Boys at the Marina

Gaza City, Palestine

Pasta Snack

At the market I encountered these 'pasta snacks'-- I thought it was regular pasta, but this actually fried pasta that you eat as a snack!

Make your own perfume!

I was walking around in Gaza exploring the Old City- and my friend "A" took me into two perfume stores. I found them rather amusing. Why buy a ready made perfume when you can mix and match and then put it in your favorite bottle!?

This first perfume store seemed to have hundreds of scents, and lots of bottles.

The second one seemed like an entire chemistry lab. Complete with syringes, glass beakers- this takes me back to Chem 101.
A note: All of these products come from the Tunnels from Egypt, which is considered an illegal economy. Tunnels are frequently targeted with air strikes, but has been the solution the Gazans have found to bring in basic products since all other legal options (land/sea) are under blockade.

Creative and Hilarious Home Decor

I crashed at my friend's house in Jerusalem, and before I got there, she hinted at the home decor surprise that I was about to encounter. This is a winner.

1. The fake bookcase.

See this nice bookcase with old rustic books? Elegant and classic to have lots and lots of books at home.


Well, the books are fake, here's a close up! Hilarious!


2. The fake fireplace

It lights up but doesn't heat.


3. The incredible light fixture.

Chinese restaurant anyone?
Thanks for the tour A! And for a cozy bed :D

The Emptiest Airport

I'm leaving the oPT for a few days. I was walking through Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv- and I was thinking hmm...this airport is pretty empty considering it's a few days RIGHT before Christmas. Meanwhile places like Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle and Dulles are madhouse.

Oh wait. 75.5% of the population is Jewish--(16% Muslim, 2% Christian, 1.5% Druze)

Breakfast Math

I got a call at my desk from "A"- saying, Hey!! Come down for breakfast! They had promised to call me for a traditional Gazan breakfast, which was at about 11am.

These days I'm not scared to ask silly questions like "How do you eat it?"-- it was an array of lots and lots of little things- cheeses, bread, veggies, spices. So then, I got the full tour of suggestions for mixes, all using pita bread to pick up the foods.

Ingredients on the table included:

• Omelet
• Scrambled eggs
• Olives
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Bulgarian Cheese
• Dutch Gouda type cheese
• Fil Fil (spicy stuff)
• Zaatar (mix of spices, mostly thyme)
• Olive Oil

Top hit mixes were:

Tomato+Cheese+Fil Fil

Olive Oil+Fil Fil+Zaatar

Egg+Cheese

And don't forget to pop an olive in your mouth!

Zeiki! (Delicious)

Gaza in the Dark

Decided to share this fresh and updated information from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian Territories (OCHA).

I was walking home this week, and realized the amount of generators that were running, there' s a constant buzzing sound all over the city. Only some families own one-- but most turn on candles and sit in the dark.

Here's the answer:


Published: Dec 21, 2009

"The majority of the population in Gaza is experiencing power cuts that reach up to 32 hours per week due to the ongoing electricity deficit, which is around 25 percent compared to the winter season demand, as estimated by the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO). Restrictions on the entry of industrial fuel to operate the Gaza Power Plant (GPP) remain one of the main causes for the power cuts. Approximately 2.25 million litres of industrial fuel entered Gaza this week, constituting around 70 percent of the weekly amount of fuel needed to operate the GPP. If more is fuel allowed into Gaza, electricity production could increase from 60 to 75 megawatts.

In addition, over 40,000 people remain with no electricity, as networks that sustained severe damage during Israel’s “Cast Lead” offensive have not yet been repaired. This is due to the continued Israeli restrictions on the entry of the supplies needed to repair these networks; according to GEDCO, there are currently 240 items waiting to be cleared to enter Gaza."

DREAMY!

Today one of my sweet colleagues invited me over for lunch. It was an absolute FEAST! Oh how lucky to partake these home-made delights. What I can't understand is how she made this entire production before 1:00pm! (And this doesn't show the 2 desserts!)

Thank you!

Mazaj Coffee House

Tonight I was speaking to an engineer from Gaza, who was asking me about my experience here so far. We talked about the view from the outside world, and what it has like to be here; what is congruent with the media, and on the other hand the surprises Gaza beholds. I have to admit, when I first came to Gaza I thought absolutely everything was going to be destroyed to this day- even one year after the Israeli military incursion in Gaza one year ago that killed over a thousand Palestinians.

Numbers of Palestinian casualties are controversial:

• Palestinian Center for Human Rights stated there were 1,417 casualties
• Israeli Defense forces said there were 1,166 casualties

Even though many of the buildings are still in their exact state after being bombed, much of the rubble has been moved thanks to the help of the United Nations, and other International NGO's in Gaza. However no reconstruction has taken place because of blockade and the restrictions on cement.

