Notes from the Field 2008

After being under the Mediterranean sun for the last few weeks, I think the last traces of the Minnesota winter have finally left my bones.

I am a Public Health Nutrition student spending my summer in the Palestinian West Bank. I am interested in studying breastfeeding and early nutrition practices and learning more about what resources are in place related to these topics.

In the past weeks I have been meeting with different health centers and hospitals that provide nutrition related services to women and children. It looks like I will be spending my time divided between several different organization...two mornings a week at a baby hospital which offers breastfeeding and nutrition classes to new mothers from rural villages, one day a week in a refugee camp with a dietitian during her clinic hours, and one day joining a nurse who does nutrition counseling to home-bound elderly in rural villages.

I am studying Arabic during my stay, and on my walk to my lessons I pass by an orchard of plum, almond and apricots trees, a field of purple cabbages and creeping cucumbers plants, and several olive groves. Many Palestinian towns are semi-rural and almost all homes have fruit trees and a small garden. Thankfully we arrived in time to savor the apricots and plums that fill the markets here for only a few short weeks each summer.

I took at trip to the valley between Jordan and the West Bank to learn more about the agricultural practices in the region and how farmers are being affected by the occupation. We visited with several farmers who generously prepared a delicious meal for us. Here is a photo of the bread making, as well as an example of a traditional Palestinian home.

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