Trip to Denmark in Summer 2007
After a long period of uncertainty because of problems with the visas, funding and the exhausting search for free flights we finally managed to start our trip with nine Karama Kids to Denmark. Excitement was in the air - beside some tears of goodbye when we left Deheishe for 3 weeks - as for most of them it was the first journey out of Palestine. After a long trip we received a warm welcome from Annica, the headmaster of the Bustrup School, and her team, who invited us for the summer camp. Immediately we felt at home and the tiredness disappeared when the kids saw the huge football field and the nice area surrounding the school.
Friendships between the Danish and the Palestinian kids developed quickly, and the well-organized activities managed to get them closer and to understand each other very fast. The activities included sports and several trips to sights around the area, including an amusement park, the sea, and Copenhagen. We even participated at the Olympic Games, organized by several schools in Northern Denmark for a weekend, where we joined as a team with the Bustrup School and Nothjylland School. Many different activities and sports were offered for the competition. For the two days we gave all the energy and power we had and did our best. We took place in many team contests, such as dancing, tug of war, basketball, and also in one-person competitions like climbing, running, and archery. After a weekend full of fun, excitement and challenges we left proudly with many prizes and the feeling that we became even more united as a group with each other.
For one week we went on a trip around the country and performed dance and music at schools in order to get the Danish civilization more in touch with the Palestinian case, and to touch their hears to make understanding easier. This gave us the opportunity to get to know many people and also we got a very nice impression of Denmark's countryside.
The time was going by so fast, that we took the chance to extend our trip for some more days in Bustrup and enjoyed some extra days. The farewell was very hard, with tears on both sides and the hopeful wishes to maybe meet again somewhere and sometime. With our bags full of goodbye presents, European chocolate, and e-mail addresses, and our minds full of unforgettable memories, we went back home to Deheishe.
For many of the kids it was the first time to travel and maybe one of the few possibilities they will have for long time. It was the first time for most of them to fly in an airplane, take a train, sail on a ship, ride a roller coaster and see the sea.
Many very special moments and nice images remain in our memory, as very special relations and close friendships were formed during this Summer camp - prejudices, stereotypes and ignorance were replaced by the establishing of understanding on both sides. We send a warm and loud THANK YOU to Denmark and all those who made this possible.
“We have a dream”- and you showed us that with small steps we can get closer to that dream.
During the arrangement before the trip
Karama was very pleased with the invitation from Bustrup, Denmark, to pay a visit in summer 2007. The only challenge for Karama was to find enough funds to buy tickets to Denmark and get visas from the Danish Embassy….
Nine kids from Karama were chosen for the trip and they immediately started preparing themselves for this big adventure. A few kids had never left the Palestinian Territories in their lives. Karama supplied a few lessons in Danish, and a Dutch volunteer, Ada van Arnhem, provided two daily lessons in English for all the kids. The first hour they received ‘refreshment lessons’; in the second lesson the children learned how to make polite conversation in English in different circumstances such as eating in a restaurant, being a guest in a family (i.e., what’s for breakfast), and so on. On almost a daily basis, depka teacher Fady taught this beautiful folkloristic dance to the children. Some of the boys formed a band together – and they practiced a lot to do a performance in Denmark. Some of the songs have beautiful singing – which also required a lot of training.
The children were told about life in Europe, but the question was whether it means anything – considering the circumstances they live in…. The children were to find a completely different life in Europe. 
For the management of Karama it was very hard to find the funds for the tickets. They even had to fund part of the trip. The visas alone cost almost 1.000 euro. Although the hosts in Denmark took care of the insurance, for the embassy that was not enough. They wanted to see the insurance for 30.000 euro per kid and for the time of the trip plus 5 days. Also did they need to see the tickets, before they could supply the visa. Everything has to be handed in to the representative office in Ramallah – where two cars, with 5 passports each would then go to the Danish Embassy in Tel Aviv for the visas.
When this was written, there are no visas yet. But Karama is told they will be there in time…
Karama Trip To Denmark