice of the sea with the wind at night… it’s amazing.. How nice..I was drinking a cup of tea at the shore in one of the weekend at Leadership training.. I liked it a lot…I think it is the best cup of tea ever.
So I’m in Norway, Drammen from the beginning of September and will still here until May with goCY intern, exchange program with YMCA-YWCA , and I have seen and experienced a lot even it’s not long period passed..
The activities which held and organized by KFUK – KFUM such as the challenge courses, young –adult, confirmation courses and weekends, and choirs. This is great!! And I’m happy that I’m working with them, as well as this is helping me to develop myself, my talents and my knowledge also this is one of my motivations. So Every time I see, heard something new about them, I didn’t know that all of this interest for the young and adults.. As I see here, that what we are missing of in Palestine, sure we care about youth and have many centers to join and YMCA-YWCA is the first one.. but still different, how can I say?! But I think that the difference between Norway and Palestine are the needs for the young and adults, so that make the responsible people of replying at their needs more easy and they can concentrate exactly at their needs by doing many programs, festivals, camps and courses …Just such a Great Job for Buskerud KFUK – KFUM …But in Palestine all we need is to be in safe, live in peace, even meet and hang out together that will be the best thing.. So our mind is how we can protect ourselves from the Israeli, how we can achieve our food to live, how we will reach our schools and universities to study with all of the Checkpoints, wall and settlements where ever we go.
As well as one of the most important roles in Norway that makes them can answer their needs and demands refers to the economic situation, which allows them to focus in their need and do what they can to help them!! And of course they have the time to think about all of this..and the place where they can do it, where they can camp, learn and even play…because that is not easy to find in Palestine..So I’m really happy that I’m experiencing this, and interesting and looking forward to learn and know more and more about KFUK-KFUM and don’t forget to say about the great young and adult people who I met and every day I meet, they are playing one the most important role for my daily life here.
Actually I’m glad that I’m living among people who know a lot what’s going in Palestine, and they are interesting in our life. Ok, all the globe know about the Israeli – Palestinian conflict, but not every country are trying to be part of the solution and doing the best for Peace, so Norway one of them who’s trying to involve as this word is carries from its meaning.
One of the norwegian interest towards the palestinians are the Norwegians Doctors who have been in Gaza in The brutal war which lasted from the winter of 2008 / 2009 and the book they wrote “Eyes on Gaza” about how they lived this period at the hospital and they have seen what was happening in their eyes. So I’m really glad that I’m living in City which they are interesting in Palestine and care about us, as well as many incidents going on here related to Palestine, like demonstrations and projects.
Challenge Course at Uvdal Resort, and this course is held in this place every week end for specified period with different regio in Norway, so this is the beginning of the confirmations, then they continue their confirmations with the priest and the leaders at their congregation house, so I have seen their activities and trying to learn from them and maybe that will benefit and help us back home.
Buskerud KFUK-KFUM are partnership with Bangladesh since 1993 and they do many programs to help and support them as well as they sell the women work in Bangladesh here so this year they make special day for Bangladesh and collect money for them by going to the Norwegian houses and knock their doors and ask for support Bangladesh to build school there, so Bangladesh has already started to build the school when they start to suppose them, so this year they collected for the 4 floor of the school so hope they will continue and finish it. And the money collection was by the help of 100 students and some of their parents and of course the responsible for this program, and I was one of them, honesty I didn’t want that form the beginning because I’m Palestinian and collect money for another country??!! That’s not good.. but I know that they need that as we need, every country has it’s need, but because I felt that I have to do this and experience such as different thing!!And sure I’m happy to help another country if I can do that. As well as they did another day to support Bangladesh, so they make a Young-Adult Choir at Church with Bangla shop, so any one who can buy and support Bangladesh and it was great and we collect great amount for them.
"Young-Adult Weekend" at Knattholmen
It was wonderful week end that we have had, Husam, Tanya and me at Knattholmen Island where it was Young-adult week end, and they held it every year, so we were lucky that we attended it as me, husam and Tanya did small seminar about Palestine and Kenya. It was kind of difficult to understand everything going on because of the language, but there were translations people for us, and I’m thankful for them. And the seminars we have had there were about how we can cooperate with youth in different situations and demands, as well as we discussed the Bible.
