A piano tuner for Palestine

Workshop pictures

2008-08-21T13:36:00.002+03:00

Some pictures... (most of these by my friend Stefan)

Upright piano action

Fruits from the workshop garden

Learning is very hard. Students are sometimes near the end of the line...

There is a lot of stray dogs in Nablus. Last day, I found one of those in the workshop

I must introduce “Khallas” (say “Rrallas”), the workshop garden turtoise!
(Khallas means “Enough!”. Palestinian people use it frequently...)

Khallas at home

Khallas just waked up

Khallas yawning

One day in Nablus

2008-08-19T23:34:00.005+03:00

I like living in Nablus. Since my return, I am finding my habits again.

Here is one usual day;

Around nine, I leave my flat and start to walk. Then I observe different shops and workshops on the street. I arrived at my hummus restaurant. Yasseen, the hummus maker is very busy because there is a lot of people who wants to buy his precious mixture (There, you could feel how it is enjoyable to live in a country where everybody is open and always exchanges some words).

After some words and getting my food, I finish my way down toward Nablus the Culture where is my workshop (I live much more high than it, Nablus is very undulating). Streets there are full of motor and carpentry workshops where I can see the work progression every days. Then, I arrive at Nablus the Culture and water the heavenly garden before my students arrival.

I do not have always all my students at the same time and they often change of work station during the day; some tuning on the morning and adjustment or restoration the afternoon. So, I go from one work station to another to follow the progression and advise. Breaks are also great moments... With the English as common language, we exchange a lot of Palestinian and French vocabulary or stories.

At 8.00pm, The day is over. On this hour, it is always the night. I resume one's journey and see the commerces closing before going back home.

Nablus by night

Nablus tour

2008-08-18T21:54:00.003+03:00

Last sunday (last day for Stefan before leave), we did a walk in Nablus. Sameh, one of my students, kindly proposed us to be our guide in this very old labyrinth.


Nablus center



First, we visited a soap factory
(As you should know, Nablus soap is famous)
more informations

Entrance


The tank


The factory is an old building...


The store


This man can pack 1000 soaps in one hour!



Then, we entered in the old city

Entrance


Commercial streets



The al-Manara clock tower


Come to eat a Kanafeh portion with us! (What is a Kanafeh?)


Little way between two streets


Some quiet streets




This door remember us how life is sometimes hard there


Nice construction

Would you like some spices?




There was also Romain theater ruins.
Unfortunately, all is abandoned probably because of the
lack of money.






After the old city, we took a taxi-service to visit the Sichem
palace ruins.
(more informations here)




Sameh told me the huge stone blocks you can see on the last
picture were the base of an enormous stone door.


This day showed me again how I can be lucky to live in such a
city.

Stefan's pictures

2008-08-16T23:35:00.004+03:00

Stefan visited alone Jerusalem, Jericho and the Dead Sea. I have to show you some beautiful pictures he came back with...

Jerusalem

Jericho

The Dead Sea

On the road

Samara tour

2008-08-14T22:25:00.007+03:00

Today, we went to Samara. This city is on one of the many hill tops closed to Nablus. People there are very original (look at this link).

We visited there some very old palace ruins which are totally abandoned. Stefan took a lot of great photos.

Look at this so old mosaic

What a wonderful place!

From here, you can see the Balata refugees camp

more informations here)

The return way down was also a real pleasure and a good opportunity to take nice pictures of Nablus.

Bethlehem tour

2008-08-13T23:07:00.004+03:00

Stefan, my neighbour when I was living in Lille, had the good idea to spend some days in Nablus to visit the West Bank.

So, last Sunday, we left Nablus to visit Bethlehem. It was a very hot day (what is not amazing there, on August) but nevertheless, we managed to visit and walk a lot in this wonderful city.

Nativity church

The city

On the road

A Bedouin camp

The Fire Valley

Thanks to Stefan for these great photos!

