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If you were to walk around Atfaluna's wonderful new school building, the first thing you would see would be three eye-catching floor-to-ceiling murals of the Gaza Strip which were presented to Atfaluna by a Gazan artist now living in the U.S.A. Electric blues, hot pinks, bright oranges and yellows are the dominating colors. In the murals, a huge and happy sun shines down on the Gaza seaside and heavily-populated coastal area with its tall mosques, ancient churches, busy shops, and unique t.v. antenna-laden houses. The market place is bustling, and the Arabic bread bakery is doing a booming business. The fishmongers' stalls are piled high with fresh fish, washing is blowing in the sunny breeze, the orange and lemon trees are resplendent with fruit, and the pottery makers are too busy to look up. And, yes, a shiny little yellow Atfaluna school bus is making its way down the beach road. It's a virtual Disneyland-town that any child would love to live in … to dream about … to work towards.
In reality, the Gaza Strip resembles more of a black and white photo taken on a gloomy day even though the sun is actually shining. Well, perhaps I am not making myself clear: The scene is depressing and gray and the people are discouraged. Life is hard here. Work is scarce, the peace process is almost dead, and Gazans are weary of living in an overcrowded prison-of-sorts, unable to travel freely or to drive across the border to visit friends or relatives. The shops and bakeries are certainly not flourishing, the people are not smiling much, and most of the time the fishmongers aren't selling.
As you pass the Audiology Department at Atfaluna and enter the corridor leading to the classrooms, it's definitely springtime. The corridors are full of springtime themes - painted Styrofoam flowers on orange construction paper, sand and glue robins sitting on nests of an undetermined origin, more flowers, thumbprint frogs, and lots of similar drawings of stick people enjoying the beach.
The children's drawings reflect that we are indeed moving on … the children are beginning to forget the fear-filled days and nights. Two years ago, even in springtime, the children were still drawing bloody intifada scenes heavily embellished with political slogans, ambulances, emblems, and guns.
Inside the classrooms the children are busy preparing for examinations. I'm impressed. They know a lot. No doubt some are geniuses. I feel so grateful that Atfaluna came into existence seven years ago as the first school for deaf children in the Gaza Strip. Thank you for making their education a reality.
Even though life here doesn't much resemble the sunny murals, your support and encouragement are virtual rays of hope and sunshine in the children's lives. To each and every one of you, please accept our most sincere appreciation.
With best wishes from the children, their parents, and all the staff, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Geraldine (Gerry) Shawa
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