The view from my bedroom window isn’t very pleasing to the eye. That’s because the glass is so dirty. A “good” Palestinian woman spends a significant amount of time attacking the dust and dirt that permeates this place. She throws water on the floor and uses a squeegee to sweep it into drains built into the corner of each room for that purpose. I am a woman, but I am neither “good” nor Palestinian, so, if you visit my house, it is recommended to keep your shoes on.
The window in the living room is cleaner because we have an electric “treese” that we lower when it rains. (I’m sorry but I don’t know how to say “treese” in English and some people here call them “abujur.”) The treese is a slatted shade that comes down on the outside of windows. It is supposed to keep cold and rain out, but in our house rain comes not through the window, but right through the walls. It forms a not-so-small puddle on the floor where my youngest daughter works in her play laboratory.
Talking about humidity… these are the patches of mold that seep through the outer walls in the winter. We wipe them off and they come back after a few days.
Why am I telling you this? Well if you’re interested in my life in Palestine, then you need to know about the inconveniences of living in a place where buildings are made poorly (most likely to keep costs down, but the risk of demolition may also be a factor). We also have power outages. And you know you have a problem with water pressure when your 12-year old says, “Mom, can we go to a hotel to have a shower?”
These are problems that the Israeli settlements just ¼ mile from my house do not face. Their infrastructure is updated and maintained, though we both pay the same taxes to the same Jerusalem municipality.
Why do I stay? (My mother keeps asking me that question, too.)
I could move back to my native California or my adopted Massachusetts. But I would miss the storeowner across the street from my apartment who yells at children for dawdling too long as they decide what candy to buy. I would miss Saeeda’s face lighting up as she tells me how women stood up to their husbands in defense of their community projects. I would miss watching my children switch effortlessly from English to Arabic including all the mannerisms and behavior that go with each. I would miss my car, as old and dented and red as I am. And I would miss my mother-in-law. And she would miss me!
So the view from my window in Palestine—dirty, moldy, and inconvenient (not to mention unjust, inhuman and depressing)—is also one of amazing people living important lives. “The view from my window in Palestine” is my point of view. If you’re interested, I’m happy to share it with you.
-Nora
This is great Nora. So wonderful to hear from you. Keep on writing, educating, and speaking truth!!
And you keep on singing truth, Patti! Me and the girls enjoyed watching your performances on your website!
Nora- I just stumbled on your blog and love it. It is so refreshing and enlightening to read. We just returned to Munich from Cambridge. We, too, returned to mold growing in our apartment!! It felt gross!! So it happens everywhere. I am still in shock from returning, and enjoyed America more than I expected. Now, my kids actually speak to me in English which I absolutely love, but I am sure that it shall not last for long, but it still brings such a fascinating aspect to life. Keep up your entries, I love hearing about your experiences. Out of curiousity, what /how do the girls identify?
Great to hear from you, Sandra. I know as well as you do how upsetting (in both bad and good ways) a big move from country to country can be for a family. Good luck in your transition, and let me know if I can help. Although your kids will change again, I doubt they’ll ever forget all they learned when they were in the US, and the changes will stay with them, to be accessed whenever they need them in life. As for us, I think the girls think of themselves as mixed. They speak Arabic same as locals, and often speak in Arabic to one another, though they are just as fluent in English and prefer to read in English (and they read A LOT). We visit the US every summer to see my mom and cousins, and that keeps them connected to the culture, though I must admit that over time their friendships here in Palestine are much stronger.
Dearest Nora, it’s through your thoughts, stories and blogs that I learned so much about the Palestinians and their lives. I am ashamed that we can’t (will not?) do more, but I am so glad to know more now and sometimes can take actions through you. A BIG Thank you and please keep going, they need a voice like yours.
Shame doesn’t help anyone. We all move in our own small ways towards something better. And there are few who do as much for intercultural relations than you. 🙂
Thank you Nora very much for starting this,
I’m looking forward to read more…
Just two small comments:
1. The world for “treese,” I believe, is “shutters” (sorry, I couldn’t help myself).
2. Will you consider adding an “RSS Feed” to your blog? This way people could follow you without the need to check up periodically if you added a post, and without risk of skipping any posts.
Keep up the good work!
Hi Shir. Thanks for your support and for the English lesson! I always thought of shutters as opening out, not up. Silly me! As for the RSS, I’m told that it’s right in your browser, so there is no need for it on my website. Do you have an RSS icon in your browser? Mine says “latest headlines.” I’m still learning the lingo: RSS, SEO, WiP, etc., so your help is appreciated!
Congratulation my dear friend. All the best for this beautiful adventure.
Thanks to you for being such a help and inspiration. Please use my blog to tell the world about beautiful resistance!
Hi, Nora! This post reminds me of the many interesting “views” I had from our various apartments in Beirut. Shababik, shababik, kul al-dunya shababik.
It would be great, Mary, if you would add your experiences from time to time so that others get a sense of what’s similar and different.
Mabrok Nora on your blog! I think you have a deep insight that definitely will bring something valuable to this world. I’m sure your view from your window in Palestine will reach many windows across the world.
looking forward to read more 🙂
Thanks, Ayat. Please share your views and experiences here, too. You write beautifully and it’s important to share your experience.
