The Latino Music Scene in the West Bank

So every time I look around me, society in the West Bank is more sophisticated. I went out to Birzeit University with my friend today and met some great people, among them a student who fluently speaks 6 languages. We had a conversation in Spanish; it was a little surreal. We are going out to the university again tomorrow to choose the students. After the experience looking around the university, I went on my own this time to the gym, which is near the top of a nice building in downtown. It is cooler than if it had AC, because of the great breeze here. I got to be friends with the workout coach, Adam, who is an Arab American. He showed me some great new exercises that I had not even thought about before, as well as some muscle groups I did not know existed. After being a little sore from running 4 k and "playing" as my British educated friends call it (weightlifting), I went with a friend to see Chico and the Gypsies, a latino band playing at the Palestinian international music festival. It was crazy. Everyone was dancing like crazy, and few women in the audience were wearing head scarfs. Society here in Ramallah is an interesting intersection of Muslim, Christian, secular, and fun loving. We danced the night away to Latin and Arabic tunes in the middle of the seat of the Palestinian Authority. This city is like New York in a micro version. It has the trappings of an affluent city, but still retains its unique culture. A Palestinian friend of mine told me today "Look at all this man, all we need now is to be free." I am extremely impressed by the level of development here in West Bank. We eat watermelon, hang out at cafes and coffee shops, work out in better than modern gyms, and I've heard that the Turkish baths here are to die for. I bought a huge bottled water for 75 cents, and got my hair cut Palestinian style for about 6 bucks, full service. The price for the concert tickets was also about 6 bucks, and the taxi ride to downtown is 50 cents. Apparently to go to the Jordanian border with a taxi is only about 7 dollars, which gets you a couple blocks in New York. Items are cheaper here for the most part because the population is poorer. One major factor driving the high level of development (like malls with the latest fashions and really fast elevators and escalators) is, ironically, the Palestinian diaspora. I once heard President Clinton say "every Palestinian I've ever met has either been rich or a college professor." This wealth comes bank to the West Bank in many forms. My friend's brother for example is being sponsored by Palestinian nationals to attend a 17,000 pound a year school in London. This kind of spending somewhat counterbalances the $3 billion or so the US gives to Israel every year (Interesting fact, the total aid given to Israel from like 1960-1990 or so is equal to the amount given over the same period to the entire continent of South America and sub-saharan Africa, about $ 62.5 billion). Tomorrow we will choose the students for the initiative, although I'm not sure if I will get to dance to more Latino music in the streets of Palestine. It will probably be some other region of the world.