My name in Morgan Bach. I'm 25, I'm an American citizen, and for eight months of the last year, I lived in Palestine, in a Jordan Valley village called Al Aqaba.
I decided to visit Al Aqaba, and eventually move there, because 97% of the village is under demolition order. It sits in Area C, the 62% of the West Bank under full Israeli control. Because it can't obtain building permits to build on village land, most of the structures are slated for demolition, including the kindergarten. Rebuilding Alliance, a non-profit out of San Mateo, CA, has been able to advocate for Al Aqaba and even build in this place where Palestinians don't have basic planning rights. I was an English teacher and coordinator for the new village Guest House.
To learn more about Al Aqaba and my work there, visit the Guest House blog.
How did I end up there?
My interest in Palestine progressed very gradually, and very naturally.
I think when some human rights activists approach the conflict in Palestine, they ironically feel the need to prove that they're somewhat normal human beings.
I decided to visit Al Aqaba, and eventually move there, because 97% of the village is under demolition order. It sits in Area C, the 62% of the West Bank under full Israeli control. Because it can't obtain building permits to build on village land, most of the structures are slated for demolition, including the kindergarten. Rebuilding Alliance, a non-profit out of San Mateo, CA, has been able to advocate for Al Aqaba and even build in this place where Palestinians don't have basic planning rights. I was an English teacher and coordinator for the new village Guest House. To learn more about Al Aqaba and my work there, visit the Guest House blog.
How did I end up there?
My interest in Palestine progressed very gradually, and very naturally.
I think when some human rights activists approach the conflict in Palestine, they ironically feel the need to prove that they're somewhat normal human beings.
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| My first demonstration (photo by Hamde Abu) |
So to start, I like singing, and Cocoa Krispies, and cherry blossoms, and Jimmy Stewart movies...
>>My Biography<<
Chapters:
Childhood in Taiwan, Japan, India
High School in Woodinville, WA
College at Whitman, Walla Walla, WA
Summer in Argentina
Semester in Jordan
AmeriCorps in New Orleans
Volunteering in Palestine
>>My Biography<<
Chapters:
Childhood in Taiwan, Japan, India
High School in Woodinville, WA
College at Whitman, Walla Walla, WA
Summer in Argentina
Semester in Jordan
AmeriCorps in New Orleans
Volunteering in Palestine
