Day 8: UNWRA School / Ramallah
Cool! Like from the Thundercats!? Except I didn't say that out loud because I could have pretty much guessed that nobody would have known what I was talking about. Walid pitched up to pick us up and at least I knew I could hit him with the punchline without him giving me weird looks. I'd been practicing aluminium-pipe and tooted a couple of notes at him. He patted me on the back.
This is the Circus's biggest show yet, it's at a well-equipped, big school, with around 1000 students. It's been built and funded by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which suggested that somebody, somewhere is doing something right. The kids are excited to have guests, they're running up and down the corridors, posing for photos and mobbing the clowns. Today they're performing for around 300-400 of the smaller kids, but that doesn't stop some of the older ones trying to get a peek. Susana introduces the show and whips up the crowd, as they chant, "Boomchucka, Boomchucka!", and it begins.
Going back through the photos, every single kid is smiling or laughing - this is a performers' dream show and they skilfully take advantage of the wide open playground stage, whilst me and Mister Marrow are panting by the end from running around getting angles. Rather than her usual half-hidden, embarrassed smile, Ruth is beaming openly and it's a beautiful sight. She doesn't give much away with words, you always have to read her expression.
Jen is nowhere to be seen at the show finale, but surfaces later for the interactive part of the show. At first glance, she comes across as shy and withdrawn, but one of the very best things about this trip so far has been getting to realise the integrity and the character of this girl - never afraid to approach awkward subjects whilst being ultimately modest about her knowledge and awareness. And quite the perfectionist too - she later tells us that she missed the finale of this show because she was beating herself up about mishandling the fire staff during part of her act. She would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for the fact that when you fumble a fire staff, it's a pretty damn good idea to make sure that no part of you is alight.
Above: Jen's totally in her prime when she's with the kids.
Above: Every I look up to get a shot of the window, there's a sudden flurry of hiding and curtain activity.
Above: Trying to encourage the sport of extreme stupid-face-pulling. These guys have a little way to go.
After the show, we venture to Ramallah, one of the main Palestinian cities where we check into a cheap hotel. Partially to ease the burden that we're worried we're placing on Susana and also to hunt down some beer. It's a much more claustrophobic affair than Jerusalem, with tight, busy streets and plenty of stalls and markets. Annie, Jo and Ruth go hunting for trinkets and comedically distasteful spangly earrings, whilst I browse the hair products.
Across most of Palestine, I've been tending to attract more attention from the local populace than the girls - people shouting, "China!" or "Ni-how!" from across the road but in Ramallah, there's a constant echo of these words as I walk around. I really get the impression that they don't have many orientals out in these parts, and I learned quickly that when they ask where I'm from, there's just no point in saying, "England" because they just look at you confused until you say, "China".
In the shopping bustle we lose Laura and meet up with her again in, "Stars & Bucks" - it seems like the premier coffee shop in Ramallah and the green, white and black sign which sits proud on top of a main road intersection is very, very similar to another well-known coffee shop. Intellectual property rights are not a high priority to safeguard here.
I whip out my laptop to catch up on some blogging. The Stars & Bucks network is protected but I can get a weak signal on an unprotected network, 'Al-Quds Bank'.
Laura pulls out a few packs of cards later and offers tarot-style readings, which I take her up on. After a readings which all tell me that I'd be happier if I changed my job, I ask the cards a 'yes/no' question: "Will me and Mister Marrow have sexytime with each other before the end of this journey?", and the cards respond with the most definitive yes that Laura has ever seen. Hubba.
More readings later, Laura has tutted and, "Oh My Gosh"'d about a hundred times - things do not sound positive for her.
In the evening, we're off to one of the few pubs in the town, where we find 90 shekels (just over ten quid) on the floor. Having had experience with this kind of thing, Jo recognises it as having been given to us by the beer fairy and the clowns drink into the night. There's some tension as the property rights of Mauro's video are discussed and it is revealed that the Circus will not be able to do as much with the footage as they previously thought. It feels awkward, but we've spent a week together in fairly close quarters and it was only a matter of time before there'd be some sort of disagreement.
Ruth has e-mailed out a schedule to all of us. Euphemistically, Friday is labelled as, "Day Off", where we'll be going to an anti-wall protest in Belin. Conversation then descended into remedies against tear gas and how lethal rubber bullets can be.
