Zisimos, Greece

The two things that surprised me most were the friendliness of the Palestinians and also how good the quality of life is here in Nablus. From what I’d seen of Palestine in the news back home, I was expecting a war zone and third-world conditions.

Instead, here in Nablus life seems to go on as in any other Arab/Mediterranean city. Perhaps we’ve been well sheltered from the worst of the situation, and I still can’t believe how this occupation is allowed to continue, but it filled me with hope to see people here living fairly normal lives for now. All that remains is for the injustice to end and give Palestinians the same rights and freedoms that we take for granted.