only in Ramallah

only in Ramallah
We went to our usual park and it was being worked on. Normally construction and children don’t mix, but the “worker guys” (as Laila and Sufyan call them) were super nice to us. They came over and told me that the swingset was still open. Then when they saw how thrilled Sufyan was to see a “BIG MACHINE!!!” they scooped him up and plopped him right down in the driver’s seat. Can you see how excited he is? That made our day. And it was very “only in Ramallah” and we loved it.

Laila was thrilled, too. Actually she refused to get back out of the big machine. It took some coaxing.

“Is that MUD in there, Mama?” (grin)

This is the bottom of an amphitheater at the Ottoman courthouse in old Ramallah.

only in Ramallah
Our city in the hills. the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen are here in Ramallah

These colors were even more incredible to the naked eye.

only in Ramallah

Snow Bar, an oasis within Ramallah. Walking down the 3 flights or so of stairs built into the shaded hillside, the air cools tangibly and shade increases. At the bottom is a little stream stocked with Koi. The wooden deck is covered in tables and couches, and all around are other little nooks with a couch or 2 each. It’s lovely. Just beyond is a beautiful pool for swimming and a kiddie pool lies behind that.

The view is of the wadi and the terraced city of Ramallah beyond. The music they play at Snow Bar is purely American. I have heard everything from freedom rock to early 90s emo to 90s era techno. (“and I miss yoooooooou, like the deserts miss the rain. and I miss yoooooooou…”is a big song all over Ramallah. I’ve heard it like 10 times since coming here and it had been literally a decade since I’d heard it in the states. Color me happy, though, since I like that song.)

Late afternoon at Snow Bar, a waiter going to the bar with an order, the big wooden deck, rainbow sashes, big pine tress from which the place get’s its name (snobar are pine nuts)

A nice terrace of colorful pillows. up top is a ledge of couches where couples sit and eat, drink and smoke argileh.

back at my house, we improvised a swimming pool from this huge plastic tub! We love it. And we found the tub at Abu Habib’s store, the Ramallah 7-11 where literally any odd thing you might need exists in some form. Cookie shapers, flip flops, pots and pans, ropes, and now tubs.

only in Ramallah
now here I am going to get on my soap box. Studies show again and again that in childhood, consistent overexposure and even what we would consider moderate exposure to sun can lead to cancer. Now why OH WHY doesn’t Austin do anything to cover their playgrounds? one word for Austin: TARPS. It makes a huge difference! And really, it can’t be too expensive for a designer flip-flop town like Austin. Mamas, take note: if Ramallah can do it, so can Austin.

and…

only in Ramallah

We bought them all. Every box. No matter that my kids hate them. If an organic product appears here we buy it like it is the last time we will ever see organic products. It kind of feels that way sometimes….

“bidoon jlooteen” (without gluten)