After the summer: Michael Luschnig, Austrian group
Peace camp 2004
This year in June and July I had the pleasure to be one of nine Austrian students who spent a week with seventeen Israeli ones at a peace camp which took place in Rechberg, in southern Carinthia.
We had been in contact by writing e-mails in the time before the camp, but of course we were quite nervous because it was the first project like this and we didn’t know what was awaiting us.
Soon it became clear that we would have a wonderful week and we started enjoying our time.
The whole week the activities we did were documented by a professional film-team. The film is going to be shown on TV and a book is going to be launched.
For the first days we had some problems to make the Arab students talk, but the situation became better and better and in the end we had got to know them a little bit.
It was also explained to us that the Arab students had not been allowed to say what they wanted because they were filmed.
Despite that fact we had some very interesting discussions and I know a bit more about the problems of Israel now.
We were not able to solve these problems, but this was of course not the aim of the camp.
At least we discussed some of them and it was shown that it’s possible for Jews and Arabs to live together and have a good time.
On the very last day we went to the airport together to say good-bye
There was nearly no one who didn’t cry because although we had not been of the same opinion all the time with everybody we had become very good friends in these few days and the week had been much too short.
I hope that this project will make some people think about the situation in the world and especially in Israel so that the future could be better for all of us.
I’m sure that the week of the peace comp was one of the most important and beautiful ones of my life and I do not think that there is anyone whose character didn’t change a little bit.
It would be wonderful to see all the nice people again, and it would also be great if there could be more projects like this all over the world.
And maybe it won’t take long until we all meet again.
Michael Luschnig, Austrian group
This year in June and July I had the pleasure to be one of nine Austrian students who spent a week with seventeen Israeli ones at a peace camp which took place in Rechberg, in southern Carinthia.
We had been in contact by writing e-mails in the time before the camp, but of course we were quite nervous because it was the first project like this and we didn’t know what was awaiting us.
Soon it became clear that we would have a wonderful week and we started enjoying our time.
The whole week the activities we did were documented by a professional film-team. The film is going to be shown on TV and a book is going to be launched.
For the first days we had some problems to make the Arab students talk, but the situation became better and better and in the end we had got to know them a little bit.
It was also explained to us that the Arab students had not been allowed to say what they wanted because they were filmed.
Despite that fact we had some very interesting discussions and I know a bit more about the problems of Israel now.
We were not able to solve these problems, but this was of course not the aim of the camp.
At least we discussed some of them and it was shown that it’s possible for Jews and Arabs to live together and have a good time.
On the very last day we went to the airport together to say good-bye
There was nearly no one who didn’t cry because although we had not been of the same opinion all the time with everybody we had become very good friends in these few days and the week had been much too short.
I hope that this project will make some people think about the situation in the world and especially in Israel so that the future could be better for all of us.
I’m sure that the week of the peace comp was one of the most important and beautiful ones of my life and I do not think that there is anyone whose character didn’t change a little bit.
It would be wonderful to see all the nice people again, and it would also be great if there could be more projects like this all over the world.
And maybe it won’t take long until we all meet again.
Michael Luschnig, Austrian group
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After the summer: Manuela Wutte: what peacecamp means to me
What Peacecamp meant to me...
artwork at Rechberg
First of all, I want to say that the peacecamp was a totally new experience for me. So I had no idea what the week would be like when I came to Rechberg on Sunday. As the weeks before had been stressful, I simply hadn‘t found time to think about the peacecamp and the people I was going to meet there. So it’s quite difficult to describe the emotions I felt when I arrived at Rechberg: First of all, I was very curious and I was really looking forward to the camp. On the other hand, I was a bit afraid and nervous, just because it was such a new situation.
Most of the people I met were strangers for me, I even didn’t really know their names. With one of the boys, Eilam, I had written e-mails for months. We really had talked a lot and knew much of each other but during the first days we didn’t really have great conversations.
However, the days went by and I got to know the others quite well. I would lie if I said that I talked with everybody. A problem, for example, was that the Arab group didn’t speak English as clearly and fluently as the Jewish and the Austrian group did. I also had the impression that some of the Arab group, especially some girls, were a bit afraid of talking. On the whole, the Arab guys were a bit shy. In my opinion this, of course, depends on the education. Jewish girls nearly have the same interests as Austrians but to the Arab girls many things are forbidden that are just normal for Austrians and Jewish.