Worshop news

2008-08-12T22:56:00.025+03:00

All is right with Nablus workshop!

Piano works are progressing again after some abandoning weeks.

My students have now some guide for the difficult tuning learning (I gave them some practice instructions before I left but this is really easier with somebody to check and advise).

checking time...

One piano was fix and adjusted before my departure. It's now ready for Nablus the Culture.

The Pleyel is progressing step by step.

This Russian piano will be ready soon.

We also succeeded to make this other disastrous Russian piano ready to practice tuning.

Workshop pictures

2008-05-17T09:35:00.009+03:00

I must show you some pictures of my students!

Sameh is sanding hammers

Ali is practising tuning

Reyad is very concentrated

Ali and Sameh just started to fix this Russian piano

We will start this Pleyel soon

Two beautiful pictures from my garden

Jerusalem tour

2008-05-13T01:09:00.011+03:00

Today, I had to meet John Orfali again in Jerusalem to collect some pianos supplies. John is the piano tuner who was coming in Ramallah and Nablus. Now I can imagine how it is difficult for him to work after a travel like Jerusalem to Nablus. In a bad checkpoint day you could easily spend 6 hours for the journey... So when the weather is very hot and you have also to tune pianos...

After recover the supplies, I took advantage of my free time to visit the city.

Damascus gate: One of the most important entrances of the old city

Little streets inside the old city

Around the old city

5 minutes walk and the city is totally different

Rockefeller museum (more information here : http://www.imj.org.il/rockefeller/index.html )

Looking for pianos in Qalqilia

2008-05-05T23:09:00.005+03:00

The workshop started last week. All is right and my students are very serious and interesting. But now, I need a lot of pianos for their training. That is why today I was in Qalqilia with Sami. We saw a lot of pianos and bought one. Moreover we had very good contacts to get others soon.

Views of Qalqilia

Sami is bargaining my new piano

I will put photos of my beautiful workshop soon...

Piano works in Jenin

2008-04-27T15:20:00.008+03:00

Yesterday, I went to Jenin with Ramzi, music teachers and Kamal (one of my students who is living in Ramallah). Al Kamandjâti created a music school which is a success there. The travel was nice! I tuned tree pianos.

The travel

Al Kamandjâti in Jenin

Ramzi is teaching solfege

Piano fixing... by Kamal

And before leaving Jenin, I also tuned a piano in The Freedom Theatre (more informations here: http://www.thefreedomtheatre.org).

Piano works in Ramallah

2008-04-25T23:58:00.001+03:00

Today, I came back to Ramallah to tune pianos. The travel was something for me... I don’t want to take any kind of political position but I realize the disarray of Palestinian people when they are travelling from one city to another. For example in Nablus, after to be checked like terrorists at the border of the city, they have to go through so many beautiful areas which were theirs...

After two piano tunes in Al Kamandjâti, I went to the Al Amari refugee camp.

Entrance of Al Amari

The “Child Club”

The piano room where I worked

The School yard

A street of Al Amari

After that, I tuned one more piano in Al Kamandjâti before to have a rest.

View from the flat - a nice area of Ramallah

Nablus the Culture

2008-04-21T19:19:00.004+03:00

What you will see before enter in Nablus the Culture when you will come to see me!

Today are the last workshop finishes

Isn’t it a beautiful place?

Searching for paint in Nablus

Look at the garden again...

Thanks to these two hard-workers!

Piano works in Ramallah

2008-04-20T23:00:00.003+03:00

Today, I went to Ramallah. I took a taxi at 8.00 am from my flat to Awara, a Nablus checkpoint.

Nabus checkpoint

Then, a taxi-service deposed me near Ramallah’s center from where i walked as far as Al Kamandjati.

Ramallah – The wall

Walk in Ramallah

Al Kamandjati

After a piano tuning, I met Kamal again (first time was in December). Kamal had already been initiated by Sauli Terava, a famous Finnish piano tuner who stayed a few weeks in Ramallah before December. He looked very motivated about my profession and he is probably going to learn in Nablus with the others students.

