Intern Journal: A Day Off in Nablus

The interns have made an amazing discovery, one that in my opinion rivals the adventures of the great explorers of the fifteenth and sixteen centuries. We have found it, our holy grail....ice coffee in Nablus.

To say that we interns have a bit of an addiction is an understatement. The first thing we did upon landing in Ben Gurion airport was to find the nearest coffee shop and sip slowly on the delightful elixir before driving into the West Bank. After a busy week of lesson planning, meetings, and reports, we look forward to having a day or two to unwind before the madness starts again. On Saturday afternoon, Amy, Tala, Samin, Megan, and I ventured into the Old City and soon found ourselves in the relaxed yet bizarre atmosphere that is the Cinema City cafe which provides us with all of the comforts of home right here in Nablus.

Checkered with flaming red and black designs, Cinema City is the perfect place to sample blended frappe beverages, coffees, and desserts aptly named after film’s leading ladies including “The Angelina, The Megan, and The Zeta-Jones.” Or Tala’s favorite treat, “Magic Corn” which is basically just sweetened corn. When our waiter brought over the tray of blended coffees, some of us had difficulty restraining our joy, others had problems breathing.

Sitting at our table under the “Thanks for Coming Y’all” sign, I momentarily forgot where we were. Was I actually in the States at my local mall? Had I somehow sleep-walked my way across the green line? Nope, I was still in Nablus - al-humdulillah! - but in a place meant to provide an escape for its customers from the realities of life happening outside its walls. A place where women go out with their friends for ice coffee and you can still catch Scream 4 playing in all its ridiculous goriness.

- Cate

Cate is a summer intern at TYO Nablus.