Which leads me to another important point of the whole camp: How much did the politcal situation influence the realtionship between the different groups? Were there any serious conflicts? Well, of course, we also talked about these „difficult“ topics. That’s very important, I think, because you can’t ignore the conflicts between Jewish and Arabs, even if you are in a peacecamp. So we really had some serious discussions. A fact that really frightened me was that Jewish as well as Arabs didn’t know a lot about their situation. They all had a certain point of view and didn’t know an objective opinion. Sometimes I even had the impression that we, the Austrians, knew more about the „real“ facts. When the Jewish told us what they learned at school, I suddenly understood that the whole school system, the newspapers use so much propaganda. For me, as an Austrian, „freedom of the press“ and „freedom of opinion“ are somehow natural and self-evident, so it’s hard to believe that the situation in Israel is so different.
However, I have to admit that for me the politcal aspect of the camp wasn’t the most important one. Of course, the discussions were really interesting but on the whole I rather enjoyed to talk with all the people about „normal“ things. The whole atmosphere was really relaxed: With the girls I talked about boys, going out, music - just the normal stuff. I also had some great and serious conversations, especially with Eilam who became a really good friend of mine during the camp. Maybe it would have been better if I had thought more about the problems of Jewish and Arabs but sometimes, I guess, it’s also good and important to forget all the differences and think: „Well, we all are young peole and will spend this week together, so let’s simply have fun.“
Last but not least I should mention the „identity-aspect“ of the camp. This point was and is still very important for me because with the help of some activites I really got to know myself better. During the last days, for example, we got a big sheet on which we could draw everything that represented our identity in any way. I really started thinking about this item...
On the whole, I think the peacecamp was very important to everyone who took part. Of course, such peacecamps can’t change the situation in Israel but they are a sign, a sign of peace and harmony.
By Manuela Wutte, Sept, 2nd 2004
artwork at Rechberg
First of all, I want to say that the peacecamp was a totally new experience for me. So I had no idea what the week would be like when I came to Rechberg on Sunday. As the weeks before had been stressful, I simply hadn‘t found time to think about the peacecamp and the people I was going to meet there. So it’s quite difficult to describe the emotions I felt when I arrived at Rechberg: First of all, I was very curious and I was really looking forward to the camp. On the other hand, I was a bit afraid and nervous, just because it was such a new situation.
Most of the people I met were strangers for me, I even didn’t really know their names. With one of the boys, Eilam, I had written e-mails for months. We really had talked a lot and knew much of each other but during the first days we didn’t really have great conversations.
However, the days went by and I got to know the others quite well. I would lie if I said that I talked with everybody. A problem, for example, was that the Arab group didn’t speak English as clearly and fluently as the Jewish and the Austrian group did. I also had the impression that some of the Arab group, especially some girls, were a bit afraid of talking. On the whole, the Arab guys were a bit shy. In my opinion this, of course, depends on the education. Jewish girls nearly have the same interests as Austrians but to the Arab girls many things are forbidden that are just normal for Austrians and Jewish.
Which leads me to another important point of the whole camp: How much did the politcal situation influence the realtionship between the different groups? Were there any serious conflicts? Well, of course, we also talked about these „difficult“ topics. That’s very important, I think, because you can’t ignore the conflicts between Jewish and Arabs, even if you are in a peacecamp. So we really had some serious discussions. A fact that really frightened me was that Jewish as well as Arabs didn’t know a lot about their situation. They all had a certain point of view and didn’t know an objective opinion. Sometimes I even had the impression that we, the Austrians, knew more about the „real“ facts. When the Jewish told us what they learned at school, I suddenly understood that the whole school system, the newspapers use so much propaganda. For me, as an Austrian, „freedom of the press“ and „freedom of opinion“ are somehow natural and self-evident, so it’s hard to believe that the situation in Israel is so different.