Now, what was more interesting I have done?! We had a Global Day in Ronningen and it was just a new thing I tried, because this day was about YMCA – YWCA, Y Global, goCY, and it was simple and great seminar about them and promotion about Olive Tree Campaign, Journey for Justice and International Committee Youth (ICY). As well as the program was such as 4 different posts, and each group was changing the posts, so for me, we did an Israeli checkpoint and let the students pass through it, to know, experience and learn how the Palestinians feel when they pass through it every day and many times in a day, and then we discussed about the Palestinians daily life with the checkpoints. That was one of the posts, but the rest of them were one for YWCA in Kenya, other was about ICY, youth and peace and the last one was Handicapped Bandy.
Wednesday 14/10/2009 I had dinner at Palestinian restaurant in Oslo with my Norwegian friend, Palestinian bishop “Dr. Naim Ateek” from Jerusalem and another Norwegian man he is the leader of Friends of Sabeel in Norway, actually we have met them there by chance and it was great chance! So all of us have been there because we had a seminar at Nobel Institute under the name “Palestinian Christians Cry for Reconciliation and a just Peace”, which was organized by the leader of Friends of Sabeel in Norway, and the bishop had seminar about Sabeel, and talked about Palestinian Kairos Document and its motivation and process. Sabeel is an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians. Inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, this liberation theology seeks to deepen the faith of Palestinian Christians, to promote unity among them toward social action. Sabeel strives to develop a spirituality based on love, justice, peace, nonviolence, liberation and reconciliation for the different national and faith communities. The word "Sabeel" is Arabic for ‘the way‘and also a ‘channel‘or ‘spring‘of life-giving water.
And also we have heard about South African Kairos Document, the recent decisions from Church of Norway and Norwegian Church Aid’s commitments in the Middle East. So it was interesting to hear and sure I was very happy that I met Dr. Naim.
Everywhere I go see the dogs with the people and taking care with them by going to the park and feeding them the expensive and special food for them! Actually this is such a new for me to see that, but what the shocked is some people asking me: do you have dog? And I replied sure I don’t have, in Palestine it’s enough for the Palestinians to feed their children not to have dogs and any other animals, even the dogs food are more expensive than ours, and the people here of course don’t care about that, because is Norway is rich country, but some people are know how to spend their money in different and essentials ways. So I as see, Norway is one of the support and helping for some countries, such as Palestine, Kenya, Bangladesh, and many countries.
Barnefestival ”Kids Festival” …Fun, singing, dancing, activities, games and spending more time with families. It was on 23.10.09 – 25.10.09 at Knattholmen who everybody has had fun, learn, play and meeting each other. It was around 350 kids with some parents and leaders which this festival has organized by some branches of KFUK-KFUM for the same regions who organized it. The Bangla and Kenya shops were one of the programs there, so it’s kind of helping Bangladesh and Kenya by buying and support them.
I like singing with the choir I have joined “Drammen Young-Adult Choir”.. we are having great time together every Wednesday, singing, laughing and meeting each others. And the Norwegian course which I’m attending in two days a week became better day by day, sometimes I feel hard of learning this language, but most of the time I’m enjoying and loving it really! So here is the big and the worst problem for me wherever I go, the language, people around me are starting to talk Norwegian and I feel that what I’m doing here among all them, it’s really hard and bad! Wish to learn the language like a magic to understand every word from the Norwegian people, to feel like I’m not stranger here, but sure that won’t change!
Far away from the occupation?!! Bad or good feelings?! The most important different is the freedom movement between the places, for example when I leave my home to the office, I know when I will arrive the office, I know the exact time, moving without crossing any borders and checkpoints, without soldieries stopping us and asking many questions or arresting the Palestinians, such as the Palestinian man “Mohamad Otthman” who has arrested by the Israeli soldieries in his way coming back from Norway to Palestine, and he is an active person working with Stop the wall Organization. So in Palestine we never know when we will be at the school or work with the checkpoints and the wall which are surrounding us from all the directions!!!!!!! But still feel like I’m living in Palestine, because everyday I’m hearing the news from my family, reading the news, sure feeling bad about everything bad going on there, but I can say that I’m lucky now to live here.
Ten Sing..The greatest youth work! Leadership training with activities of choir, drama, dance and of course team building and personal development. So I got the chance to attend one of Ten Sing Norway Concert in Rønningen, which was the best concert, they were really fantastic!
