Mahmoud Darwish Museum and BZU
Today the campers had an educational tour of the area. We kicked off the day with a visit to the Mahmoud Darwish Museum. Our very own counselor, Balquis, gave an informative introduction to who Mahmoud Darwish was and why he holds such a place of importance in the Palestinian narrative. The museum showed many of the original documents of his most famous poems, including The State of Siege and Identity Card. We also saw his desk, identity papers, and other personal items. Once we finished we got back on the bus and made our way to Birzeit University, the largest and most renowned university in Palestine only a few miles from Ramallah.
We learned about the history of Birzeit and the political atmosphere on campus. Student speakers gave informative speeches about the Right to Education and the importance of the university in Palestinian society. The campers then chowed down on sandwiches in the main cafeteria, much as regular university students do every day. After lunch we made our way into the old town of Birzeit, where we walked through the cobblestone streets. We stopped by the non-profit organization al-Nayzak, which helps students from all over the region get interested in science and technology. The campers were able to try out some of their programming - learning about gravity, telecommunications, computer programming, and chemistry. After a lively and informative day, we made our way back to campus.