One of the many things I did not expect to find are a variety of products or restaurants. Most articles published around the world describing Gaza show the effects of the war and the humanitarian crisis that is still in existence. It is well deserved media, especially considering that even a year later-- not much has improved in terms of rebuilding the lives of Gazans due to the blockade. But my goal is to show a few different views in Gaza- from the sad truths that still exist, to a few other images that you may not suspect when you think of this territory.

Tonight for example I was very surprised to see Mazaj Coffee House. It is a beautiful and chic restaurant in Gaza complete with clean lines, elegant design, beautifully decorated with luxurious chairs and sprinkled with modern art. There are a few of these types of restaurants around Gaza- but it is important to note that it is not easy on the wallet, and only a few tend to go to these types of places. But it is important for me to show a few perspectives of life in Gaza City.

The menu seems like it's straight out of New York City with items such as "Caesar Salad" or "Mexican Fajitas" or luxurious sounding coffee drinks. One friend, "S", pointed out that the menu is a bit ridiculous considering that things like "Fajitas" are written directly transcribed into Arabic, but no explanation is in Arabic- it is however in English. So, a little bit ironic- or maybe pointing towards an audience (rather elitist maybe?). S is fluent in both languages but has mentioned it to the owners before that maybe--erm-- it should be in Arabic too.

Here is a capuccino, which I have to admit- pricey, but bold flavored and beautifully presented.

And voila an image of a fresh Greek Salad.

Last but not least "Green Fire"- a pineapple juice drink that my friend ordered.

The restaurants in Gaza mostly serve "western food" except for one, which is a shame, because to be honest all I really want is delicious Middle Eastern food. Someone pointed out to me that most people have big families who prepare delicious Palestinian meals at home-- so why would anyone go out for a traditional meal? Unfortunately my family is quite far away-- so no daily home cooked regional meals for me- but I have been fortunate enough to enter the warm and wonderful homes of Gazans.

Mazaj is also complete with a spice store, pastry shop and coffee boutique.

A note--almost all products in Gaza come from the tunnels originating in Egypt otherwise Gazans would not have any of these products available. The tunnels are considered an "illegal economy" by some foreign standards and have been frequently targeted by Israeli air-strikes. Egypt is now planning a wall in order to block the tunnel movement. More on that later...

50 Days of Wind

The Khamaseen has begun, the "50 days of wind"-- and I have to admit, it's very eerie and almost apocalyptic.

Interpreting the Veil

Above: The easy to use hijabs are popular, slip them on in one piece.

No pins, no hassle!

Many Muslim women in Palestine wear veils- or rather- hijabs, although some choose not to. Some cities have more women with hijabs compared to others. It is considered to be a personal choice (others would argue), and it has been on the rise in the last 20 years.

Two days ago, chatting with a local from Gaza I learned that even 17 years ago- there were many more women who did not wear hijabs, and women who wore short sleeved blouses etc. These days in Gaza many women wear hijabs- often turning into the art of matching the perfect scarf with their clothing. I have to say I'm regularly impressed.

There are different types of headscarves and coverings, that range depending on the region and the women's or the family's choice. Here is a good website to see different types such as the the nikab (which I've seen more of in Gaza), the hijab, the chador, etc.

It's an interesting garment to look into especially considering the worldwide discussions and confusions in the last few decades.

Happy New Year!

It's New Years Eve around here!

Tomorrow is the Islamic New Year-- which marks the first day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic Calendar. Many use this day to remember when the prophet Muhammad made it to Medina.

There are no celebrations in sight, whatsoever...I'll keep you posted. (We do get the day off!)

Babies and Weddings = KUNAFA

I have only been in the occupied Palestinian territories for 3 and a half months. But in this short span of time- among my co workers there have been:

• 3 engagements
• 4 babies

That's pretty solid- compared to my history with these two exciting times. These two "events" also entail a serious investment in Kunafa- for friends, family and co-workers. Palestinians aren't afraid of bringing food into the picture for every occasion.

Turns out it is tradition to bring Kunafa after you are engaged or you have a child. Kunafa is a delight from the Middle East that has different variations. The most famous version of this pastry among the Palestinians is the Nablusiya-- the Kunafa from Nablus (a city in the West Bank).

Kunafa is absolutely DELICIOUS. One of the most wonderful desserts, and a runner up to Baklava.

Kunafa contains: white cheese, sugar, pastry paste, pistachios, cooking fat.

