Today, I told a huge lie, one that I now carry an enormous amount of guilt for, but a lie that I thought was necessary.
I am very close with my grandparents, I speak with them on a regular basis, and I had to tell them that I was leaving the country in case they contacted me and got an international dialling tone.
I told my grandparents that I was going to Canada for work. They asked me what I was doing there, where I was staying, and which airport I was flying to, I had to look them in the eye and lie. I hate lying. But this time I had to, because I couldn’t tell them that I was actually flying to Tel Aviv, Isreal, on a woman’s trip to Palestine. An occupied country located between Syria and Gaza.
I first heard about this trip through an incredibly inspiring friend who has set up her own charity to help refugees. Not only has she held down a full Time job whilst being a fellow ‘part time parent’, but also founded the charity, RefugEase, to help refugees who are fleeing war and conflict. (https://www.facebook.com/RefugEase/)
This particular trip to Palestine was funded through Erasmus+ and organised through a Camden based charity called CADFA, who work in the UK to promote awareness about the human rights situation in Palestine.
I immediately jumped at the chance for this once in a lifetime opportunity, but shortly changed my mind after deciding that it would a be completely irresponsible thing to do as a mother.
But then I saw an image on the Internet, one that I have seen many times before but it always brings a tear to my eye…
Although I wouldn’t be fighting for our country or making a worldwide impact, I do have a choice to go. I have the freedom to make that decision, something that the people in Palestine do not have. People like you and me, who have had such devastating lives due to their geographical location.
I’m guilty for burying my head in the sand when it comes to current affairs. With every other person dying of cancer, or the increased threat of global warming, terrorism, or even the idea that Donald Trump could actually be president, quite frankly, I don’t want to know about anything in the news that isn’t related to Boris Johnson and his bicycle. I do not need a visit to a war torn country to appreciate life. I embrace life enough to appreciate how lucky we are in western society, but what if everyone sat back and did nothing? What if everyone thought “I’ll let someone else go and do it?”. I want to help others. If I can do my bit by better educating a small audience back home, then not only could I do some essential fundraising but I could also make people appreciate their own lives a little more.
Please join me over the next two weeks when I shall be documenting life in Palestine, under the Israeli Occupation, with daily blog posts and video diaries on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ptparent/).
Of course, you do have the choice to view these posts, but please remember that you also have the freedom to share them. We are all human after all.
To donate, please visit my Just Giving page:
https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/georga-browne
To Find out more about how these donations will help, please visit CADFA’s website:
The Adventures of A Part Time Parent 