Meeting the Bedouin Nursing Students
This past week we met with nine of the female Bedouin nursing students at BGU. We were each paired up with one of these students and exchanged small gifts that represented us in some way. My partners name was Tagreed and she was from the largest Bedouin settlement, Rahat. I am sure I am not the only when saying that we had a preconceived notion about how the Bedouin girls were going to be. We have learned so much about their patriarchal culture and how everything is dictated by the men. Personally I was not expecting the vibrant, out-spoken, bubbly girls that were in the room with us. They seemed to be just as, if not more, excited to hear about each others cultures than we were. The room buzzed with excitement and was extremely loud, as is to be expected in a room filled with eighteen girls. It reminded me of the parties during recruitment. We were told to exchange gifts and I was a little embarrassed to present to my buddy a silly band, double braided headband and chopsticks. Tagreed gave me one of the most beautiful painted stone necklaces that her mother had handmade for me. It was absolutely gorgeous and I wished I had brought her something a little more meaningful, but I could see the appreciation in her eyes when I gave her my gift... Or it could have been amusement at my silly gesture. We were all not shy about asking about their clothing, families, activities, love interests, TV shows, music, etc. When I told Tagreed that it would be my twenty-first birthday when I got back to the states she immediately asked:
"Are you going to have a big party? Like the ones on My Super Sweet 16!"
Unfortunately I had to tell her that, yes I would be having a party with friends, but those sorts of party are definitely not normal and not to think we ALL had extravagant blow outs like that or were as selfish. I went on to ask her about the scarf she had to wear as well as the full length shirt and pants. With absolutely no regret or sorrow did she reply "It depends at what age you have to wear them. For my family it is not an option. I would love to be able to wear your hair down like yours; it gets very hot here in the desert. But in my family I have no choice". It was such a strait forward answer, as if I was asking her what her favorite color was. Where we are from, an American would probably think they resent being forced to wear something with no choice, but to her that was the way it was and the way it has always been. I respected this and I think this is where my perception totally changed. When I asked her what she did for fun after school she said that she usually just takes that bus back to Rahat and spends time with her family. She is the oldest of ten! She then went on to tell me that she wishes she could go out and get dressed up and go to clubs with her friends, but this is not allowed. I told her that if she ever came to America I would show her a good time, to which she responded that the only way she could travel outside of Israel would be if she married a man who would take her to the states. Keep in mind that throughout this whole conversation, her tone was totally normal if not enthusiastic. Never once did she show a bit of resentment towards her family, town, or life that she lived. I did not view this as defeatist; I viewed it as a person who was just happy that she got an opportunity to go to nursing school at all. This would open so many doors in her future to work at a hospital or clinic, instead of just sitting at home.
Many of the Bedouin women have to make sacrifices to go to school- sometimes they must become even more traditional in dress and action so that they will be allowed to go. For example: there was a case where a girl had to be escorted to and from school by a cousin or else she wouldn't be allowed to go. To her, this was a worthy sacrifice. In other cases, where the women would be allowed to wear a shirt and pants at home, to go to school she may have to wear the full dress and head scarf, but to her getting an education is worth it. I truly admire these decisions and sacrifices and it really makes you wonder what you would do if you had to make this choice. What would you sacrifice just to go to school? In a lot of ways where we are from education gets taken for granted. It is the American norm to go to high school then off to college, or university, or some type of higher learning. These women have to fight for this right that we barely give a second thought to.
The best way to describe meeting the students would be "refreshing". I was so proud and honored to be in a room filled with women who were taking the initiative to follow their dreams and pull out of the norm to achieve higher education and do something for themselves. We were reminded that not all Bedouin women were like these. These were the girls who were fighting to further themselves and gain opportunities so many women before them did not have. In a way it is quite a feminist ideal: women fighting against their tradition to go to school and earn something for themselves. It was very empowering to say the least.
