Palestine Forever

Our first day of arrival was beautiful but somewhat stressful. A majority of us got through the gates without any complications except one of our comrades. They held her up for maybe an hour or so and questioned her on why she was coming to Israel. She is Palestinian, so I’m sure they gave her a hard time because of her last name. We found out they had let her pass through while we were on the bus headed to our hotel and everybody started clapping with hella excitement. I felt badly that she had to go through that. I think it set the tone for me. It reminded me how serious this delegation is & how dangerous it can be. But this is where I belong. There’s no doubt in my mind.

When visiting refugee camps I saw the pain in their eyes but the beauty in their heart. The resilience in their spirit is what I felt the most. The message that I’ve heard from those from Palestine is to please spread the word back at our home. People in the US don’t know how real this situation is and since we are getting this education, it’s only right that we bring the call back home.

In the Aida refugee camp we learned how to cook with some beautiful people of the community. I could tell they were really happy that we were there. They were so nice and smiling from ear to ear every time we spoke or interacted. They also had some dope jewelry and cook books for us to purchase. It was emotional and powerful. So humbling to be let in these folks spaces. The food was ridiculously delicious too. I had to buy a cook book for my sister!

What’s so interesting to me is how different yet similar everyone on this delegation is. Different walks of life yet all on a path to seek justice. From various places and have experienced our share of difficult challenges. Old to young, we all yearn for the knowledge to soak up and hopefully relay to others back home.