These Kids.

Children are children are children. Whether living under occupation, in the favelas on the south side of Rio, or the suburban neighbourhoods of Phoenix, children are simple creatures. They are driven to love, to smile and to enjoy the sugars of lifes. During the eleven hours of classes that I teach, I come across some very beautiful faces. Some boys have difficulty sitting and listening to a Canadian speak French for more than five minutes. Some girls are willing to come to the same beginner class twice, in the same day. Others are calm, intelligent and have very bright futures ahead of them. Yes, some of these kids have endured some difficult conditions. Their city has been closed for days during the last intifada. Many of them may not have gone much further than Ramallah or Jenin. But that need not matter.

Palestinian children have a quality that this world longs for. Their struggle against this sometimes self-defining external environment has made them immune to sadness and dismay. Although they may continue to live in refugee camps, these kids also play in those narrow alleys, they learn french and english in their dilapitated classrooms, and they laugh and cry in the immense puddles that litter their roads.

These children have orange hair and green eyes, brown skin and red cheeks. They play football with basketballs and work with their fathers at halftime. They love learning, reading, and colouring. They paint unforgettable pieces and they act out the hope in their hearts. Maybe, they don't know the solution that will free them from a life in occupation. Maybe, it is in their hearts that we will find the solution to all of our problems. This I know for sure - as pundits play games in suits, these kids play, work and learn to love and live and laugh for the rest of humanity.

We should at least try to learn from them.