However, I have to admit that for me the politcal aspect of the camp wasn’t the most important one. Of course, the discussions were really interesting but on the whole I rather enjoyed to talk with all the people about „normal“ things. The whole atmosphere was really relaxed: With the girls I talked about boys, going out, music - just the normal stuff. I also had some great and serious conversations, especially with Eilam who became a really good friend of mine during the camp. Maybe it would have been better if I had thought more about the problems of Jewish and Arabs but sometimes, I guess, it’s also good and important to forget all the differences and think: „Well, we all are young peole and will spend this week together, so let’s simply have fun.“
Last but not least I should mention the „identity-aspect“ of the camp. This point was and is still very important for me because with the help of some activites I really got to know myself better. During the last days, for example, we got a big sheet on which we could draw everything that represented our identity in any way. I really started thinking about this item...
On the whole, I think the peacecamp was very important to everyone who took part. Of course, such peacecamps can’t change the situation in Israel but they are a sign, a sign of peace and harmony.
By Manuela Wutte, Sept, 2nd 2004
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After the summer: Lia on peacecamp 2004
This summer the time had finally come: After two years of planning and searching my mother’s project was ready to start. On Saturday, the 26 of June 2004, eight Jewish Israelis and eight Arab Israelis arrived at the Klagenfurt airport. The next day, the Austrian group joined them. We started right away with games meant to get to know one another.
For the 16 Israelis the old castle in which we stayed was a totally new experience. They had never seen such a fortress before. And they were really fascinated with the view and all the different plants in the surroundings. It was a new experience for all of them… Very soon small gangs were formed. The first 4-5 days we had some excursions, we went to Voelkermarkt, visited some museums, went to the Klopeiner Lake and to some other places. We made a lot of games where we had to trust each others; we had to go in pairs and had to make masks for each other. That was a real game where we had to trust the other person. One day we went to a hill and there we made a treasure hunt. In “mixed” groups we had to find a treasure; this was very funny because we had to get along with a map: this was a little problem, because many of us didn’t know how to read a map … e.g. myself ;) The last three days we worked on our dances and for the shows for the final event, which we performed in front of 70 persons. This was a lot of fun, and the music on the show was played by our own little band.
Unfortunately, the days passed by much too fast, and even though we had "only" ten days that was enough time to become a real group.
So the day came, were everybody had to go back home. The whole Austrian group accompanied the Israelis at 5 o’clock in the morning to the airport, and there everybody was crying. It was so touching to see that even the "tough guys" showed some emotions.
Well, I think, that if it is possible to make such a camp with three different groups and with so different people, and there were no serious problems and no fights, well than I think that peace is possible. And if really everybody works together for peace, one day it will be a better life for all of us!
Altogether I think that this camp was a great idea.
I am convinced, that every participant will claim: "I have never ever had such a fantastic time before!" Thanks mom!
By Lia Böhmer
For the 16 Israelis the old castle in which we stayed was a totally new experience. They had never seen such a fortress before. And they were really fascinated with the view and all the different plants in the surroundings. It was a new experience for all of them… Very soon small gangs were formed. The first 4-5 days we had some excursions, we went to Voelkermarkt, visited some museums, went to the Klopeiner Lake and to some other places. We made a lot of games where we had to trust each others; we had to go in pairs and had to make masks for each other. That was a real game where we had to trust the other person. One day we went to a hill and there we made a treasure hunt. In “mixed” groups we had to find a treasure; this was very funny because we had to get along with a map: this was a little problem, because many of us didn’t know how to read a map … e.g. myself ;) The last three days we worked on our dances and for the shows for the final event, which we performed in front of 70 persons. This was a lot of fun, and the music on the show was played by our own little band.
Unfortunately, the days passed by much too fast, and even though we had "only" ten days that was enough time to become a real group.
So the day came, were everybody had to go back home. The whole Austrian group accompanied the Israelis at 5 o’clock in the morning to the airport, and there everybody was crying. It was so touching to see that even the "tough guys" showed some emotions.
Well, I think, that if it is possible to make such a camp with three different groups and with so different people, and there were no serious problems and no fights, well than I think that peace is possible. And if really everybody works together for peace, one day it will be a better life for all of us!
Altogether I think that this camp was a great idea.
I am convinced, that every participant will claim: "I have never ever had such a fantastic time before!" Thanks mom!
By Lia Böhmer
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After the summer: Peace Camp 2004 – Some lasting impressions of an Austrian teacher
Heidi Jausovec
Heidi Jausovec
Peace Camp 2004 – Some lasting impressions of an Austrian teacher
To begin with, I must say the peace camp has been the greatest experience for me so far as a teacher. Although lots of weeks have passed since saying good-bye to the other “peace campers” I keep thinking about this extraordinary week, which we were able to spend at the beautiful, quiet, peaceful place called “Kommende Rechberg”.
