Personal Narrative: My Life In New Palestine

We can not fight for our rights and our history as well as future until we are armed with weapons of criticism and dedicated consciousness." (Edward Said)

I used to feel uncomfortable and maybe even a little ashamed talking about myself and my family dynamics. I and use to be a cry baby and the middle child, but the year I turned ten years old, I was bump from middle child to the eldest daughter. I am one of four siblings, I have an older brother that lives in Houston, then it’s me, I have my only sister and my best friend that lives in Irving and then there is my kid brother, he was brought home August of 1988. My parents had left us home for two days. I didn’t have a clue why they were gone but when they finally came home, my dad was hold a 10 pound baby boy.

I got bullied a lot so that kind of stopped people from wanting to talk to me in the first place. When they did they saw a weird anti-social kid that wasn’t fun to be around or maybe that’s how I see myself reflecting on everything. Can’t say much about that has changed though. When I did get friends I had a problem where I’d get overly attached to them; as a result you could’ve insulted me every day and I’d still call you my friend. I think it was my want for one with the fact I was really, really dense;consequently most of the people I met weren’t great people to be around and a lot had some sort of bad habits, I still always had a book with me as once again an escape from my at least how I saw it sad and boring life in

My younger siblings were constantly screaming to get the attention of my parents. Every first day of school, other students looked at me weirdly once they found out how many siblings I had. I was embarrassed at first when I would talk about how many siblings I had, but I learned to grow with it. My neighborhood was often quiet, there were never any problems in the area, and I knew all my neighbors, which was great, especially during holidays. My next-door neighbors often threw parties or gatherings for holidays such as July the 4th, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, which was fun for my family. They were always filled with positivity, which was seen through their festivities. My neighbors loved seeing the smiles on the faces of my siblings and I during any of their gatherings; my family has always had a close bond with them, and we continue sharing that bond with them, which I find really rewarding in a sense. My community was often connected; there were always events the city organized for everyone to attend, such as George Washington’s Birthday Celebration, which consisted of a parade and

When I was 8 years old my family moved to whidbey island and I had to change schools. The whole social dynamic was different at south whidbey elementary school then it was at the school I had previously attended in seattle. Going from the city school to a rural, much smaller school was a hard change for me. I did not know where and how to fit in; when before at my old school I was outgoing and had many friends. Here I began to withdraw into my own world and had difficulty making friends.

I was born on December 3, 2002 in Atlanta GA, where I grew up. I was lucky enough to have two loving parents by the names of Marta Merida and Hugo Rodriguez. My brother John and I where always in a race seeing who was better than each other. We used to reenact scenes from our favorite movies and compete who would play the coolest character, we also would pretended that we were in a band because of The Naked Brother Band which was a tv show based off of 2 brothers a their band that did funny things. My sister Jocelyn has always had my back she used to say, “if anyone bullies you, tell me and I will handle it.” All of us has each other’s back when one was down one used to pick us up. Another addition to the family is my best friend Turbo, we

My mom has two sisters Anat, the middle sister, and Maital, The youngest one. When I lived in Israel me and her were so close because my dad flu a lot and my mom want with him so she babysitted us all the time. Every year me and her went to the movie Fast and Furious, and then we go bowling or eat lunch. I remember that one night my mom came to my bad and asked me what will I think if we moved to New York City me and my brother did not believe her. Until one day we drove to Jerusalem and we met with a guy that interviewed us, for the Heschel school. Then we understood that their is a big chance that we will move. I was so excited because I love changes but then I realized how unfair that i am not going to see my family for a full year. Maital

Growing up in Israel where military service is not an option but rather the norm is very different mentality. In fact it is somewhat unique. In the United States you are required to register for the draft but chances are that most Americans will not be fighting a war unless they make the conscious choice to join the military. In Israel, this is different. Every person over eighteen years of age has to serve 3 years if they are a male and females serve for two. There is no way getting around that. We are raised with the notion that once we reach a certain age we will be required to serve in an environment shall we say not too conducive to our health.

It was a picture perfect morning in the early days of May in Greenville, South Carolina, when I was born to two very loving parents. My birth did not come without any obstacles; I was born with a backwards heart. My father, Scott, is the Worldwide Sales Manager of a company that cleans circuit boards called Aqueous. My mother currently works with DSS and is working on obtaining her master’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University. I have an older brother named Jack who is a freshman at Costal Carolina, a younger sister named Natalie who is home schooled by my mom and another younger sister named Georgia who is in Pre-K. After 7 years of marriage my father and mother split up. I currently live my mother and see my father every other weekend.

I read furiously through the rest of the day and that night. Learning everything from Israeli conscription, officer corps structure, past and current technologies, and the Israeli learning model from high school through adulthood. Israel, after the Six-Day War changed their strategic path to ensure success in the future, i.e. the survival of Israel depended on it. The city of Jerusalem and the religious significants went hand-in-hand with security and protection of all Jewish people. By the end of the night, I had produced four slides on ten key Israeli areas of importance. My confidence level had risen to an acceptable level to brief the next morning.

Joe Sacco’s graphic novel, Palestine, deals with the repercussions of the first intifada in Israel/Palestine/the Holy Land. The story follows the author through the many refugee camps and towns around Palestine as he tries to gather information, stories, and pictures to construct his graphic novel. While the book is enjoyable at a face level, there are many underlying themes conveyed throughout its illustrated pages and written text.

For years I would wake up to the sound of my parents calling from downstairs every Sunday morning, frustrated and upset. For years I’d complain to my parents, and to my friends, making up argument after argument for why I shouldn’t have to go. But every Sunday during the school year, from the time I was five, I attended Hebrew School. And for this reason, I dreaded Sundays.

I have grown up in an American, Caucasian, middle-class family of five. My parents have been married for 29 years and have two daughters and a son. My sister is 27, my brother is 25, and I am 20. My family has had many great experiences, but has also faced various challenges. Throughout our different experiences, our family dynamic has developed.

Born in 1958, I was raised in an emotionally reserved, lower middle class family in a small industrial town in Indiana. I have one brother, five years older than myself.

In 1989, I was born in Orange County, California to my father and mother, Paul and Susan. My father was born in a farming town in North Dakota but grew up mostly in Bakersfield, CA. His heritage is half Norwegian and half English. My father received his schooling from California Lutheran Seminary. Most of my life my dad was a pastor at Lutheran churches. Until recently did he became a chaplain for Hospice. My mother was born in Québec, Canada. When she was 23, she moved to Orange County, CA. Her heritage is mostly Scottish, French Canadian, and Irish. She grew up speaking French at school, but spoke English at home. She received her nursing degree from Vaner College in Quebec. Most of my childhood my mother was a stay at home mom. My mom and dad met when they were both working at St. Joseph Hospital. They have been married for 36 years. They had five kids, and I am the fourth. All of us kids are about two years apart. My sister, Katie, is the oldest. She is six years older than me. She has always been hard working and disciplined. She did well in school, educationally and socially. Next is my brother, John. He is very intelligent, but struggled in school because