Frustrated by the Playground Delays

Just to remind you all, when we originally shipped the playgrounds to Israel, we had already gotten permission from the Israeli government to bring them in. It was not until after they arrived that we were told that we didn't actually have authorization. This was when they demanded we show them proof that the poles of the playgrounds will not be used to launch rockets. We gave them everything they asked for. And we are still waiting for that approval as PfP is forced to pay storage fees that accumulate every day that our shipping container is left in port.

Today I talked with the person who is acting as our liason with the Israeli shipping authorities, and she said that we haven't actually received any approval yet. In a previous post, I think I may have said that we got approval and are waiting for the playgrounds to arrive at the storage facility. I was clearly wrong about that. At this rate, I doubt they will arrive before I leave the country on Thursday. I am very sad about this...

However, I have great confidence in the competence of the people in charge of the installations at the two sites. Both of them really know what they are doing and they both care a great deal about how these playgrounds turn out.

This was a day of playground updates. Not only did I talk with our contacts at ANERA about the shipping problem, but I was able to get in touch with the people at Beit Anan and visit the site for the Bethlehem playground (finally!). In Beit Anan, they have finished digging 25 of the 32 holes total. They have also acquired the proper equipment to make sure the holes match the width specified in the installation manual. I am hoping they will be able to finish digging these holes in the next day or so.

Also, while in Bethlehem with Muhammed and Karam, I got to visit the site for our playground in D'heisha camp. Just in case you did not get the chance to read Susie's blog, I will give you a sense of this site, which is located in the Al-Phoenix Center (think about the notion of beings that rise from the ashes and are reborn) in the D'heisha refugee camp in Bethlehem. This center was established in 2000 and fosters community and growth among residents of the D'heisha camp (this may or may not be exactly what their mission statement says, but it's what I gleaned from my conversations with a few people there). They run some amazing programs. They have arts programs (including internationally renowned youth and adult theater troupes), educational programs for young people of all ages, programs for older residents, and programs that invest in the creation and sales of women's handicrafts, among other services to the community. It is clear to me that the playground we are donating will be well-used by the children in this 12,000-resident camp, and I know it will be well-cared for by the organization as well. I felt so optimistic after my tour of their newly constructed facilities (including a library named after Edward Said - good for them!). I took a few pictures as well...

Later, I went back to Jerusalem with Karam, and she invited me for dinner with her family. It was delicious (I'm spacing out on the name of the dish, but it was basically goat's meat mixed with rice and cooked in the cleaned out stomachs of the goats), Mostly, I really enjoyed being with her family. I feel right at home with them. Karam also beat me at about 5 games of cards!

I am soooo tired right now. I've been coming down with some kind of cold in the last few days, and I spent all day with a sneezy, runny nose. Tonight I'm just going to sleep until I wake up naturally at some point tomorrow late morning or early afternoon. Wish me luck... :)