Since I have taught history for two and a half decades, I have dealt with the Arab-Israeli conflict more than a dozen times. However, seeking information by means of different media (books, newspapers, magazines, films, TV, internet) and by discussing the conflict with people who know a lot about it is very much different from living together with people for whom this conflict is part of their lives, part of their identities. I have learned so much in a few days and I am deeply grateful for that, also in behalf of my students.
Besides, we have not only gained knowledge and understanding of a sad political problem, but got aware of the variety and complexity of people`s identities (including our own ones). However different or even strange they might have seemed, in general, all participants were ready and able to accept different ways of thinking and acting and tried hard to see what we all have in common – being human beings dreaming of a joyful life in a peaceful world.
In Rechberg young people coming from very different political, religious and social backgrounds proved that they did not only manage to perform dances, music, short sketches, play games, do various outdoor activities, have fun together, but they were also motivated and apt to lead serious discussions. I do hope that one day when members of this generation will be allowed to decide about the future of the Middle East, they will not have lost their positive motivation, tolerance and optimism.
To begin with, I must say the peace camp has been the greatest experience for me so far as a teacher. Although lots of weeks have passed since saying good-bye to the other “peace campers” I keep thinking about this extraordinary week, which we were able to spend at the beautiful, quiet, peaceful place called “Kommende Rechberg”.
Since I have taught history for two and a half decades, I have dealt with the Arab-Israeli conflict more than a dozen times. However, seeking information by means of different media (books, newspapers, magazines, films, TV, internet) and by discussing the conflict with people who know a lot about it is very much different from living together with people for whom this conflict is part of their lives, part of their identities. I have learned so much in a few days and I am deeply grateful for that, also in behalf of my students.
Besides, we have not only gained knowledge and understanding of a sad political problem, but got aware of the variety and complexity of people`s identities (including our own ones). However different or even strange they might have seemed, in general, all participants were ready and able to accept different ways of thinking and acting and tried hard to see what we all have in common – being human beings dreaming of a joyful life in a peaceful world.
In Rechberg young people coming from very different political, religious and social backgrounds proved that they did not only manage to perform dances, music, short sketches, play games, do various outdoor activities, have fun together, but they were also motivated and apt to lead serious discussions. I do hope that one day when members of this generation will be allowed to decide about the future of the Middle East, they will not have lost their positive motivation, tolerance and optimism.
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After the summer: Hosnia Matani on peacecamp 2004
Report Hosnia
singing and dancing with Hosnia
it was a wonderful project, it was my first experience to fly abroad and
to travel to austria by the airplane.
i'll tell you how did i feel in the airplane, i was afraid i was reading
my holly book the quran, autman was laghing at me it was a nice
experience.
austria is a wonderful country the people are nice the teachers are
wonderful, i think that the camp was very successful we did a lot of
things together we sang, danced, drew, and talked about different things.
we learned many useful things, we learn the defferences between 3 cultures
and it was very good because we learned about the jewish and the austrian
cultures and they learned about our culteres.
in austria it was terreble because the arab's student are not good at
english and all the time i have to translate and they didnt talk about any
thing for this it was very hard for me and for them.
i think that this was a good experience and i learned many useful things
from this experience and i hope that we will continue together in this
way.
best wishes
hosnia
singing and dancing with Hosnia
it was a wonderful project, it was my first experience to fly abroad and
to travel to austria by the airplane.
i'll tell you how did i feel in the airplane, i was afraid i was reading
my holly book the quran, autman was laghing at me it was a nice
experience.
austria is a wonderful country the people are nice the teachers are
wonderful, i think that the camp was very successful we did a lot of
things together we sang, danced, drew, and talked about different things.
we learned many useful things, we learn the defferences between 3 cultures
and it was very good because we learned about the jewish and the austrian
cultures and they learned about our culteres.
in austria it was terreble because the arab's student are not good at
english and all the time i have to translate and they didnt talk about any
thing for this it was very hard for me and for them.
i think that this was a good experience and i learned many useful things
from this experience and i hope that we will continue together in this
way.
best wishes
hosnia
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After the summer: Georg Lienhart, Austrian group on peacecamp 2004
Peace camp 2004
First of all I want to say that the peace camp wasn’t like I thought it would be. Before I had the illusion that the peace camp only took place, because we had to find a solution for the conflict in Israel and Palestine .But it wasn’t like that! It was like a new life with new people who I had never seen before. I have made many new friends. So I also want to say that in my mind peace camp isn’t the right name for this meeting. For me it was a friendship camp, because my best memories are the many new friends who I got on this peace-camp. I think that friends were the most important for all at the peace camp. As long as I can think back I never got so many friends in one week.