So good to read you Nora!
Thanks, Susan. Your amazing experiences protecting water rights are important for everyone to know about. I hope you’ll share here.
Fantastic idea of exposing injustice, well done! I should take a leaf out of your book and do the same for my own country, where a dictactorship has left a once beautiful country in ruins. Keep up this good work!
So many places and people are suffering from the same neo-colonial problems. Let’s learn from one another.
this is great, cousin! can’t wait to read more!
I’m a bit worried about the obligation I’m taking on. We do tend to commit to too much, don’t we? But I will do my best. If all of us “here” told everyone who is “there” about our lives, I’m sure there’d be more engagement in peace work, and that can only be good.
Thanks for sharing this, Nora! you write beautifully and I look forward to reading more posts in the future. I am especially curious to see how you intend to portray the “other side” in your blog (by this I mean Israeli people and not just those who represent the government). I believe that through human stories a more nuanced and less clichéd reality can emerge, and I hope that your perceptive eyes will capture this too. All the best! 🙂 – Rachel
Rachel, of course there is a “human side” on the Israeli side too, but as you know, our lives are almost totally segregated and it won’t be easy for me to capture it. Your bouncing red curls and spontaneous ballet leaps around the office transformed my default image of Israelis. We need to tell the world that instead of an “Israeli side” vs. a “Palestinian side” there is really a “peace side” that has both Israelis and Palestinians and a side against peace that is similarly diverse. Showing this to the world is important, but I can’t do it alone. Will you help me?
Of course! 🙂
Congrats on your blog! Can’t wait to read more! xo
Thanks, Nancy. You are among the bloggers who has paved the way for the rest of us. Yay capabilitymom.com!
Mabrook on your site and blog! I love it; your writing style is so lovely: perceptive, honest, and human with the right amount of lightheartedness to make me smile…. and remind me that although there are so many hardships associated with living in Palestine, there are also many amazing reasons to stay.. I’m looking forward to reading more!
I can’t take much credit for making you smile, Olivia, since you’re always smiling. THAT’s an image of Palestine we need to share — people living meaningful lives despite the occupation, and making the world a happier place.
Oh Nora, it is wonderful! I look forward to reading your posts. Like your mom, we wonder when you are coming back? xo
There are few places I’d rather be than living across the street from you, the smell of grilled steaks wafting through my window followed closely by an invitation shouted from your yard and an evening shared with good friends.
Hey Nora,
Great to read your blog….to hear about your world, your life. Through you sharing your everyday life in Palestine I get to feel the texture of life behind the bland headlines of our so-called news — as well as to hear how you are and what you are all up to! Looking forward to more. Hugs xxx
Thanks, Shoshana. I’ll do my best to make it worth your time, and thanks so much for sharing this journey with me.
You are always a an inpsiration Nora!!!
Honestly, all my inspiration is from the Palestinian people.
And you are one of them
Congratulations on launching your blog, Nora! I think you have a unique viewpoint from your window, and there is no one better to express it. I’m looking forward to reading more of your beautiful writing and learning from your observations and insights.
I do believe there are people “out there” who want to hear the human stories. Thanks so much for being among them, Laura.
Hi Nora,
Thanks so much for sharing and here I was ashamed of my moldy house, dirty windows, and disgusting floors. You make me feel normal. I love the owner of our local nearby taxi service/business who yells,”Where do you want to go?” in Arabic as if I have annoyed him for the last time when I call to ask for a ride I will pay him money for. Sort of like your local store owner talking to his young customers.
Yes you are normal!
Yay! Congrats on launching the blog! Be careful with that mold!
Thanks, Dan. I couldn’t have gotten this far without your amazing “Build an Author Platform” course.
Congratulations, Nora, on the launch of your blog. You’ve made significant progress in a short period of time. Your writing is compelling, and I’m so glad to be on this journey with you. The world needs to see the view from your window. Thank you for inviting us to see it through your eyes.
You aren’t just on the journey with me, Linda, you are helping me to take the steps. I appreciate your support very much.
Nora,
Congrats on creating your website and a fascinating blog! You’re right to point out the inequities (injustices) between life on the Palestinian side vs. Jewish side of Jerusalem / the Green LIne. Your account of damp and mold brought back memories of years long ago when I too lived in a cinder block building just outside West Jerusalem, with my own young daughters. I too lowered the “treesim” against summer sun and winter rain but with little effect. Just as you describe, the rain drove in through the every wall leaving its legacy of mold and damp. The difference now? Tzur Hadasa is a thriving bedroom community (inside the Green Line) whereas your building hasn’t changed. My old apartment still stands but is used as a police station. Sad. Rain and snow didn’t drive me away but the occupation ultimately did. Bravo to you for staying and raising your voice. Keep as warm and dry as you can!
Thanks for your support, Paula. You are right that mold is an equal opportunity nuisance, bothering everyone regardless of nationality or citizenship! It is also my experience that other, far worse indignities and injustices are not equally shared. I think it’s great that you made your choices bases on your values and hope that you continue to fight for them wherever you are. I hope you’ll stay with me on this blog during the journey.