Experiencing a Dual Narrative Trip to Israel and Palestine

Going to Israel was one of the best trip of my life. Seeing and experiencing the culture is something I will never forget. I often read about the conflict in the Middle East, always from a media source who more often not, wants you to perceive the situation from their point of view. This trip was anything but bias! One of the great aspects this trip was that it offered a dual narrative. I and others on the trip were able to hear both sides of the conflict from people that lived and experienced it every day. This really challenged some of my own personal predispositions. It changed how I view the conflict as a whole. It allowed me to look past the arguments and see that there are real people dealing with real issues that most have no control over. It gives faces to a once faceless conflict.  It gave me a new perspective, one that had I not gone on this trip I would have never been able to have. Another truly exciting part of this trip was being able to see and visit the places we were discussing in class. It’s one thing to learn about a town living close to the Gaza strip and hear about what they go through, but to see and live it makes real. Being able to visit the places truly made the theoretical class learning to real life experience.