What was also important was the organisation. The various activities which we did together
were very good, interesting, funny or exciting and eventually let us come closer.
But as wonderful the camp was as hard was the time to say good bye. It took a long time to stop thinking about the peace-camp.
However. something happened which I never wanted to happen. From time to time I somehow forgot the peace camp and my week in Rechberg. On the other hand I think it is good that I stopped thinking about the peace camp, because nobody can live in the past and life has to go on.
But the more photos I saw of the peace-camp at the beginning of this school year, the more I started thinking about the time in Rechberg again. These few lines now make me think again how important and wonderful the week in Rechberg was. I would be glad to see my Jewish and Arab friends again. Georg Lienhart, Austrian group
First of all I want to say that the peace camp wasn’t like I thought it would be. Before I had the illusion that the peace camp only took place, because we had to find a solution for the conflict in Israel and Palestine .But it wasn’t like that! It was like a new life with new people who I had never seen before. I have made many new friends. So I also want to say that in my mind peace camp isn’t the right name for this meeting. For me it was a friendship camp, because my best memories are the many new friends who I got on this peace-camp. I think that friends were the most important for all at the peace camp. As long as I can think back I never got so many friends in one week.
What was also important was the organisation. The various activities which we did together
were very good, interesting, funny or exciting and eventually let us come closer.
But as wonderful the camp was as hard was the time to say good bye. It took a long time to stop thinking about the peace-camp.
However. something happened which I never wanted to happen. From time to time I somehow forgot the peace camp and my week in Rechberg. On the other hand I think it is good that I stopped thinking about the peace camp, because nobody can live in the past and life has to go on.
But the more photos I saw of the peace-camp at the beginning of this school year, the more I started thinking about the time in Rechberg again. These few lines now make me think again how important and wonderful the week in Rechberg was. I would be glad to see my Jewish and Arab friends again. Georg Lienhart, Austrian group
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After the summer: Gabrielle' account
Gabrielle Neuhaus
Dancer & choreographer
The peace camp in Austria has been a very strong experience for me on
various levels. I was slightly nervous before it started, not knowing if the
kids would want to dance at all, and especially if the boys and the Arab
group would participate in my workshops. In the end, everybody took part in
all the dance activities, performed at least one dance during the show and
kids were rehearsing one of the combinations in various occasions outside
the studio.
dancing with gabrielle
I also enjoyed seeing the whole group working on one or the other movement
tasks and realizing that limitations about touching each other had suddenly
disappeared in a very natural way.
Apart from this professional satisfaction, I also feel that I had my own
peace camp, on grown up level: I very much enjoyed sharing a room with
Husnia, discovering the person beneath the veil, the energetic and
enthusiastic woman, full of humour, but whose feelings got wounded a few
times during the camp. I think that the general atmosphere of encounter also
influenced the adults and I had a few interesting, controversial or funny
talks with several people.
I cannot end without mentioning my father's illness that changed suddenly my
perception of time and gave the whole week a new dimension, further
emphasizing the feeling of living a separate reality.
Dancer & choreographer
The peace camp in Austria has been a very strong experience for me on
various levels. I was slightly nervous before it started, not knowing if the
kids would want to dance at all, and especially if the boys and the Arab
group would participate in my workshops. In the end, everybody took part in
all the dance activities, performed at least one dance during the show and
kids were rehearsing one of the combinations in various occasions outside
the studio.
dancing with gabrielle
I also enjoyed seeing the whole group working on one or the other movement
tasks and realizing that limitations about touching each other had suddenly
disappeared in a very natural way.
