Beautiful people

During my time in Palestine, God has blessed me richly with beautiful friends and family who have taught me so much about the Palestinian life and have deeply impacted me.

My wonderful family. They've let me call myself "Wendy Mukarker" and have put up with all of my antics.

My host family has been my most precious window into Palestinian life, since the family is the core, the center, the heart of Palestinian culture. Family is everything. Fittingly, my family has been the heart of my life in Palestine. Just like my three host sisters, after work I come home and I am with my family. Of course, in the Mukarker family, "family" is used very loosely compared to its meaning in the States. I've probably met/spent time with over one hundred people who are in the Mukarker family, since second, third, fourth cousins are treated like siblings. Family takes care of each other: every women in the family comes to my mother's clothing shop for their clothes, we get our hummus from our cousin George who owns a hummus restaurant, we call our uncle who drives a taxi if we need a ride, and we buy our chicken from our cousin Charlie. We attend each other's weddings, funerals, baptisms, engagement parties, graduations. Family is always there for each other.

Some of my favorite moments with my family are the spontaneous moments of fun and laughter. A fun song will come on TV and Fuad and I will dance around the living room, my dad and I will throw pillows at each other, or Rozana and I will tease Fuad for showering every day. They tease me about not being able to cook ("you need to learn how to cook so you can get married!"), not knowing how to wash the dishes (apparently there's only ONE way to wash dishes, and my mom does it), being too loud in public, drinking too much milk, and generally being an obnoxious person. I'm so grateful for how they've allowed me to truly become a part of the family.

Some of my closest friends in Palestine are my coworkers. They make every day interesting and full of laughter, and I admire their passion for Palestine and for nonviolent resistance.

"Uncle" Marwan, who has taken me under his wing. He never hesitates to laugh with me, to dance with me, to give me a hug. He is also one of the most courageous Palestinian activists I know.

My amazing coworkers in the Holy Land Trust office have become my closest friends in Palestine, making each day in the office different and exciting. Our lunch breaks are more like raucous joke sessions, and the two or three coffee/tea breaks throughout the day are daily highlights. They've welcomed me into "the team" and have encouraged me in my love for Palestine and for the Palestinian people. These people are the future of the free State of Palestine, and I will always be grateful for being able to witness just a little part of their work and their lives.