Standing Still and

Still in Gaza and cannot seem to find a way out. The Rafah border opend for few days...and I could not leave. For two straight days, I went from 5 Am only to get back at 5 PM with my bag and a nasty tan...and also a heat stroke. On my first attempt, I got on the bus to head to the borders and right before I got on it...I got burned by some random person's ciggerrette, his mojo got to my hand and it does hurt. On the bus, a baby girl puked on my hand and my bag after I gave her water once she complained from a pain in the stomach...her mom was sitting on a different seat.

We make it to the Palestinian side and I use some skils to get through and allow officers to let me in telling them stories about how the Green Card counts as a travel documents...they day was saved for people with foreign passports...once I get to the last stop at the Palestinian side, they tell me to go back becasue the Egyptians would not let me in and worse punish others for my not having a non-Palestinian passport. Forgot to say, I got on the bus from the window....the first two buses went out well and everything organized and then people started losing their cool and I wasn't going to get myself punished becasue others did not respect order. My brother Mahmooud got my bags in and all I had to do is to get on the bus using the window. Keep on mind, Hamas officers like 6 armed men were standing at the door to keep people out.

On the second day, I tried to go and waited there longer to get the heck out....it turn out after 12 hours wait in the sun and having nothing but dates and water all day, the Egyptians are feeling down so they did not let in many buses. Sorry, if I am making the Egyptians look bad, but we do not feel they are helping the people here and the local government has nothing to do but get people on buses and stamp their passports, send them to the Egyptains who send most of them back.

Each day, I got back with eiather lack of sleep, a heat stroke, hunger and all other fun things you leanr to live with in Gaza. It does turn out that Rafah is the best way to both lose weight and get a nice tan at the same time (Do not tell the OC girls now)

Truth of the matter, it was painful to go throught this and frustrating at best. But I am only one person, young and got time, I met so many old people who are sick, so many young families broken apart, a newley wed couple who are told they cannot leave together, a Palestinian teen who could not leave with his parents to Saudi Arabis, a Palestinian doctor who was told he cannot leave with his wife and five kids to Romania becasue he does not hold a non-Palestinian passport. An American doctor who came into Gaza bringing aid, only not to be able to leave Gaza becasue the day was not for foreign passports...this is where the seige is...this is where Gaza struggle...this is this is unfair and brutal...food they got food in Gaza, but just like a prions, you got no place to go.

I am really getting tired of this and hoping to find a way to get out soon....I love you freinds and keep Gaza and the poor fmailies in your prayers.
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