Rahat Medical Clinic
Rahat is the largest recognized Bedouin village in Israel. Here we spent the day at their health clinic that was made up of three different departments: pediatrics, specialty care, and adult primary care. This clinic was new and beautiful, to say the least; so modern and up to date with all the new technologies. I went into it expecting a much smaller, much less nice building with no air conditioning and dirt floors... I am pleased to report that I was wrong again. The clinic was buzzing and busy, as Rahat is the biggest recognized Bedouin village. I would call it more of a city than a village, with grocery stores, shopping, schools, and of course the clinic. One of the biggest problems with health care in the Bedouin population is education- there is a low compliance when it comes to treatment plans because they don't understand how important it is to follow the instructions when given medications and such. An older lady, I'd say above sixty, came in claiming that she had a sore throat. On her chart is stated that she had Diabetes Miletus and when asked if she was following her treatment plan she said no and that she felt fine so she didn't feel the need. The nurses informed us that this is a major problem- people only come in when they feel sick, but it is usually for a different problem than the disease they are diagnosed with. Compliance is a major problem in all of Israel. This is why health education is so important. If the population is educated on diseases and consequences, then there is a much better chance that they will follow treatment plans. But who will implement these prevention and education campaigns?
Home Visit
The next day we went to an unrecognized settlement to visit conduct a home visit. The man was over 90 years old, his real date of birth was unknown, who had been receiving home visits for the past four years because he has tumors in his stomach. Four years ago he had decided not to have the operation at Saroka hospital because there many risks and he decided that it was not worth the surgery. He would rather live out his days in his own home- an actual tent- with his family. In order to get to his house we had to do some serious off roading. It was like a roller coaster, thrilling and just a bit frightening. When we finally reached the tents that made up his home it was over a mile off the highway. There was the men's tent where he rested as well as a tent for the women and children. In Bedouin culture, the Bedouin women are not allowed in the men's tent. This is where guests are welcomed and served tea and the daily politics and current events are discussed. The women cook and do their daily activities in their tent. We were told we could take pictures of anything we wanted except the women. This is typical among most Bedouins. Inside the man's tent, it took me a solid minute to realize anyone else was in there. We discovered him lying on three thin mattresses (and when I say thin I mean one inch thick) on the floor covered over his head in a blanket. Beside him were a spittoon and his tin filled with homemade cigarettes. It was quite unnerving seeing someone who lived this way. No matter how much you are told about this setting, there is nothing you can truly do to prepare yourself for actually looking at it in front of you. The only other objects in the tent were some mats on the ground with some cushions for us to sit on. We were very careful not to kick up the dirt from the floors and onto the mats.
After observing the man and hearing about his treatment and a little about his daily life, we were invited into the women's tent for some homemade bread. This bread is their specialty- made of flour and water and cooked on a large dome shaped pan on an open fire. The woman, who we discovered was the sick man’s daughter-in-law had ten big balls of dough beside her for the bread she prepared for us- an amount I found to be a bit much- but it is rude not to accept food when offered in their culture. So we sat around her and the fire watching as she made the bread so skillfully. Take the ball of dough, flatten it out, spin it as if it were a pizza crust, place it on the pan, let the bread cook, flip it about six or seven times till done. She did this all bare-handed on a pan that had to be hundreds of degrees hot. It was a humbling experience to watch this woman who just met us cook for us as we sat helplessly and unable to make even the slightest conversation (she spoke Arabic). We were so incredibly grateful for the offering, especially when it was clear that these people had so little and were offering what little they had and were sure to show it in as many ways as we could nonverbally. Luckily we had some lollipops for her two grandchildren who were running around. We ate the bread with olive oil and zahatar (super delicious herbs) and the Bedouin sweet tea which is equally as delicious. As we readied to go, we thanked the family many more times and headed back onto the bus, soaking in the experience we just had.
Being totally immersed into a culture such as this that has traditions and values completely different than your own is very eye opening. At the end of the day of the home visit we had a sit down discussion with the teacher of "Bedouin Women and Sexuality". We had a very open forum to discuss how much and what we've been learning the past three and a half weeks. Though not everyone agreed on certain topics and obviously had different feelings, there was one thing we could all agree on: We are so extremely thankful for what we have- our autonomy, freedom to choose our own paths in life, and for the ability to travel to a faraway country on our own- all things that these young ladies and women of the Bedouin community do not have. It is hard for many people growing up in America to imagine having such tight-set traditions that your life is virtually laid out for you- where you will live your whole life, who you will marry, what you have to wear. My favorite part about this whole experience is discovering that these people, though having vastly different beliefs and customs, are so much like us. The aspirations and dreams they have are similar to ours; they just may not have the option to follow them.