A glorious mix of essentials. Here my friend is teaching me how to make Kunafa:
(Usually the cheese is on the bottom, but she will flip it over). The final product looked like this:
My co-worker just got engaged (MABROUK!) and he brought in a professional and very, very, large Kunafa. I asked my co-workers to put their hands next to it so you could see how big it was.

Haram!

Haram is an Arabic term meaning "forbidden."

In Islam is it usually a term referring to acts/behaviors/foods that are forbidden. There are a few common harams- such as:

• Eating pork: "He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swineflesh, and that which hath been immolated to (the name of) any other than God. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! God is Forgiving, Merciful". (Qua'ran 2:173)
• Drinking Alcohol: "Allah has forbidden alcoholic drinks. Whoever this verse reaches while they still possess any of it, they are not to drink nor to sell."

(I would really like some bacon right now)

One of the other Harams- is throwing bread away. Bread is such an important part of the nourishement and lives of Middle Easterners, that in Palestine at least-- throwing it in the trash is haram- an insult.

Before I knew this I kept wondering what the bags of bread were doing on the ground...and the bread looked pretty descent to me, because I went over to inspect!


It turns out, that people who have leftover bread (fresh pita bread gets stale pretty quickly) leave it out on the streets for stray animals to eat.

In our office for example- people put the bread back in the refrigerator and someone is in charge of disposing of it the next day at least. But throwing a leftover piece in to the garbage immediately-- is a definite no.

Breakfast-a-la-Gaza

Morning sheds light on this beautiful Gazan breakfast:

Kaek- round bread with sesame seeds
Fil Fil- chili paste
Olive Oil
Za'atar- mix of spices (thyme, oregano, marjoram, among others)
Falafel

My haiku:

Breakfast in Gaza
Spices in the morning light
Colorful surprise

Fresh Lemonade

It is sad to think that fresh juice these days falls under the category of "luxury items"- at least for me it does on a day-to-day basis. I was tickled with delight when someone brought me some fresh lemonade with mint- hand-squeezed wonderfulness.

Spleen & Brain Sandwich

I know your mouth is watering.

Spice Mountain

A fragrant terrain

In a land of colors

Jerusalem, Old City

Rock-a-bye-baby

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) the estimated average family size in the Gaza Strip is 6.2 persons.

44% of Gaza's population is under the age of 14.

That's a heck of a lot of babies and kidlets on the Gaza streets. The roads are often packed with children playing and hanging out with their parents or neighborhood friends. Today we discovered that one of the restaurants has a cradle! High seats simply weren't enough.

$1.80 USD

After living for a year in Japan where one lime was costing up to $1.50 USD, and one apple was $2.50 USD-- my pocket wasn't burning to a crisp when I bought this little set of fresh groceries for a total of 7 shekels, ($1.80 USD).

• 6 clementines
• 2 avocados
• 3 onions
• 2 lemons
• 3 tomatoes
• 3 carrots
• 1 yellow pepper
• 3 chili peppers

Eid at K's

After I experienced my first animal slaughter during Eid at M's, I went straight over to K's beautiful home- who had a surprise of 250kg of beef in a titanic pile! Most families buy a sheep, but some pool their funds to buy an entire cow (see previous entry at M's). Usually men in the family are tasked with chopping up the beef/lamb and getting ready for distribution. Here's a pack of 9 men (all family members) who are busy at work on a warm bright morning in Gaza.

A visit to a family in the oPt is not a quick hour and a half, it usually entails hours of lounging, chatting, drinking tea, playing with the kids, and feasting on one of the many beautiful meals native to the Middle East. K's wonderful meal below was a luxurious Maftoule dish (like cous cous)- with fresh beef, lots of veggies, and plenty of olive oil (the true secret!)

A note: these priviledged moments are a time to remember that 77% of Gazans are food insecure and on food aid, all provided by international agencies. Because of the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip on behalf of Israel- no food products are allowed into Gaza- except for a few products in limited amounts that are too expensive for the majority of the population. No exports are allowed out of Gaza (except for flowers that were recently permitted as a one time deal) therefore the agriculture sector is severely disabled.

Eid at M's

Eid El Adha is the Muslim "Festival of the Sacrifice."

Eid this year took place on the 27th or so, which depended on the Islamic Lunar Calendar (a bit hard to plan vacations....)- but Eid is a time to be at home, with fami ly. It is a day of visits, sharing, food, and sacrifice! It is also a day when everyone has on their best outfits, often new clothing.

