Lajee Center, Aida Camp

Participating in the Lajee Center 2011 International work camp was a life-changing experience. Having participated in previous international work camps, I anticipated working hard and meeting some amazing people while in the West Bank. While both of those certainly were true of my time at Lajee, this experience was rich in many other ways. Working at the Aida refugee camp gave me insight into what life is like living under occupation and into the complexity of the conflict in Israel and Palestine.

The accommodations in a local school were comfortable and delicious home cooked food was plentiful! The founders of the work camp have been running it for many years and have excellent contacts among religious, political and local community leaders so we heard a wide range of perspectives. During the camp we also planted trees, played with children, studied Arabic, and traveled to different parts of Palestine. We even spent one night camping in the desert at 5th century monastery.

I don’t think the warmth and hospitality of the Palestinian people can be matched anywhere else in the world. It is difficult even to walk down the street without being invited in for coffee or tea. I hope many others will be able to travel to Palestine and see the wonderful contribution the Lajee Center makes for the lives of children at Aida camp.