By: Sedena Salce

Many people ask me why. Why do I return? Why do I struggle to raise awareness? Why do I put ‎my career or my future at risk, for what is perceived as the "hopeless" Palestinian cause. Well, my ‎answer is quite simple actually. Beautifully summed up in my favorite saying: "to be free is not ‎merely to cast off one's chains, But to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of ‎others". I am one person, a single being. I am aware I cannot liberate Palestine, I cannot lift the ‎siege on Gaza, and I cannot establish statehood. But what I can do is raise awareness, tell friends ‎and family stories of these beautiful people called Palestinians, I can demonstrate in protests, I ‎can lobby in congress, and I can stand in solidarity. Even if nothing comes from my efforts, it is ‎enough for me to just return and see my Palestinian family smile. I'll always come back, even if ‎it's just to see them smile. Their smiles are sincere and full of grace.‎

Palestine is not hopeless, it is not futile, and it is not despairing. Palestine is so much more than ‎occupation. It is a rich culture, with a comforting heritage. It is locals inviting you for coffee and ‎tea just because they're happy to see you. It is a cuisine that never leaves you unsatisfied. It is ‎antiquated buildings and towns. It is breathtaking sunsets, ones I promise you haven't seen ‎anywhere in the world. Palestine is holy, it is dabke, it is keffiyeh, it is knafeh, and it is the heart ‎of resistance. If there's anything that I've learned during my stays in Palestine...it's that being ‎Palestinian is not just about being born in this homeland, but rather having the homeland be born ‎in side you...in our hearts. As for my dear friends here, there's no need to ask me whether or not I ‎will return again. I mean...how can one live life not returning home?‎