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Truth Festish: Global TurnUp Contents: adventures of free spirit and dry humor specialist Michelle Zei.

Holy TurnUp

PALESTINE | Wednesday, 27 May 2015 | Views [181] | Comments [2] | Scholarship Entry

Splash. Taking a trip anywhere, especially by yourself is a liberating leap. What I savor most about traveling is unleashing the adventurous spirit I typically tuck within.

Flashback. Two and half years ago, I said so long to Philly cheesesteaks, smelly subways and closed classrooms to study abroad in the Middle East- switch to hummus, speeding shared taxis and learning on hilltops.

The unexpected TurnUp. It was an October afternoon like any other when I was preparing to take a shared taxi home from Ramallah. Suddenly a car of young hip teens approached me and asked if I was going to October Fest. I had no idea what they were talking about as we were no where near Munich and access to alcohol was sparse. Partying (and drinking) was typically confined to clubs off the beaten path, some only mentioned in hushed voices.

"We're looking for a 4th person to fill the taxi," said a college-age girl with dyed hair and converses.

I wouldn't imagine hitching rides with strangers in Philly, but that was my normal life. This wasn't Philly Michelle.

I paused for a second and then hopped in the front seat of the taxi and proceeded to learn that the students studied theater and recently visited Italy. In a familiar US college kid fashion, they wasted no time pre-gaming and busted out a bottle of limoncello, a sweet thick lemon liqueur that I'd developed a fondness for during my trip to Italy in high school.

Little town of Taybeh. As the fall afternoon turned to night, people from all across the Holy Land gravitated toward an old Christian church but this was an entirely different kind of communion. But rest assured, in the midst of guys in muscles shirts, slurring NGO workers, parents with children on their shoulders, and yes- boozy nuns, you could purchase your very own Madonna statue along with a robust collection of religious artifacts.

It was truly a collision of worlds and to my amusement a family affair. Taybeh invited everyone to exhale and let their hair down, a necessary release in the midst of such political strife. I was once again reminded of how people and places alike have a way of surprising us if we take a little risk. I wasn't expecting to get wasted with strangers in Palestine of all places, but sometimes we all need a break. Students, activists, and even nuns alike.


Link to Photos: https://truthfetish.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/photos-from-palestines-beer-festival/

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

Comments

1

Hey! Has anyone else been to the Middle East? I'd love to know what your experience was like.

  michellezei Jun 3, 2015 3:09 PM

2

Has anyone else been to the Taybeh Beer Festival?

  michellezei Jun 3, 2015 3:10 PM

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