Okay, finally back after an extended break. I’ve gotten out of Nablus for a bit and have been spending a decent amount of time studying for the GRE’s I have to take in a couple weeks. Hopefully, however, I’ll be updating this fairly regularly once again. Here’s the second installment of ‘Volunteer’s in Nablus.’ A few weeks ago I sat down with Ryan for a brief conversation. Ryan is from Calgary, Alberta. He studied Political Science at Carlton University in Ottawa and then received an Education degree from the University of Calgary. He has plans to return to Alberta one day and be a high school social studies teacher.

How did you end up here in Nablus?

I was looking to teach overseas so I literally went on a search engine and typed in ‘teaching in Palestine’ and this is one of the first things that popped up.

Why did you choose the Palestinian Territories?

I was in Israel and Palestine in 2009 with a study tour to kind of find out what’s going on here, to show us the other side of the story. The group was a way to balance the Israeli bias in the media. That was basically the first time I ever heard of the wall [there is an Israeli built wall that surrounds and encloses the majority of the Palestinian Territories].

Where else have you traveled?

I’ve been all over, mostly Europe, though. All over North America. I’ve been to twenty-four countries, thirty-seven states in the US.

Where are you going next?

After I leave here I’m going to Turkey, and then Malta. Then I’ll fly from there to Germany but I haven’t decided what I’m going to do there yet.

Having been here before, what’s your impression of Nablus and the Palestinian Territories?

Having been here before, I wasn’t so shocked. Nablus actually reminds me more of Jordan than it does of the time I spent in Bethlehem. I spent most of my time around Jerusalem. There’s a big difference between Israel and the West Bank, even East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem. They’re two different cities almost. Here reminds me a lot of East Jerusalem in that there’s trash piled up in the roads. But it’s nice and so friendly, actually annoyingly friendly sometimes. Even in Bethlehem it’s a little more western than here.

What’s the weirdest/funniest thing that’s happened so far?

The wedding I went to for sure. So on a Wednesday after class, the guys who run my center and invited me to some guys wedding in New Askar, the camp where I work. I’d never met the guy but they wanted me to come see the whole thing. So the next day I show up, I didn’t know what to wear or anything, and they take me to this banquet hall. There was a ton of food, salads, hummus, the whole thing. There was a door onto the street where they’d set up a stage. There was a whole band and in the middle of the street they were all dancing, only guys though. This lasted for six hours, this whole bizarre homoerotic event. There’s no women allowed, they’re all upstairs looking down on it from the windows. I didn’t even see the bride.

What do you think of your students so far?

I like them, I do. There’s more than I expected and their English was lower than I imagined so I had to throw out a lot of my plans right away. But they’re learning quickly. And they pay attention, at least better than they did at first. I don’t have to kick many out anymore, which I like.

How’s teaching here compare to teaching in Canada?

I miss technology. I would kill for a projector. Even an overhead projector; it would just make my life so much easier. I could do so much more that way. It never occurred to me until I got here how much even the most rudimentary technology in Canada helped me as a teacher.

How do you feel being the lone Canadian in the house?

I feel ganged up on and bullied. Especially from the obnoxious Irishman. The Americans are a little less so, but let me set the record straight: We do not say ‘aboot.’ No one does; it’s a total made up thing. We do say ‘eh,’ though.

Final thoughts on your experience so far?

It has been really challenging. The heat, the kids, the work, the daily life. It’s a lot more different than I thought it would be actually. It’s been really challenging. But I like the people I work with, and I like the kids. They’re the reason I go everyday. It’s definitely not because I like lesson planning. I like the kids, so that helps.