Saturday, July 14, 2012

Just like a waving flag

Yesterday was the first day of the All Nations Soccer Tournament in Tukwila, WA. Team Palestine was playing for the first time, and they had the biggest and most enthusiastic fan base by far. I got some good footage for the promotional video, and since I can't be there for today and tomorrow's games, I left my camera wth the coach's son so he could carry on the project. I'm excited to see all the pieces we end up with. I think film editing does give me the "it" feeling I want out of a career. Now for some training and a job!

Anyways, my camera is no longer with me (ahh!) but I got these pics on my phone:
 
During opening ceremony, all the team reps assembled on the field. Hanna's daughter was the most dressed up of everybody, in a traditional Palestinian thob.
The fans!
Huddling before the game v Brazil.








Brazil beat Palestine 3-0, but spirits were still high. Bring it on, El Salvador!

Here's a crazy moment from yesterday...I was sitting at a table with a young soccer player and her mother. They were both Palestinian and living in Michigan. Their family was from Hebron, so I got the mom's contact information for in case I go back there. She got me to look up this song on my phone, it's K'Naan's Waving Flag, but with Nancy Ajram in it as well...sweet combo.



She spent a lot of time talking about the occupation, in typical Palestinian mother fashion. Oh, how we suffer! I don't begrudge it, but her daughter and I shared a few glances. She was telling me about how her brother was shot in the face by settlers, and taken to a hospital in Beer Sheva, and I told her the mayor I worked for was also shot by Israelis and still had a bullet in his heart and was still in a wheelchair.

She looked at me in disbelief and asked, "were you in Al Aqaba?"

"Umm...yeah! How do you know it?"

"I saw it on the TV program...you're the girl....from the guest house!"

I stared at her. She watched Palestine TV in Michigan? She saw our program?

"We have the channel. My husband watched the program and said, this is a strong girl."

I didn't know what to say. We were just looking at each other like...wow.

That made my day. For the rest of the game she was telling the mothers around her how she saw me on Palestine TV and I had a nice house in Al Aqaba village.

walla.