After arriving to Gaza city we could finally start to enjoy our summerholliday. We would spend fridays on the beach together with our family. The children would play in the sand and swim in the sea. We would bring our own food and eat and drink tea together.
Sometimes we would take walks through the city, sit in a park or in a cafeteria. On occasion we would go to a nice restaurant. There's really not much else to do.
As for me the summertimes were difficult. Just some weeks after we arrived a car was hit by Israeli rockets not so far from our home and the noice of the blast scared us. The electricity was cut off. Some days after that the Swedish Foreign Department urged Swedish Citizen's to leave Gaza Strip a.s.a.p. After speaking to my Embassy, who explained that the warning concerned those visiting Gaza temporarily due to the fact that the border would be kept close for a long period of time, we decided to stay.
However I was going through some serious emotional difficulties, should we stay or should we not? Me and my husband discussed this subject everyday, but the only thing that could make our choice easier was time. And the summertime passed.
3 comments:
Your blog is really interesting and well written (especially in your 2nd or 3rd language) and your photographs are wonderful. I'm so glad that I found your blog.
I have emigrated 3 times in my life. Once as a young child with my parents, once as a young adult (partly for adventure) and once with my husband, mostly from his choice and yes, because we had reached that crossroads wen it is time to move forward so your story resonates with me and I understand how hard it is when you call more than one place home.
Your insights and observations are fascinating and I look forward to seeing how they change as you become more involved in your new home and find your place there. I wouldn't worry about your critisizing things as it obviously comes from caring and a wish to help make things better. In that I wish you luck.
As for the donkeys - I noticed in Egypt that they are mistreated there also (according to my European standards) yet horses are treasured and exceptionally well cared for so maybe it is a cultural thing and represents the donkeys role as a work animal.
I hope that your days are not too difficult and that you find many more "sweet" moments to brighten your life. A change in culture is always difficult, even when moving to a "normal" place with no other problems but time has a way of working its own magic. Thank you again for writing this blog, it is important.
Yours.
Thanks for adding these great photos, Imaan, both these of life on the beach, and the ones of Rafah. What strikes me is the impression I get of happy and cheerful people making the most of their lives-- even the Rafah pictures, which go with a description of what must have been a very unpleasant and difficult experience show optimistic and good humoured faces. Thanks for posting them. And I can tell you that the watermelon we get in London would never taste as good as what you are enjoying in the photo....
Hi Imaan,
Just discovered your blog via On The Face. It's really wonderful, and I've enjoyed reading all of your posts (and the photos are terrific). I am always curious to hear about the lives of people "on the other side", so to speak, and you write about yours so well.
As an American living in Israel, so much of what you write is true for me too, with regard to moving around and the desire to return to one's birthplace (though I am mostly happy where I am).
You have a lot of courage for making the decision to move to Gaza during such difficult times. How did your family in Sweden react? How are your children adapting?
I look forward to reading more of your posts. Keep up the good work!
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