Fuelled by a little bit of alcohol, it has become a bit of a dark evening, and as I bed down, I wonder if there's really any truth to the Tarot. Hubba.
This is the Circus's biggest show yet, it's at a well-equipped, big school, with around 1000 students. It's been built and funded by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which suggested that somebody, somewhere is doing something right. The kids are excited to have guests, they're running up and down the corridors, posing for photos and mobbing the clowns. Today they're performing for around 300-400 of the smaller kids, but that doesn't stop some of the older ones trying to get a peek. Susana introduces the show and whips up the crowd, as they chant, "Boomchucka, Boomchucka!", and it begins.
Going back through the photos, every single kid is smiling or laughing - this is a performers' dream show and they skilfully take advantage of the wide open playground stage, whilst me and Mister Marrow are panting by the end from running around getting angles. Rather than her usual half-hidden, embarrassed smile, Ruth is beaming openly and it's a beautiful sight. She doesn't give much away with words, you always have to read her expression.
Jen is nowhere to be seen at the show finale, but surfaces later for the interactive part of the show. At first glance, she comes across as shy and withdrawn, but one of the very best things about this trip so far has been getting to realise the integrity and the character of this girl - never afraid to approach awkward subjects whilst being ultimately modest about her knowledge and awareness. And quite the perfectionist too - she later tells us that she missed the finale of this show because she was beating herself up about mishandling the fire staff during part of her act. She would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for the fact that when you fumble a fire staff, it's a pretty damn good idea to make sure that no part of you is alight.
Above: Jen's totally in her prime when she's with the kids.
Above: Every I look up to get a shot of the window, there's a sudden flurry of hiding and curtain activity.
Above: Trying to encourage the sport of extreme stupid-face-pulling. These guys have a little way to go.
After the show, we venture to Ramallah, one of the main Palestinian cities where we check into a cheap hotel. Partially to ease the burden that we're worried we're placing on Susana and also to hunt down some beer. It's a much more claustrophobic affair than Jerusalem, with tight, busy streets and plenty of stalls and markets. Annie, Jo and Ruth go hunting for trinkets and comedically distasteful spangly earrings, whilst I browse the hair products.
Across most of Palestine, I've been tending to attract more attention from the local populace than the girls - people shouting, "China!" or "Ni-how!" from across the road but in Ramallah, there's a constant echo of these words as I walk around. I really get the impression that they don't have many orientals out in these parts, and I learned quickly that when they ask where I'm from, there's just no point in saying, "England" because they just look at you confused until you say, "China".
In the shopping bustle we lose Laura and meet up with her again in, "Stars & Bucks" - it seems like the premier coffee shop in Ramallah and the green, white and black sign which sits proud on top of a main road intersection is very, very similar to another well-known coffee shop. Intellectual property rights are not a high priority to safeguard here.
I whip out my laptop to catch up on some blogging. The Stars & Bucks network is protected but I can get a weak signal on an unprotected network, 'Al-Quds Bank'.
Laura pulls out a few packs of cards later and offers tarot-style readings, which I take her up on. After a readings which all tell me that I'd be happier if I changed my job, I ask the cards a 'yes/no' question: "Will me and Mister Marrow have sexytime with each other before the end of this journey?", and the cards respond with the most definitive yes that Laura has ever seen. Hubba.
More readings later, Laura has tutted and, "Oh My Gosh"'d about a hundred times - things do not sound positive for her.
In the evening, we're off to one of the few pubs in the town, where we find 90 shekels (just over ten quid) on the floor. Having had experience with this kind of thing, Jo recognises it as having been given to us by the beer fairy and the clowns drink into the night. There's some tension as the property rights of Mauro's video are discussed and it is revealed that the Circus will not be able to do as much with the footage as they previously thought. It feels awkward, but we've spent a week together in fairly close quarters and it was only a matter of time before there'd be some sort of disagreement.
Ruth has e-mailed out a schedule to all of us. Euphemistically, Friday is labelled as, "Day Off", where we'll be going to an anti-wall protest in Belin. Conversation then descended into remedies against tear gas and how lethal rubber bullets can be.
Fuelled by a little bit of alcohol, it has become a bit of a dark evening, and as I bed down, I wonder if there's really any truth to the Tarot. Hubba.
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