My Adventure to Palestine

In summer 2019 I spent 8 weeks volunteering with the organization, Volunteer Palestine. During this time I was placed at the Aida Youth Center where I was able to work with children, teach English classes to teens, adults, and women, and also assist with their annual summer camp. These experiences taught me more than I could have ever imagined. The camp became my home away from home and it was so hard to leave. By the end of the two months, I wanted to stay for the rest of my life. And that feeling is common among all the volunteers that Volunteer Palestine places. From before we even arrived to Palestine, Volunteer Palestine organized everything for us. From our housing, to trips, to placement, and even assisting us with finding Arabic classes, it was all planned before our arrival, making the transition smooth for us. This allowed us to begin volunteering once we arrived, and our coordinators were able to answer any questions that may have come up.
During those 8 weeks, I made lifelong friends that I still contact every week. I made memories that I will never forget and that I constantly tell people about back home. I’m sure my family here in America is tired of me talking about all my memories in Palestine now that I’ve been back for 5 weeks. As we went on trips and had cultural experiences and activities each
Friday, my knowledge of Palestinian culture, history, and tradition grew. I now make musakhan weekly for my family back home from learning how to make it during one of the cooking classes. My experience with Volunteer Palestine and in the Aida refugee camp was so great, I already started planning my next trip to Palestine, because I can’t imagine going a year without being in Palestine now.