An Amazing Family

When I'm asked what my favorite part of Gaza was I do not hesitate to say The People. We met so many warm, giving people. It was amazing. People who have so little and yet were willing to give us, people from a country that at the least is not doing anything to help them, and at the worst is participating in their oppression. But they look at us as humans and as friends.

The family I stayed with during my stay in Gaza is at the top of my list. I have been wanting to write about them since I left Gaza. It was because of them, (they showed up unexpectedly to see us off on the bus) that I had tears in my eyes as we drove away.

Samah, Hussan, and baby Myse. And their mothers and aunts, and brothers and sisters.

They were so unbelievably welcoming and giving. The first night Samah and Hussan picked us up and we went by taxi to pick up Myse at Samah's moms. Her mom and aunt sat and talked to us in broken English. They gave us cold drinks and offered us pizza for dinner. They were all smiles. We were the most important people in the world.

We heard the story of how Samah's sister, who's beautiful picture was displayed on a side table had died just 4 months before from an illness and of their father, who had been dead for 4 years. We sat on the sofa under a broken out, taped up window and Samah explained how the window had been blown out during the last bombing attack. She said the whole family spent the days and nights in fear, holding hands and huddled together in that living room hoping they would not be hit directly.

Every morning we were fed a wonderful breakfast of tea, bread, eggs, jams and hummus while we watched Myse chew quietly on a pickle slice and smile from her baby swing. They wanted us to sleep in their bed, in their room, while they slept in the spare room on the floor!! That is were we drew the line.

Then either Samah or Hussam would take us by cab to whichever location we were scheduled to visit that day. And never would they let us pay. We planned to pay up and give them a little something before we left but they refused that also. They considered us friends.

A few days after we left while we were still traveling I received an email from Samah. She wrote "I hope you spend an interesting time, and I like to tell you that we miss you so much, every day in the morning and when we come back from work, we are very sad because you leave us, my mother, sister, brothers, husband and Myse send their greetings to you and they tell you come back please. For joking I want to tell you I put our picture together on my computer desktop and Myse always looks at you and laughing. She remember you and she love you."

Samah, and all our friends in Gaza, we miss you too. We love you and and admire you, your openness, your ability to survive and persevere against all odds. We admire your ability to keep being gracious, loving, giving human beings while being imprisoned in your own country.

I dedicate this to you and I hope to see you soon.