Connecting two worlds: the story of an unlikely friendship
Shatha, a former sponsored child in Ramallah in the West Bank, shares about her relationship with Melinda, the daughter of Shatha’s sponsors in the United States. “Being a sponsored child has helped form the direction of my life, in that you get to know other people, other cultures,” says Shatha. “You learn not to judge a whole nation on the basis of politics. It helped me form my opinions, and helped me become the person I am today by helping me change my judgments of people in the world”.A small girl sits waiting, counting the minutes. Soon, her teacher enters the room, with a letter in hand. This letter is from her friend. In it, are words of adventure, together with photos, postcards and other trinkets. Shatha had waited in her classroom in the West Bank for a letter from Melinda; the daughter of her sponsors from the United States. Theirs was a friendship that would continue to grow for more than a decade.
There was a friendship there. Just like how you would talk to your friend, that’s how I talked to my sponsorShatha, raised in Ramallah, had a happy childhood, with parents who both worked as teachers. Her mother would move around schools, as a government-employed teacher, and bring back fruits from the different villages of the schools. Shatha remembers that she and her mother would sit, comparing the thyme, tomatoes, or other fruits and vegetables each year, feeling that each time, they had discovered something glorious and new. Shatha’s father was a political prisoner. He was often in and out of jail, but Shatha remembers him as the man who gave her gifts and sweets from the prison canteen as a child. During most of her childhood, before her father returned home during her tenth grade, most of Shatha’s memories were of her mother, driving around in her mother’s small green Fiat, giving the neighbourhood children rides to school. And of course, there was always Melinda.
”There was a friendship there. Just like how you would talk to your friend, that’s how I talked to my sponsor,” recalls Shatha.
Shatha was one of the only children in her class who exchanged letters with her sponsor – sometimes three or four a month. “I remember once Melinda’s father went on a trip to Cuba, and in the middle of class, I got this huge box. In it, was a box with oriental drawings on it that was really pretty. There was also stationary which were made from coffee leaves. When you put the paper to your nose and sniffed, it would smell just like coffee.”
Melinda’s parents had wanted their daughter to learn about other cultures and religions. Shatha, as a young Palestinian liberal Muslim was matched with Melinda. “When I was young, my family lived in a Christian neighbourhood, and I went to a Christian school,” says Shatha. “My parents taught me to accept other religions. My father is not conservative and gave us the option to choose what we want from religion, in a way that we liked. I feel that God has helped me a lot, and He is a big part of my life. I feel like I have explored that relationship myself, and that it was never forced on me.”
Throughout her childhood, Shatha and Melinda remained friends, sharing their stories of schoolgirl adventures, their hopes, their dreams, but also sadness and sorrow. Still living under a military occupation, Shatha remembers an incident during the second intifada (or uprising) by Palestinians for national liberation, justice, and an end to Israeli occupation. “I remember there was a lot of news going out,” says Shatha. “Melinda’s parents sent a letter to my parents, saying that we support you, and we are against any policy that supports violence. We are with peace. That was comforting.”
For Melinda in Washington DC, it wasn’t always easy to understand Shatha’s reality. “As children, we wrote about our daily lives: our likes, our families, our holidays and vacations. I enjoyed learning about another culture and having a new friend. However, as we got older, her letters would occasionally reflect the political turmoil and violence she witnessed. I recall a letter where she said how scared she was when a bomb went off in her neighbourhood one night. Another letter included a poem about the blood that had been spilled, and she ended it by saying, ‘I wish you never see what I see.’ That made a huge impression on me, but growing up in the peaceful suburbs of Washington, D.C. I found it hard to relate. It wasn’t really until September 11th, 2001, that I had any idea of what she might experience on a daily basis. My home and my family were under attack, and for the first time I understood Shatha’s fear. Both times, Shatha reached out her support, and that really mattered to me because I knew she understood what I was going through.”
Shatha is now married and her and her husband live in Ramallah, with a child of their own. She works as an architect with the Riwaq Center for Architectural Conservation. As a child, she loved Math and Art. It is evident by the glow in her eyes when she talks about work, that architecture is Shatha’s passion.
“To me, architecture is a combination of art and science, and it has a lot of community outreach.”
Exchanging letters with Shatha has been one of the most interesting and moving experiences of my lifeShatha works with residents who have left their less-modern historic homes, and does community outreach, awareness-raising, and renovations of older buildings. She also works with children, teaching them about architecture and agriculture. Shatha helps host activities, festivals, and drawing contests for children, to teach them about the beauty and heritage of their homeland.
Now both in their mid-twenties, Shatha and Melinda have never lost touch. “Exchanging letters with Shatha has been one of the most interesting and moving experiences of my life,” says Melinda. “She is a good friend, and I am so lucky to have had a chance to get to know her.” They have both kept every single letter that they have exchanged over the years and hope to meet one day.
