It’s been an amazing trip, and I’m so grateful that I was able to be a part of it. Before the trip I barely knew anything about the conflict, but I have come out with a plethora of knowledge. Meeting people face to face was the most important aspect of the trip. It allowed me to put faces to the conflict. It is much different to meet people rather than hearing their stories through the media that sometimes skews the facts because of bias viewpoints.

Us at Masada

Both Palestinian and Israeli families are just like us. They want the best for their families and are afraid of the unknown. I understand that Israeli families are afraid and think that the wall is keeping them safe, but the wall is creating resentment, especially among youth. It was hard to hear from my fifteen year old host sister that she had been interrogated with tedious and repetitive questions at the bridges coming from Jordan after a basketball game the night that I was waiting with her parents for her to come home. She is nice and really normal so I have no clue why the military would question her for hours. Even though I only got to see my host sister for a day, because she was away at a basketball game, I got really close to her. I wish I had gotten to spend more time with her.

Us with Fadi at Ramallah Friends School

Both sides suffer, but putting aside politics, it is not right for a group of people to be oppressed by an occupier and have their basic rights be threatened and taken away.

Dead Sea, which we swam in…well floated in.