Shit Just Got REAL!

So today was a pretty eventful day. I woke up at five am. Still a bit jet lagged. Went out to the local market and got some falafel, some sweet cakes and some yoghurt for breakfast. I made my way to the bus station with a hand drawn map that Hisham gave me. I was looking for bus number 18. I dont know if shit was just mega chaotic because its ramadan here but fucked if i could find a bus. Saw like five bus number 18s but none of them stopped. I finally get catch a bus and find out its only going to the Qalendia Checkpoint.



My first view of the apartheid wall followed shortly after exiting the bus. This shit is fucked. Homes bulldozed within twenty metres of the wall. I cannot illustrate the epicness of this place. Towers watching over the people with ominous glares coming the Israeli Occupation Force. The calousness in which the IOF deals with the Palestinians is sickening. Theyre treated as nothing more than human cattle. From what Ive heard from other ISMers is that they come down hard on religious holidays. The point being collective punishment and humiliation of the Palestinians.

As if on cue, to incite anger in me, the IOF began shoving about 200 people back. I got caught up in the melee but just to illustrate the racist actions of the occupiers, was spared the shame of being treated like an animal. They asked for my passport and were soft spoken and kind. They then let me pass. All in all i think about 500 people looking to pray were denied access to Jerusalem. From the west bank side of the checkpoint i caught a cab to where i was supposed to meet my contact.

We made a short walk to the ISM media office where we proceeded to recieve some intense training. We went through non violent resistance tactics and a few other things. The thing that really hit home with me was the weapons training. We saw tear gas canisters, flash bang/concussion grenades and two types of rubber bullets. The next session is the more important one where we'll learn about cultural respect, our legal rights and security precautions.
Walking around Ramallah afterwards was one of the most enlightening experiences Ive ever had. The Palestinian people are some of the most warm and friendly people ive ever encountered. They get next to no internationals here so were somewhat of a spectacle. Thankfully one of my ISM comrades is studying Arabic here so we were able to communicate.

Ill be loading pictures of my day once i get to a computer that can take an upload from the camera. Updated photos!!