Join us on this incredible adventure to Palestine!
Delegation Dates: January 30 – February 10, 2019
Participants will get to know in-depth the culture, places, and heritage of Palestine. The delegation will meet people and 
organizations who contribute to Palestine being one of the most wonderful places you’ll ever visit! In addition to learning about and fully experiencing Nablus, delegates will also
- spend three days hiking on Masar Ibrahim – a breathtaking hiking trails wending through villages of Palestine (an alternate plan will be offered for those unable or uninterested in the hiking portion of the trip)
- visit ancient heritage sites across the West Bank
- shop in the Old City markets
- enjoy a Turkish Bath erected hundreds of years ago (4-800 by most accounts)
- explore religious, cultural and architectural treasures in Bethlehem and Jerusalem
Partake of Nablus
For more information and to indicate your interest (not commitment) contact: info (at) bouldernablus (dot) org More information is also available here on Sister Cities International website: http://sistercities.org/event/trip-to-palestine-with-boulder-nablus-sister-city-project/
Updates from the delegation:
Yoga in Nablus
CALMING KIDS YOGA TM spent 2 weeks training teachers, administration, and students at Pioneers Baccalaureate School in Nablus.
Here you can watch a summary of their work in February 2019:
Delegates to Share about their Trip to Palestine
Delegation 2019 – visit with Municipality, American Academy, and Tour of City
The Mayor received us in his office with a formal welcome. Dignified, informed, compassionate, he told his sad truth with inspiring authenticity.
“Peace comes hard without justice.”
“We were promised peace in 1993 and we are still waiting.”
“Your government has not been very supportive.”
We now have a wall that is built inside our boundaries, separating a child from her school, a farmer from his olives, even splitting families on their own land.
“Checkpoints create hate”
“WE ARE LOSING HOPE”
He then answered questions about how the city functions and what is planned.
We went to the American Academy School, a private English medium school which started as an elementary a few years ago and is adding a grade every year. The sophomores and their teachers spoke with us about their accomplishments and aspirations. Kudos for dedication go to a young man who has to cross checkpoints which turn his 20 minute commute to one and a half hours each way. A checkpoint is where you have to face someone just a few years older than you who gets to decide whether you go to school that day or not and who has an automatic weapon. You know the soldier is suffering too because he fears you; has been schooled in the school of fear. Kudos for outlandish creativity go to the Palestinian Harry Potter double who is entering a Lego robot contest! I’ll try to send the video.
We had a long walk around the city with Aboud…he has a great way of bringing all the old stone buildings to life, filling them with horses. people, visiting dignitaries. Wandered through the souk, visited an old soap factory, a palace, and an open air shop where they make the marvel kanafeh-a somewhat crunchy semolina crust with a white cheese filling. Think ricotta meets mozarella and a melting romance develops. The happy ending is sweet-the whole thing is annointed with sweetened rose water and there you are standing in the middle of the Souk with a spoon in your hand and a sticky grin on your face.
As you come out of your rosy reverie you realize that you have been the entertainment for the small crowd awaiting the next golden 2 foot pan of delight to arrive on the Kanafeh cook-top.
Sarah
Delegation to Nablus 2019 – Arrival
We gathered at The Jerusalem Hotel in their sunny garden restaurant for our initial meeting. We enjoyed a typical Palestinian meal:
two or three kinds of wonderful hummus, multiple salads, and labaneh, a thickened yoghurt sprinkled liberally with sumac and za’atar. Over cups of thick Arabic coffee, the hotel proprietor shared his deep knowledge of Jerusalem. This city belongs to everyone: citizens from multiple ethnicities make their home here and multiple faiths are rooted in its history.
We piled into two mini vans after lunch.
after two or three hours’ journey over hills festooned with barbed wire, past ancient cities and new settlements, we arrived at Hotel Yasmeen in the old city of Nablus. The Mayor and other members of the city council welcomed us for dinner. They each had a focus: finance, utilities, planning, etc. Our guides Abdoul and Noor are in the international relations department.
Besides Boulder they have 11 other sister cities. Lots to share between Boulder and Nablus! I speak for all of us when I say we are privileged and honored to be here.
