Exploring the past of Ramallah
with an eye toward its future

Mary Ann Tawasha

It is a different world than the rat race of the United States - the Arabic language heard and seen on every corner and a feeling of warmth that comes with a passion of spirit despite years of occupation. Growing up in the US has spoiled many of us, who take for granted everyday things that our brothers and sisters back home only dream of.

When first deciding to take this trip with the American Federation to Ramallah, I was well aware of how much of the trip would be focused on the past - seeing the ancient, historical sites as well as where my parents were raised and got married. One of the women on the trip had not returned for 60 years and she turned to me as we rode through Haifa, and told me that it was nearly 60 years to the day that she had left for the states from a Haifan port. For her, nothing and everything was the same.

Among the many intriguing people I encountered along the way, was a young woman named Roula who has seen enough horror to last a lifetime. Imprisoned for nine years and 21 days (she will tell you to the day) for the slaying of an Israeli soldier, Roula was finally released after the Oslo pact. She refused to leave until all the other women jailed with her were allowed to go also. Roula was on the verge of giving birth when I first met her. May God bless her and her baby.

Although the trip did have an emphasis on the past, there were parts of it that looked ahead to an uncertain, but hopeful, future. One of those portions included a visit to the First Ramallah Group where scouts gather. We were all impressed to see several computers, a workout facility and even an aerobics room! There was also a visit to a nightclub called "Rumours" where young adults gathered for dancing and more. Ramallah certainly didn't seem as old-fashioned as my parents had made it out to be. Their mind only knew the Ramallah of 35 years prior. Things have changed.

Most impressive to me was our Project Hope trip to Birzeit University. This visit was incredibly enlightening and inspiring in many ways. The university is an independent Palestinian institution, just north of Jerusalem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Founded as a school in 1924, Birzeit began its university program in 1972 and is currently introducing a master's degree program. There are currently about 4200 students there with the gender of the population split about 50:50.

Besides its standing as a well-respected educational institution, Birzeit has over the years been the site of many Israeli-Palestinian clashes. Its very existence is an obvious threat to the Israelis as evidenced by the numerous checkpoints established to make it as difficult as possible for young Palestinians to further their education and develop marketable skills. Some say that graduates are often paid more in Israel as part of the Israeli mission to make Palestinians forget, and ultimately lose loyalty to, their land.

In discussions with University officials and students, I was astonished (although I suppose I shouldn't have been), enraged and deeply saddened all at the same time by the conditions surrounding the school. Students from Gaza are not even allowed without special permission, which is very difficult to achieve and others around the region are given such a hard time that they can't even make it to their classes on time. Disruptions are frequent and often deliberate at the university, with its modern buildings, equipment and classrooms and spectacular view.

Just a couple of weeks after my visit, on April 29, classes and lectures were cancelled as the university protested the arrest of students by the Israeli military. A demonstration moved from the university to the checkpoint on the road between Ramallah and Birzeit. In early March, two Birzeit students were arrested by undercover Israeli special forces while traveling to the university. Their capture brought to 17 the number of students arrested since the beginning of this year.

While those of us in the United States take for granted being able to go to college and our rights to higher education, some students from El Khalil (Hebron), for example, have to travel three hours just to get to Birzeit University. Listening to these stories made me realize how lucky we really are here.

A few us on this tour had the privilege of speaking to a group of students who weren't shy about telling us what they thought of us American Arabs visiting our homeland. They expressed slight confusion and some frustration by the fact not the entire group spoke fluent Arabic. One student said when he saw us walking down the hall, he could tell immediately we were "goroub" and not natives of the region.

Another student said many Ramallah residents feel that those of us in America have built a life for ourselves without looking back and have no desire to bond with those still living there. The student, Ashraf Ghannem, said he would love to have more contact with young people who live in the United States and would also especially like to see more young people visiting the region. He basically said he didn't feel those of us living overseas could really relate to those who live in Ramallah.

Yet another student said the parents in America should at least teach their children "there is something called Palestine" and that would be enough.

I wasn't offended by these young people's comments and actually appreciated their honesty. I could see where they coming from. Until my visit to Ramallah, I thought I knew what it was meant to be Palestinian. I thought I knew what it meant to be "from Ramallah." But visiting the village, meeting its people and experiencing life there for just two weeks gave me a whole new perspective. I'd always been proud of my culture and heritage but now my pride has more validity, more substance.

I would like to encourage all young people to make it back to Ramallah for a visit as soon as possible. And I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and admiration for Bader Farhat, his wife Eileen and the many others whose patience and organizational skills made this trip such a success. Besides meeting uncles for the first time and becoming very close to a cousin I hardly knew, I also made some great friends with both younger and older people who were on the tour. I am grateful for the opportunity to have explored my past, while feeling more a part of the future of Ramallah.