Today I have been going from very nervous to very exited and enthusiastic. I met up with Julia and Jamal Sunday morning and after some introduction we went together to Asalam elementary school. I had a good feeling about this straight away, from seeing the excitement from the kids and the teachers engagement in A new Dawn's project at the school. Being in Rahat was also an important experience, as to see the social issues and the marginalization there. Even though the school seems like a secure and happy place for the kids Rahat as a city have some issues like unemployment and poverty. Jamal told me about some of the problems and how important it is for the young people to encounter the world outside Rahat and Israel.
After the visit at the elementary school we made a quick visit in the High School as well. There will hopefully be after school projects running there soon as a way to integrate the Bedouin youth.
During the second day I acknowledged how eager people from Rahat are in general to learn English and to be able to speak to me. On the bus to Rahat the driver asked me in Hebrew if I could teach him English. Due to my poor Hebrew and since I don't speak Arabic I couldn't explain to him exactly what I was supposed to do in Rahat or that I unfortunately couldn't teach him English that evening. It all was very frustrating but still inspiring for me since I realize the need of language exchange in Rahat.
At the school Ghranema, who is one of the English teachers, met me and we went on a tour around to show me the classrooms the schoolyard and the garden around. I noticed that it's a quite small school compared to the around 640 children going there. It's more similar to Swedish schools than I expected though (except for the big cage with all kinds of birds, including parrots and chicken in the schoolyard).
I attended three English classes with students from 3rd, 4th and 6th grade. The children were all chocked that I didn't speak Arabic or Hebrew. They actually didn't believe me at first. During the classes I was mostly observing, but I also tried to help the students with the assignments as much as I could. They were all very exited about my presence, as in their eyes I'm a native English speaking person even though I'm Swedish. Grhanema told me that I'm probably the first one they have ever met. It feels very different to be looked at as someone from a completely different world. I believe that that feeling and experience is an important lesson from today. By now I'm also starting to realize how comprehensive the segregation of the Bedouins in the Negev is.
I went home so overwhelmed by the warm welcoming and all the new impressions and thoughts. It feels great to have started and to be a part of the project, but I also have to remind myself that this is my first day and that things will have to develop further over time. Everything is still so new for me as well for the kids. Tomorrow I will have my first small groups of students. I'm really looking forward!
After the visit at the elementary school we made a quick visit in the High School as well. There will hopefully be after school projects running there soon as a way to integrate the Bedouin youth.
During the second day I acknowledged how eager people from Rahat are in general to learn English and to be able to speak to me. On the bus to Rahat the driver asked me in Hebrew if I could teach him English. Due to my poor Hebrew and since I don't speak Arabic I couldn't explain to him exactly what I was supposed to do in Rahat or that I unfortunately couldn't teach him English that evening. It all was very frustrating but still inspiring for me since I realize the need of language exchange in Rahat.
At the school Ghranema, who is one of the English teachers, met me and we went on a tour around to show me the classrooms the schoolyard and the garden around. I noticed that it's a quite small school compared to the around 640 children going there. It's more similar to Swedish schools than I expected though (except for the big cage with all kinds of birds, including parrots and chicken in the schoolyard).
I attended three English classes with students from 3rd, 4th and 6th grade. The children were all chocked that I didn't speak Arabic or Hebrew. They actually didn't believe me at first. During the classes I was mostly observing, but I also tried to help the students with the assignments as much as I could. They were all very exited about my presence, as in their eyes I'm a native English speaking person even though I'm Swedish. Grhanema told me that I'm probably the first one they have ever met. It feels very different to be looked at as someone from a completely different world. I believe that that feeling and experience is an important lesson from today. By now I'm also starting to realize how comprehensive the segregation of the Bedouins in the Negev is.
I went home so overwhelmed by the warm welcoming and all the new impressions and thoughts. It feels great to have started and to be a part of the project, but I also have to remind myself that this is my first day and that things will have to develop further over time. Everything is still so new for me as well for the kids. Tomorrow I will have my first small groups of students. I'm really looking forward!
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