Apart from this professional satisfaction, I also feel that I had my own
peace camp, on grown up level: I very much enjoyed sharing a room with
Husnia, discovering the person beneath the veil, the energetic and
enthusiastic woman, full of humour, but whose feelings got wounded a few
times during the camp. I think that the general atmosphere of encounter also
influenced the adults and I had a few interesting, controversial or funny
talks with several people.
I cannot end without mentioning my father's illness that changed suddenly my
perception of time and gave the whole week a new dimension, further
emphasizing the feeling of living a separate reality.
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After the summer: Yesan Hadishe
Yesan Hadishe:
Es schien die Sonne, schickte ihre gelben Strahlen auf einen grünen Teppich. Eines Tages ging ich in mein Zimmer, schließe meine Türe ab, dann habe ich das Licht abgedreht. Dann saß ich alleine in diesem Zimmer und plötzlich habe ich meine schönen Erinnerungen an die schönen Tage, die ich mit meinen Kollegen hatte, aber ich erinnerte mich auch an die schlechten Zeiten und an die, die mich verletzt haben, nicht nur mich, sondern auch meine arabischen Kollegen und Kolleginnen. Und hier fand ich eine Frage:
Warum haben uns die Juden schlechter behandelt als die Österreicher? Und vielleicht das Gegenteil auch. Ich habe versucht, diese Frage selber zu beantworten, konnte ich aber nicht. Ich habe gedacht, unsere englische Sprache war gut und deswegen mögen sie uns nicht, aber das ist kein guter Grund.
Ich hoffe, ich finde jemanden, der mir diese Frage beantworten kann. Und tatsächlich bedaure ich diese Aktion.
Auf alle Fälle hoffe ich, dass wir weiter über dieses Objekt arbeiten, denn ich glaube, es war ein erfolgreiches Objekt und in diesem stecken sehr viele gute Sachen. Ich hoffe, wir reichen einander unsere Hände, damit wir besser in die Zukunft sehen können, um ein gutes Ende für dieses Projekt zu bewirken, wie eine Hand.
Wir müssen zusammen arbeiten, damit wir ein gutes Beispiel für die nächste Generation abgeben.
Ich hoffe, dass Sie meinen Brief lesen können und verstehen.
Es schien die Sonne, schickte ihre gelben Strahlen auf einen grünen Teppich. Eines Tages ging ich in mein Zimmer, schließe meine Türe ab, dann habe ich das Licht abgedreht. Dann saß ich alleine in diesem Zimmer und plötzlich habe ich meine schönen Erinnerungen an die schönen Tage, die ich mit meinen Kollegen hatte, aber ich erinnerte mich auch an die schlechten Zeiten und an die, die mich verletzt haben, nicht nur mich, sondern auch meine arabischen Kollegen und Kolleginnen. Und hier fand ich eine Frage:
Warum haben uns die Juden schlechter behandelt als die Österreicher? Und vielleicht das Gegenteil auch. Ich habe versucht, diese Frage selber zu beantworten, konnte ich aber nicht. Ich habe gedacht, unsere englische Sprache war gut und deswegen mögen sie uns nicht, aber das ist kein guter Grund.
Ich hoffe, ich finde jemanden, der mir diese Frage beantworten kann. Und tatsächlich bedaure ich diese Aktion.
Auf alle Fälle hoffe ich, dass wir weiter über dieses Objekt arbeiten, denn ich glaube, es war ein erfolgreiches Objekt und in diesem stecken sehr viele gute Sachen. Ich hoffe, wir reichen einander unsere Hände, damit wir besser in die Zukunft sehen können, um ein gutes Ende für dieses Projekt zu bewirken, wie eine Hand.
Wir müssen zusammen arbeiten, damit wir ein gutes Beispiel für die nächste Generation abgeben.
Ich hoffe, dass Sie meinen Brief lesen können und verstehen.
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After the summer: Eilam's poem
Peace Camp 2004, in two minutes of alienation.
Peace Camp 2004, in two minutes of alienation.
Peace Camp 2004, in two minutes of alienation
Away, in Central Europe,
Thought less of what was going on.
We were all hoping, this camp will never stop,
Still making the best of what’s on hand,
Before we’ll all be gone.
The tension wasn’t really gone,
As we’ve seen that the others are different,
With their approach to the subjects
We’ve been discussing upon.
Between politics and youth,
We hooked up in the blink of an eye,
But distance and other nonsense
Now keeps us on hold.
