After our initial introductions, we were allowed to socialize and work with the women to solve the puzzles or play any of the different board games they had available. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by around 15 women who were sitting around playing games, solving puzzles, or having casual conversation. After a couple of minutes of navigating through the narrow streets, we arrived at the home. We had come to the camp to visit an active aging home for elderly Palestinians. Immediately, I felt comfortable in a place where (based on the descriptions I had heard) I only expected the opposite. Every passerby greeted us with a hearty “Ahlan!” (“Welcome!” in Arabic). They were warm, inquisitive, and welcoming. However, these stares were not “other-ing” nor did they make me feel uncomfortable.
![human class bingo human class bingo](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T_hIKaj3T4c/UCUiq3LC-2I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/pLNShwXYCTU/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-08-10+at+10.00.40+AM.png)
![human class bingo human class bingo](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1c/b6/b3/1cb6b3b789979f8cb18193e5348ec205.jpg)
And why shouldn’t they? I probably looked really odd walking around with a bright blue shirt that had the name “Duke” across the chest and a small picture of a devil sitting under it.
#Human class bingo drivers#
Everyone from the shopkeepers to the taxi drivers to the children playing in the streets was looking at us. However, all these descriptions lacked one, rather crucial detail: the people.įrom the moment we stepped out of the van, eyes were upon us. These descriptions usually involved the powerlines draped over every ledge, the water dripping down the sides of the buildings, and the trash that lined the streets. I had never seen the inside of a refugee camp I had only heard stories and descriptions of them. It was a hot and humid 25-minute car ride from our hotel in Hamra. The camp is located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, between the city and the airport. From a game of Bingo, I learned about the Palestinian women we were visiting in the Bourj el-Barajneh camp. From this experience, I saw what it means to be human. Of all the amazing and eye-opening experiences I have had in the past eight weeks in Lebanon, this single word reminds me of one of the most important events that happened on this trip.