I recently got an invitation to speak at a conference in Silicon Valley, organized by Sabeel organization. The goal of the conference is to educate the local population about Palestine - to give a voice that is not heard in the media or elsewhere.
I didn't know I'll be going to the silicon valley till Susan (one of the organizers) sent me the invitation letter to include it in my US visa application. I read the letter and I was like, DAMN! It's in the silicon valley! DAMN! And I was so excited to know that I will finally go there. But not so excited after the procedures to get my visa started!
As you know, the US consolate is in Jerusalem, and being a Palestinian citizen, living in the west bank, I don't have access to go there, so I had to apply for a permit in order to go have my interview.
First, you have to apply for the magnetic card (I still donno why!). I had to go to Tulkarm (my home town) in the middle of my exams cause the procedures say I have to apply form my home town. When I got there 500 applicants were already in the place! but luckily (for me not others) my ID was put on the top of the big pile of IDs they had and they called my name the first, and within an hour I had it! But the picture was funny, cause the soldier yelled at me when I was standing in front of the camera because I looked away when she took the picture, and she took it again when I made a "confused" pose while yelling at me! The good news is I had the card, though my father kept nagging about it, on the way to drop me off to the place where I have to apply. "Should you go to the US and go through all this hassle? Now you're gonna wait for hours, and for what?! to go to some conference! Why the hell would you want to do that!" I was like, dad, please just drop me off and go! and he was like, hell yeah I am going! like I am gonna wait for them to give you the stupid card!
I think dad gave up on me, cause of what happened with Bazinga! He just stopped believing in me. And whenever I tell em I am gonna do this. He's like, okay, how much I am gonna pay now?!
Anyway, after getting this magnetic card, I applied for a permit. And within two days I got it. Now I have to go to Jerusalem for my interview.
I woke up today at 7:30AM a bit late, though my interview is at 11:00AM because you never know what's the status of "Qalandia check point" and how much time it'll take to pass it. I dressed up fast and I got to "Qalandia" at 8:30AM. I got shocked of how many people are waiting there. And it was so humiliating to have to line up in these stupid gates Israelis built.
I normally put on my headphones and listen to some music when I have to wait without internet, but this time I didn't, I wanted to listen to people around me, and see how they act. The sad part was they got used to this. This humiliation was part of their life! Every once and awhile you hear a prayer. Most of them were 40 years old and above (My favorite age. I just love listening to them!) Some fought over people not lining up as they should, some made comments on people coming in and standing in front of them while they waited for hours in the line, some made a "bold" act jumping off the fence and getting to the next gates when the soldiers were looking away. But everything was worked out in the end I guess.
After one hour of waiting I passed this checkpoint, I called a friend that I arranged to meet in Jerusalem cause I know nothing there, and took the bus to meet her.
I was dropped off in the wrong place! walking and cursing the driver for his stupid comment on why I didn't tell em to drop me off when we got to the place I am supposed to go to. I finally found her, and my journey to the consulate started.
Sitting in the train station, waiting for it to arrive, Asma (the friend I met, apparently!) pointed to a neighborhood across the street saying, you see that, it will all get demolished soon because they didn't get a licence to build their houses. I was like, why the hell didn't they get one. She told me it cost them one million NIS just to get the licence! Everything I learned about in my trip was kinda shocking. And I really had no idea it's that bad to Palestinians living in Jerusalem. But I knew I had to go back to write more about it.
When we got off the train, Asma again gave me another piece of information: You see this street, Palestinians are not allowed to live in this side, and on the street across it, Israelis are not allowed to live there! (Oh come on!) We were standing in the middle of a street that separates Palestinians and Israelis!
Then we took a cap to the consolate. I was surprised that the interviews are made in public, you stand in front of a window and answer their questions. Then the one interviewing me said that the picture I gave her won't work, as they have to see my ears and forehead clearly! (Seriously!!!! Like my ears will tell whether I am a terrorist or not!) I asked why? She said, it's the procedure, and you have to follow it.
Though I am not that religious, I was so pissed off by this! I hate it when they make me do stuff! It's so damn racist and wrong! I hate that no one mentioned this before, and no one talked about it. I mean it's something, that you hate what someone is wearing, and it's something else to make them wear what you are okay with. If you hate the scarf I am covering my hair with, it's your problem not mine! I have the right to wear whatever I want, and nobody should judge me for it, that's so damn shallow, and racist! (Wait for me with the new look! I should totally have a decent haircut before taking that picture. Any recommendations? :D)
Leaving the consolate, we went to the train station again. This time we had an interesting incident that made me realize that Jerusalem is the most racist place I have ever been to! We were sitting in the train and a guy passed by, he was starring at us (Me and Asma) with a damn scary look! I asked her do you know this guy or something? She replied, "don't look at em. He's just looking for troubles" I asked her to explain, and she said he's one of those whom considered to be religious jew (in arabic سكناجي not sure how it's translated cause I don't think I understood the arabic term) and what they do is looking for girls covering their hair with a scarf (cause apparently they're Palestinians) then keep staring at them then when you look at them they come to you make a trouble because you "keep staring" at them (that's so lame and silly!) I was surprised by this! I mean does he have a job! Is this what he does for a living? Does he have that much of a free time! Does he do it for fun! Is he a psycho!
He kept walking while staring at us, and I tried not to look, but when he stood at the other side of the train (right behind us) I noticed that he's moving his arm (I didn't look but I was talking to Asma beside me and I could see that he's moving) I have no idea why I had this thought, but I was like, SHIT am I gonna die! is he pulling a gun or something! and I couldn't not to look! I wanted to see my murderer! Right when I looked behind me, he pointed at me with this scary look, and kept moving his hand in a weird way. He was so full of hatred, and I was like, WHAT THE HELL! He seriously have issues! The girl next to me, looked at him yelling and telling him to go away! She was an american jew, and she started talking to us, telling us how racist that is, and that he's mentally ill! I was relieved that there are people like her, I know there might be very few, but they're there! (Also relieved I am still alive :D
Then we went to have a nice meal (I get hungry when I get nervous! Well I am hungry all the time, but not our subject!) and do some shopping from a mall. Then we went to a place that's close to Al-Aqsa, but I didn't get in, as I had to go home. While walking I met the cutest Santa ever, and I couldn't not take a picture :-)
Wonder when I am gonna lose this habit of visiting places and missing the most important and famous part of them, I went to Egypt and didn't see the pyramids, went to Spain and didn't visit Al Hambra palace, and now I went to Jerusalem and didn't visit Al-Aqsa! Seriously!
After this little adventure, I know I have to go back, and make a blog about Jerusalem and write about stories from there. I have no idea how I am gonna get the permit again, as I don't have an invitation to go somewhere there. But I think I'll figure it out. Meanwhile, I'll keep blogging about my story of getting to the US.