“Being a sponsored child has helped form the direction of my life, in that you get to know other people, other cultures,” says Shatha. “You learn not to judge a whole nation on the basis of politics. It helped me form my opinions, and helped me become the person I am today by helping me change my judgments of people in the world”.
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There was a friendship there. Just like how you would talk to your friend, that’s how I talked to my sponsorShatha, raised in Ramallah, had a happy childhood, with parents who both worked as teachers. Her mother would move around schools, as a government-employed teacher, and bring back fruits from the different villages of the schools. Shatha remembers that she and her mother would sit, comparing the thyme, tomatoes, or other fruits and vegetables each year, feeling that each time, they had discovered something glorious and new. Shatha’s father was a political prisoner. He was often in and out of jail, but Shatha remembers him as the man who gave her gifts and sweets from the prison canteen as a child. During most of her childhood, before her father returned home during her tenth grade, most of Shatha’s memories were of her mother, driving around in her mother’s small green Fiat, giving the neighbourhood children rides to school. And of course, there was always Melinda.
”There was a friendship there. Just like how you would talk to your friend, that’s how I talked to my sponsor,” recalls Shatha.
Shatha was one of the only children in her class who exchanged letters with her sponsor – sometimes three or four a month. “I remember once Melinda’s father went on a trip to Cuba, and in the middle of class, I got this huge box. In it, was a box with oriental drawings on it that was really pretty. There was also stationary which were made from coffee leaves. When you put the paper to your nose and sniffed, it would smell just like coffee.”
Melinda’s parents had wanted their daughter to learn about other cultures and religions. Shatha, as a young Palestinian liberal Muslim was matched with Melinda. “When I was young, my family lived in a Christian neighbourhood, and I went to a Christian school,” says Shatha. “My parents taught me to accept other religions. My father is not conservative and gave us the option to choose what we want from religion, in a way that we liked. I feel that God has helped me a lot, and He is a big part of my life. I feel like I have explored that relationship myself, and that it was never forced on me.”
Throughout her childhood, Shatha and Melinda remained friends, sharing their stories of schoolgirl adventures, their hopes, their dreams, but also sadness and sorrow. Still living under a military occupation, Shatha remembers an incident during the second intifada (or uprising) by Palestinians for national liberation, justice, and an end to Israeli occupation. “I remember there was a lot of news going out,” says Shatha. “Melinda’s parents sent a letter to my parents, saying that we support you, and we are against any policy that supports violence. We are with peace. That was comforting.”
For Melinda in Washington DC, it wasn’t always easy to understand Shatha’s reality. “As children, we wrote about our daily lives: our likes, our families, our holidays and vacations. I enjoyed learning about another culture and having a new friend. However, as we got older, her letters would occasionally reflect the political turmoil and violence she witnessed. I recall a letter where she said how scared she was when a bomb went off in her neighbourhood one night. Another letter included a poem about the blood that had been spilled, and she ended it by saying, ‘I wish you never see what I see.’ That made a huge impression on me, but growing up in the peaceful suburbs of Washington, D.C. I found it hard to relate. It wasn’t really until September 11th, 2001, that I had any idea of what she might experience on a daily basis. My home and my family were under attack, and for the first time I understood Shatha’s fear. Both times, Shatha reached out her support, and that really mattered to me because I knew she understood what I was going through.”
Shatha is now married and her and her husband live in Ramallah, with a child of their own. She works as an architect with the Riwaq Center for Architectural Conservation. As a child, she loved Math and Art. It is evident by the glow in her eyes when she talks about work, that architecture is Shatha’s passion.
“To me, architecture is a combination of art and science, and it has a lot of community outreach.”
Exchanging letters with Shatha has been one of the most interesting and moving experiences of my lifeShatha works with residents who have left their less-modern historic homes, and does community outreach, awareness-raising, and renovations of older buildings. She also works with children, teaching them about architecture and agriculture. Shatha helps host activities, festivals, and drawing contests for children, to teach them about the beauty and heritage of their homeland.
Now both in their mid-twenties, Shatha and Melinda have never lost touch. “Exchanging letters with Shatha has been one of the most interesting and moving experiences of my life,” says Melinda. “She is a good friend, and I am so lucky to have had a chance to get to know her.” They have both kept every single letter that they have exchanged over the years and hope to meet one day.
“Being a sponsored child has helped form the direction of my life, in that you get to know other people, other cultures,” says Shatha. “You learn not to judge a whole nation on the basis of politics. It helped me form my opinions, and helped me become the person I am today by helping me change my judgments of people in the world”.
-Ends-
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