Piano tuning

Later, we went to Deir Ghassana Village near Ramallah where a charming little music school was waiting my services.

Deir Ghassana Village (Kamal is playing guitar)

The ball is neglected... This little boy prefers play with the broom

After that, before to come back to Nablus, I tuned another piano in Al Kamandjati and gave advice to Kamal about this work.

Concert in Ramallah

2008-04-16T15:53:00.007+03:00

Yesterday, i was in Ramallah for a special concert-movie: Al Kamandjati Show. The subject was the story of Ramzi’s childhood, which was rocked by the first Intifada. Lots of people were there, it was great because it was really representative of all Palestinian's childhood. Ramzi Aburedwan is the director of Al Kamandjati (www.alkamandjati.com), a famous music school of Ramallah.

Al Kamandjati show – Music-theatrical performance-movie. You can see Ramzi on the screen.

Workshop will be ready soon

2008-04-14T15:38:00.008+03:00

Work is progressing! All could be done on next Sunday...

A big and hard work…
(This hard-worker is bachelor of economic sciences but can't find job...)

Work is also progressing in the garden…

M.A.P. Concert

2008-04-13T23:27:00.002+03:00

Today in Nablus University, there was a rap concert at the end of the afternoon. It was a real success! Lots of people were present. And the stage was fantastic... With music, you could have the impression to fly above mountains.

Concert of MAP, French rap group from Lille

Nablus prayer call

2008-04-11T21:19:00.005+03:00

I’m mad about prayer call. As you know, in Muslim countries you can hear it several times in each day. You forget it very quickly. But sometimes, I don’t know why, it is creating intense emotion in me and I have the impression to be in a magical place. I’m all forgetting and I am having the feeling that inspiration has no limits.

Nablus by night, during the prayer call

The workshop place

2008-04-09T14:07:00.007+03:00

Some pictures of my future workshop... Huge works have been started since my arrival.

Entrance

First room

2nd room
Sami is watching the work progress...

3rd room

4th room

The workshop garden! Good work conditions, isn’t it?

Saint-Jacob's well

2008-04-06T20:00:00.004+03:00

Today, between two tool shops (a piano workshop needs a lot of them). Sami brings me at St Jacob’s well. I enjoyed it!
More information here...
http://orthodox-okie.blogspot.com/2006/09/jacobs-well.html

First day, reunion with Sami Hammad

2008-04-03T20:00:00.002+03:00

Sami is the director of Nablus the Culture ( www.nablusculture.ps) . I met him for the first time on July, 2007. I was staying a few days in Nablus to make a piano workshop initiation. Organized by Lukas Pairon, director of Music Fund (www.musicfund.be), this stay was a real revelation for me... The project A tuner for Palestine was born!

In front of Nablus the Culture

Entrance hall of Nablus the Culture near 8.00 pm

Nablus the Culture is a converted old house. For the moment, it’s reserved for some musical instrument students but other disciplines will soon appear. The house is magnificent and I am sure it will become the most important cultural place of Nablus. All of this is the work of Sami who is permanently searching about improvements. All is perfectly organized and with his presence, you cannot imagine limits of cultural development.

Views of Nablus, from my flat

The adventure is starting

2008-04-02T12:48:00.010+03:00

After a little difficult travel because of the suspicion of airport Israeli security services both of departure and arrival, my plane landed on Tuesday April 1^st, 2008 in the evening.

Before going to Nablus, I met Mr Zamir Havkin on Wednesday morning. It was really great! Zamir is a piano tuner from Tell-Aviv. He was so nice and hospitable! He showed me his workshop and talked with me a lot about piano and Israeli life. I think it was very good and really important for me to meet nice and clever Israeli people like him before going to the Westbank...

Zamir in his workshop