The sacrifice part was the culturally fascinating one for me--after I had realized that I had never seen an animal slaughtered. Traditionally, for Eid families sacrifice a sheep if they are able to buy one (they can run from $300-$500 USD)- and others pool funds and buy a cow. The animal is divided into three parts:

• 1/3 for the poor
• 1/3 for friends and family
• 1/3 for you to keep

For Eid, 3,000 cows were allowed in for Eid-Al-Adha as a "goodwill gesture" from Israel. (That also made someone a pretty penny). The festivities began when I walked out of my apartment and found blood running down the streets.

For Eid, my sweet friend M invited me over to spend the day with her generous family who opened their warm home and their culture for a Colombian girl in town! The victim (below)was tied up to the garden-- and already sensing something was up, at 8am, when everyone was dressed to the nines.

At about 9:00am the butcher and his three sons arrived.

Eid Al-Adha is certainly a big day for butchers and their families, and they go from home to home slaughtering the animals for those who don't have the expertise. The ensemble included a cutting stand made out of a tree trunk, 3 knives, 3 expert boys, and the art of skinning and preparing the animal.

Focus on the oranges if you can bear to see blood...

After the sheep is skinned, it is hung, gutted and prepared for chopping.

And finally, a complete meal within an hour thanks to M's mother. One of the most divine cuts of lamb I've ever had!

FRESH!

The definition of my first few weeks in Gaza!
With lots of friends who have small farms and a few products that are in season, I've had the luxury of having fresh fruits, vegetables, and something I had never done before-- eaten an lamb and beef 2 hours after it was slaughtered (sorry, a carnivore writing here). I had never thought so much about how eerie it was that almost every meat product I've ever eaten is frozen and from who knows where! Growing up in Colombia did offer a few fresh products, but even the animal products are now mostly packaged, frozen and taken to big grocery stores.

The Khubz Pro

Bread- or "Khubs" in Arabic is a crucial part of Arab cuisine. Mornings are accompanied with the wonderful smell of fresh pita bread from bakeries around the city. Piping fresh bread is always readily available, often dipped in yoghurt and zatar (thyme) for a traditional breakfast. Or eaten with fresh hummus and olive oil- plenty of it too!

A few days ago at one of my co-workers homes, his Aunt was making hot fresh bread like a pro. This type of bread is thinner than average and is maneuvered like a pizza chef straight out of Napoli, and then placed on a hot plate and flipped over a few times. She's been making it since she was 12.
Trivia: The largest pita in the world was made by Georgios Mavroleon and Nektarios Fintikakis in the island of Crete on 19 May 2001. It weighed 50 kg (110.2 lb)

Urban Agriculture

"B", an Agricultural Engineer in Khan Younis (southern area of Gaza) has figured out how to have an entire biosphere up on his rooftop. Thinking about the challenges that come with limited resources, limited land, and a very low amount of annual rainfall- he has constructed what he hopes to be one of the options for Gazan farmers.

Many programs that take place in the Gaza Strip led by local and international NGO's come with a series of requirements, often having the appropriate amount of land, or the ability to make an irrigation system. But B has thought about the chunk of land that almost every Palestinian family has-- a flat roof. Houses are constructed so that family units can build level above the original floor. The first floor for the parents, the second floor for the first son and his family, and so on.

B's ecosystem consists of:

1. A rainwater cistern to catch the rain, filled with fish.
2. The fish's excrement is taken out and used as natural fertilizer.
3. Long strips of pipes cut in half for planting.
4. A small irrigation system that takes the water from the cistern in order to water the plants

And voila! Fresh vegetables- 100% organic, 100% pesticide free all on his roof.

B is testing out his system, hoping to create a program in the future so that many of the residents in Khan Younis will have an equal opportunity to diversify their diets with fresh products from their very own roof.

Hamas is Getting Rowdy

Here is a photograph from yesterday of Hamas' pre-rallys celebrating their 22nd anniversary. The streets are getting busy with hundreds of men and boys riding on cars and trucks holding up the green flags representing the socio-political organization.

Hamas is the current de-facto government on the Gaza Strip which took control over Gaza in 2007 after it had shared control with Fatah (now in full control of the West Bank).

A few facts about Hamas:

• Hamas (حماس ) is an acronym that stands for : حركة المقاومة الاسلامية Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamat al-Islāmiyyah, meaning "Islamic Resistance Movement"
• Hamas's 1988 charter calls for replacing the State of Israel with a Palestinian Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip
• As of 2009, Hamas is listed on the U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
• The European Union lists Hamas among the entities against which it applies restrictions in order to combat terrorism.
• It is said that "Hamas devotes up to 90% of its estimated $70 million annual budget to an extensive social services network, running many relief and education programs, and funds schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues"