‘Soldiers! Soldiers! Soldiers!’ The Kindergartners Of Al–Mughayyir
The children of Palestine are striking for their curiosity and fearlessness. Small groups approached whenever I was out walking, often trailing me for several blocks, as they peppered me with questions: “Where are you from?” being the most common. It was generally followed by “How old are you?”
I thought the query about my age peculiar and even a bit cheeky until a teacher explained to me that it was among the standard questions they learn when studying English.
Inevitably the boldest among them would ask the one question they were most interested in knowing the answer to, especially coming from an American: “Israel or Palestine?”