Swimming at the Nimer's in Dibbiye

Ain el Helwa camp
Sunday - May 24 - 2009

Sponsors: Carol, Melek
Facilitators: Lina, Ahmed

As the bus was on its way to pick up the kids from the Ain el Helwa camp, I stopped off to pick up Ahmed and his family from the Mar Elias camp before we were all to meet in Debbiye. Ahmed was going to perform his famous “midget man” show for these kids, thus, had a lot of props, and a bunch of PVC piping for his portable stage. When this stage breaks down, for easy transport, it fits nicely into a really long black nylon ski bag.

While loading this very suspicion looking bag into my jeep, I looked over at Ahmed with a raised eyebrow and slyly asked, “So… just what exactly do you have in this bag, Habibi?” Sensing my playful taunt and where I was trying to “go” with the question, Ahmed responded without hesitation, “Rocket launcher.” He continued packing. There was a short pause before we both looked at each other and nearly snorted while laughing. Ahmed put his hand out for me to slap which then turned into a firm brotherly handshake - ending with two pats on my shoulder while I squeezed his neck. “I’m Palestinian,” he quietly announced, as if to say, “…after all.”

Ahmed’s performance with the kids was quite simply, a hit. The children were fully entranced by Ahmed’s theatrical wit and on-stage charm. Ahmed avowed a certain warm presence with these children - children that lived in a camp only an hour away from his, but so completely different in terms of safety and atmosphere. Ahmed had shared something special with these kids, and I know many of them, especially the boys, want to be just like him. I witnessed this day a bit more about Ahmed’s undeniable gift to children.

As we were packing up the jeep at the end of the day, I came across that really long black ski bag again. I just kept staring at it. I had envisioned an accuser of sorts, asking this Palestinian young man, one at the prime age of what a “militant” would be, just what was in this suspicious looking bag. I then dreamt of Ahmed submitting to this menace-seeker, and unzipping the bag, to unfold for him… his creative work, imagination, and most of all, his love for children.