Two days ago I bought the most amazing dress for my friends wedding, yesterday I met with my Professor to discuss my field study on the Dom of Jerusalem and today I am quite tired because I didn't sleep well.
All the things I have to prepare and to buy, to know and to carry out in the next few days kept my mind busy.
Right now I am working on a scedule for the study: What do I want to know, how and where will I get this information and is there eanough time at all to get to know even the smallest aspect of this fascinating culture?
There is little known about the Dom of Jerusalem so far... They live in Jerusalem for about 100 years now, the population is about 600 people in more or less 50 households. The traditional way of live expects endogamy, virilocality and arranged marriages at an age from 15 years on. Education is not very high and in the older generations are a lot of illiterate persons, but the most of them can speak two or more languages. At home the Domari people speak arabic (which I can neither speak nor understand, what a pity) and some of them still know Domari, the traditional language a lot of the young ones haven't even head of. What cheers me up is the fact that the majority of the Dom are good english-speakers, this will make my study a lot easier!
In former times the men of the Domari Society worked as craftsmen like smiths and tinners. The women produced beautiful handicraft and the children sold postcards. But still they seem to have to live in poverty. Discrimination and marginalisation both from the israeli and the palestine population keep the Dom in this low status, even though they seem to be better off than some of the other Dom groups which come to Jerusalem and beg there - which reflects on the image of the Dom of Jerusalem...
To brighten the future of her Community and to enable the women and the younger generation to help themselfs to a better live Amoun Sleen founded the Domari Society Center in 1999.
Thats where my studies will start. Part of me is looking so forward to meet Amoun, the helpers at the Center and a lot of the Dom people - but the other part is a bit mad at myself for choosing such an adventourous way to spend my holidays. But I guess you have to be a bit nervous in advance to end up with something good...
We'll see!
Posts mit dem Label Jerusalem werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Posts mit dem Label Jerusalem werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Freitag, 22. Januar 2010
Mittwoch, 20. Januar 2010
Ten days to go!
On January the 30th I'm going to visit Israel for the third time.
First there was a holiday with the family, a lot of sightseeing and really not eanough icecream for us children considering the hot desertweather.
About ten years later I returned to visit some friends, to see the most impressive spots with the eyes of an adult and to get a first impression of the daily live of Israelis.
This time my friends will celebrate their wedding, I will show my favourite places to another friend who hasn't been to Israel so far - and I will visit, live among and study the Domari Society of Jerusalem.
Coincidence and my friend Julie brought me in contact with the Domari Society Center which was founded in 1999 to establich a better live for the Dom people - the gypsys of Jerusalem.
Thats how I started my research and with every word I read, with every book that didn't mention the Dom of Jerusalem and with every question I couldn't answer my interest in the Dom grew.
I decided to stay for five weeks in Jerusalem and I want to get to know them their traditions and ideas, the way they live and - and this will be the subject of my study - about their economical strategies.
But this blog is not about economy at all. I will need a lot of help, information, patience, openness and other things I don't even expect today from the Dom people to fulfill my task. This diary is my thank-you-gift for them where I want to share my experiences and my fascination, where I will tell about my impressions and - if they allow me to - about some of the people I meet. This blog is supposed to make the Dom people and their issues a little bit more popular.
So: spread the word, please.
Join me on my journey and don't hesitate to ask questions or comment.
First there was a holiday with the family, a lot of sightseeing and really not eanough icecream for us children considering the hot desertweather.
About ten years later I returned to visit some friends, to see the most impressive spots with the eyes of an adult and to get a first impression of the daily live of Israelis.
This time my friends will celebrate their wedding, I will show my favourite places to another friend who hasn't been to Israel so far - and I will visit, live among and study the Domari Society of Jerusalem.
Coincidence and my friend Julie brought me in contact with the Domari Society Center which was founded in 1999 to establich a better live for the Dom people - the gypsys of Jerusalem.
Thats how I started my research and with every word I read, with every book that didn't mention the Dom of Jerusalem and with every question I couldn't answer my interest in the Dom grew.
I decided to stay for five weeks in Jerusalem and I want to get to know them their traditions and ideas, the way they live and - and this will be the subject of my study - about their economical strategies.
But this blog is not about economy at all. I will need a lot of help, information, patience, openness and other things I don't even expect today from the Dom people to fulfill my task. This diary is my thank-you-gift for them where I want to share my experiences and my fascination, where I will tell about my impressions and - if they allow me to - about some of the people I meet. This blog is supposed to make the Dom people and their issues a little bit more popular.
So: spread the word, please.
Join me on my journey and don't hesitate to ask questions or comment.
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