Thoughts from the Palestinian Teritorries

15 May 2008 – As the days go by and my mission in Hebron reaches the end, images are passing through my mind. The images of children we played football together after a night of fear and nightmares, the images of mothers crying for their sons spending their best years in jail, of young men smoking nervously as they describe their suffering in prison. Images of the conditions of the houses – some very poor, with just some mattresses on the floor and all the family sleeping in a single room. Some more luxurious, but with the same feeling of desperation and sadness. And some others, becoming just a bunch of cement ruins.

One of the most powerful moments that deeply touched me was a teenager’s girl wish to conduct the session on the ruins of what used to be her house a few days ago. We tried to find a safe “seat” on the cement, she showed me where her room used to be, the living room, the kitchen. She was looking at the ruins as if her room was still standing there, I could almost see the house in her eyes…

Through my missions with MSF, I had the opportunity to conduct sessions under a tree, into a house half destroyed by earthquake, into a public toilet, into brothels, under a tent, in the middle of a street. But this case here in Palestine, listening to a girl on the ruins of her house, under the hot sun, with the wind blowing telling me how much her life has changed and how much exposed she feels, has really left me amazed. Amazed by her courage, by her honesty, by her braveness.

I don’t know who has affected the life of the other more, me or my patients. For sure, I feel grateful to them for all the painful sharing, all the willingness to work together and try to make the best out of a pretty cruel, out of control and reason situation that affects their life everyday.

01 May 2008 – Living in Palestine and working with the local people, has urged me to think several times about my relationship with the material aspect of things, with the idea of belongings. How much they mean in my life, how much the idea of happiness and fulfillment are connected with what I have, what I own.

This challenge came to my mind today after visiting a family of 7 who suddenly, one morning at 6.00, they saw bulldozers coming and demolishing their house within minutes and without allowing them to take anything from inside. Now they live under a tent and on the open roof of a neighbor’s house. Even to get water, all of them, including the 8 month pregnant mother, need to walk far with buckets to bring water for the basic needs. Their only belongings now are some old mattresses to sleep under the stars and basic clothes for the kids.

A month ago I was traveling back to Athens to visit my parents and I almost lost my luggage. For an hour I was sure that I will not get it back, till a young man handed it over to me. During this hour, I was feeling sad and disappointed, wondering why I had to be so unlucky. All this ‘cause of some clothes and shoes that I thought I had lost.

After my visit to this family today I felt that I owe to re-arrange my priorities in life, what really matters and what is just for show off. For some people having a roof above their head or running water is a luxury. For me is a de facto that I need to appreciate more in order to understand better my patients when they are trying to adapt to a tough reality and also to make my life more meaningful.

Photo: Elina Palakanou, MSF.  |  Palestinian grandparents.