This past weekend was a busy one indeed. I will start at the very beginning... Wednesday. Myself and V had made plans with Ghada and Makazi, who was leaving to South Africa for a month. The plan was to try out a new coffee shop, La Costa, and then afterwards attend a screening of the first ever Palestinian-made animated film at the nearby Al-Kasaba Theatre. O dropped us off at Duar Se'a (Clock Square) and we walked to Al-Kasaba where we were to meet Ghada and Makazi. They were running late so we decided to do a little shopping in general vicinity. 15 minutes later we came back with some new scarves -- which seems to be the only thing I have purchased in Palestine that might be considered an item of clothing. A few minutes later we got a call from Makazi letting us know that she was just down the road. We headed their way and to our surprise saw that Nadia (a friend of Ghada's) was driving. She told us to hop in the car. When we tried to explain that we had particular plans she interrupted and again told us to get in. At this point we were backing up traffic and felt we had no other choice to hop on in. So our plan was foiled and instead we were crammed into a hot car and driven to Nadia's house, which is at the furthest western reaches of the city.
Nadia is an interesting woman - an aristrocat through and through. She has lived her life all over the world as the ever so blessed wife of an ambassador. She is now a widow, but still lives an extraordinarly privileged life. Her house is in the nicest neighborhood of Ramallah and is ridiculously big (3 stories) for just her and her daughter. She is an extremely brash person who isn't afraid to speak her mind and I have to admit there are times when I don't particularly care for her -- she is a bit too in your face for my liking. When we arrived at her house we sat in her front garden while we were served tea and Arab style cookies. Although our little get together (that Nadia originally was never invited to), was supposed to be in honor of Makazi who would be living for South Africa, the conversation centered around Nadia and I don't think Makazi was able to say more than 2 sentences the entire time we were there. I felt bad and needless to say, annoyed. Nonetheless we made the best of it with our niceties and such.
Once it came time for the film -- which fortunately had not been completely removed from the plan, Nadia dropped V and I off at the theatre where we met O who had been saving seats for us. Good thing he did because the place was packed! As soon as we took our seats I observed the copious amounts of internationals in the room. Ramallah never ceases to amaze me in regards to how many people from other countries it is home to. It is a constant reminder that my being here is in no way special.
The film itself was, as aforementioned, a Palestinian produced animated film; the first of its kind. The story was about a young woman living in the Gaza Strip who discovers that she has a lump in her breast. She eventually is diagnosed with breast cancer and will need treatment that cannot be given within Gaza, but rather in Israel. The film follows her and her family's struggles to enter into Israel and the ultimately tragic end that ensues. It was a very sad, but very well done movie showing the realities of life in Gaza. We concluded that it would be a great film to show to the international community, but is also a good reminder to Palestinians living in the West Bank of what the citizens of Gaza have to go through.
Since we were nearby to the new coffee shop that had been part of our original plans, we decided to stop by after the film. It is up on the 7th floor of a building in the city center near Duar Se'a. I have been scoping this place out for months -- I started to see the signs from the street below and my curiosity finally got the best of me. The particular building where La Costa is, is a bit run down and has a reputation for being slightly dodgy. However I must say that La Costa was a breath of fresh air. The decor was beautifully and modernly done in blacks, greys, and maroons. We took a table by the windows and were able to get a completely different view of Ramallah. The menu was simple; juices, coffees, cocktails, drinks galore, nargileh, and to eat, dessert only. I had my usual - limon ma nana and it was very nice. Something interesting about this place is that it has a small room that one can rent to play PlayStation and then another bigger room that is like a little mini-cinema. Kind of quirky, but fun nonetheless. Overall I really liked this place, the atmosphere, the location overlooking the city, and the drinks were good too. What concerns me is that it will turn into a shabab - or a place where only teenage boys go to hang out. While we were there, myself and V were the only females. I will go back; however only with a man in tow!
In the next few posts... Outlandish... Bethlehem... Ilham Almadfa'l... and pictures!!
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