Communication is more than words

During our stay here we have certainly learned that communication is not only speaking the language of the people surrounding us. We don’t speak the official languages of Israel (Hebrew and Arabic) and sometimes this creates situations that are a bit more difficult. But in most situations English is enough to understand each other. English is a required subject in school, so the children here learn it from a young age. We notice this when we are walking through the city of Tamra, because a lot of children and young people talk to us and ask all kind of questions. But what about the people that don’t speak any English at all? Well with these people it’s a whole kind of different communication.

Aicha and the boys 

In the few weeks we have been staying here in Tamra, we have had the opportunity to participate in a workshop working with clay for people with disabilities. The women we are staying with, Aisha, has several passions. Helping others is one of them and working with clay as an artist is another one. She combines these two several times a week when she teaches workshops working with clay. Twice a week she goes to a home for young men with disabilities in Tamra.

We got the opportunity to participate in these workshops. This is a very fun experience, but not always so easy, because most of the young men who live in the home only speak Arabic. The only Arabic we know is marhaba (welcome), choekran (thank you) and a few other words. And although it has proven to be very handy to know a few words, it is not enough to have a fluent conversation. We were lucky that Aisha is there to translate when it was necessary. It is not always possible to translate everything. So during the workshops we had to express ourselves with a lot of gestures and pointing at things. This was sometimes very hard but nevertheless a great experience. The boys were very friendly and we noticed that they enjoyed working together just as much as we did. In the workshop Aisha makes all kinds of clay pots and bowls with the boys. Aisha then decorates and bakes these. Afterwards she sells these and the profit goes to the home.   

Next week we are definitely going back, it is not only a fun experience. But it is also very calming to work with the clay.

Gerlinde