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Convoy stories Wednesday 23 December - Jordan Saturday 19 December The dashboard of our little ambulance donated by Merton PSC is completely covered in flowers now. We've got red carnations, pink carnations, a bouquet of purple and white blooms, and a beautiful single red rose to brighten our journey along the motorways of Turkey. The generosity of the Turkish people not just in constantly giving us flowers, but in every possible way has been simply amazing. They remind us every day of why we're doing this, why we're travelling so far to get into the prison that is Gaza. And they remind us of the importance of getting in and standing in solidarity with its people as they continue to endure with dignity the hell that has been created for them by Israel. There's a kind of excited impatience now to get to Gaza and break that siege, to be with the Palestinian people. The PSC contingent, travelling in various vehicles, is bonding well. Some imaginative paintwork has gone into decorating the vans, including a 'wicked' graffiti design on the back of South London PSC's van. Yesterday evening, we arrived in Adana, in southern Turkey, to a red carpet welcome and around 400 cheering Turkish supporters. Flags, flowers and babies-to-be-kissed were handed over, and dinner laid on at the convention centre where we were to stay the night. Everyone wanted to be photographed with us, and in particular with Jackie, of Portsmouth PSC, who was convinced they must've mistaken her for someone else the Queen, maybe? 'You've really, really raised awareness of Gaza in Turkey,' one man told me. 'After a year, people were starting to forget, but now news of the convoy is everywhere on tv, the radio, in the papers. All the blogs and tweets are talking about these people who have driven from London and are travelling through Turkey to Gaza. People want to know what they can do, how they can donate money. You've done a wonderful thing.' It was lovely to hear these words, to know that we were achieving part of what we'd set out to achieve to keep Gaza in people's minds, to make sure Israel's inhuman assault for three weeks in 08/09 is never forgotten. All that fundraising back in the UK, all those donations from PSC members and supporters, all that preparation to come out here it's a wonderful thing to start seeing the fruits of it all. We are now staying overnight in the Attaturk Sports Complex in Gaziantep, before leaving for the Syrian border tomorrow. Another country, another step closer to Gaza. Friday 18 December
Today we leave Konya and carry on our eastward drive towards Syria, which we hope to enter in the next couple of days.
WEEK ONE: From London to Greece The International Convoy to Gaza begins The sunshine at the press conference last Sunday as the fifteen ambulances- dedicated in the memory of those killed during Israel's assault on Gaza feels like a lifetime away as we drive through Europe on our mission to show solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza along with a healthy dose of breakdowns, losing keys to ambulances (the students) and one passenger not waking up in time to leave the ferry from Ancona to Igumenitsa. On our first night away from Britain, we arrived to cheers from friends and family of Team VP Belgium. Many of the convoy delegates were camping for the first time so having to camp in a car park with limited toilet facilities and typical British weather (rain and cold if there was any doubt out there) was a good test run to the rest of the week. Since then, we have driven and camped through Luxembourg, Germany, Italy (we didn't stop in Austria!) and fully qualified to write a book on service stations in Europe where we have spent many breaks and nights getting to know one another and playing midnight football. As we get closer to the final destination, the reception of the host country gets better. We picked up aid from our Italian supporters and we are currently in Greece, where we were welcomed by the Mayor who put on food and accommodation in a basketball court for us. We had a press conference with the Mayor and two members of Parliament, which really boosted the moral of the group knowing there is widespread support for our mission. This morning, we had a police escort into the city centre of Thessaloniki as convoy volunteers had a day off from driving. The level of general awareness and sympathy here has made things really easy including getting free food and escorts when lost. The logistics of organising nearly two hundred people and finding a secure place to park eighty vehicles full of valuable aid has been no easy task but things have gone smooth so far. There is a real spirit of comradely unity as people get to know, help, and cook for each other in their teams. But the real beauty of this convoy is its sheer diversity with people from all walks of life, skills, ages and nationalities including nearly all parts of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia and America and more to come. The international support for the convoy is phenomenal we have had press contact from around the world, and the practical support from organizations in Malaysia and Turkey which has given us the means to buy ambulances and aid. Many of the people on convoy came on the previous one in February having seen the devastation first hand and returning determined to help.
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