Away, in Central Europe,
Thought less of what was going on.
We were all hoping, this camp will never stop,
Still making the best of what’s on hand,
Before we’ll all be gone.
The tension wasn’t really gone,
As we’ve seen that the others are different,
With their approach to the subjects
We’ve been discussing upon.
Between politics and youth,
We hooked up in the blink of an eye,
But distance and other nonsense
Now keeps us on hold.
(0 Kommentare) ... comment
After the summer: Experiences on the Peace Camp
Cornelia Blaschitz
Cornelia Blaschitz
Experiences on the Peace Camp
As I arrived at the castle in Rechberg on Sunday, the 27th of June, I saw there about 20 people who I didn´t know. I started thinking about how it would be to stay with them together for one week. Would it be great fun? Or would there only be an Austrian group, a Jewish group and an Arab group and not a group including everyone?
At the beginning the names were a big problem for me. It took one day and more to know everybody´s name.
Day by day I got to know them better. We had a lot of fun together, we also talked about our families, how it is to live in Austria and how to live in Israel. Of course also about many other things. The Jewish and the Austrian group like quite the same things like films, music,… At the beginning we didn´t really have great conversations with the Arab group because they couldn´t speak English very well. However, we understood eaach other by smiling and hugging or something like that.
A lot of activities were prepared for us to do. Some were really strenuous to master, but we survived! For example I mean the navigation on the Schaidersattel where we had to find stones with positive characteristics. Everybody was sweating but didn´t stop. Sometimes there was also a funny way of persecution by the film crew, but we had a lot of fun with them. Especially with “Fluffy”. It was the pelt around the microphone.
As we had a psychologist in our camp on our last day we started to discuss about the conflicts in Israel and I was surprised and somehow shocked that the Austrian group knew more about it than the Israelies did. They told us that they don’t learn anything about it at school. At first I didn´t know why the arab group didn´t talk about it. But then I came to know that they weren´t allowed to. After that I started to think about it and somehow I´m glad to live here in Austria where I am allowed to say everything where I want to and when I want to.
Now I can say that this week was one of the best weeks in my life. I haven´t learned so much about other cultures and people like I did in this week. I have also found a lot of new friends with whom I keep in contact by e-mail. One of my biggest wishes is to see everybody again. Maybe we will organize another peace camp and may come to Israel the next time.
The last thing I want to say is that I thank everybody who made this peace camp possible.
Cornelia Blaschitz, 20.9.2004
As I arrived at the castle in Rechberg on Sunday, the 27th of June, I saw there about 20 people who I didn´t know. I started thinking about how it would be to stay with them together for one week. Would it be great fun? Or would there only be an Austrian group, a Jewish group and an Arab group and not a group including everyone?
At the beginning the names were a big problem for me. It took one day and more to know everybody´s name.
Day by day I got to know them better. We had a lot of fun together, we also talked about our families, how it is to live in Austria and how to live in Israel. Of course also about many other things. The Jewish and the Austrian group like quite the same things like films, music,… At the beginning we didn´t really have great conversations with the Arab group because they couldn´t speak English very well. However, we understood eaach other by smiling and hugging or something like that.
A lot of activities were prepared for us to do. Some were really strenuous to master, but we survived! For example I mean the navigation on the Schaidersattel where we had to find stones with positive characteristics. Everybody was sweating but didn´t stop. Sometimes there was also a funny way of persecution by the film crew, but we had a lot of fun with them. Especially with “Fluffy”. It was the pelt around the microphone.
As we had a psychologist in our camp on our last day we started to discuss about the conflicts in Israel and I was surprised and somehow shocked that the Austrian group knew more about it than the Israelies did. They told us that they don’t learn anything about it at school. At first I didn´t know why the arab group didn´t talk about it. But then I came to know that they weren´t allowed to. After that I started to think about it and somehow I´m glad to live here in Austria where I am allowed to say everything where I want to and when I want to.
Now I can say that this week was one of the best weeks in my life. I haven´t learned so much about other cultures and people like I did in this week. I have also found a lot of new friends with whom I keep in contact by e-mail. One of my biggest wishes is to see everybody again. Maybe we will organize another peace camp and may come to Israel the next time.
The last thing I want to say is that I thank everybody who made this peace camp possible.
Cornelia Blaschitz, 20.9.2004
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