To the Editor:

Over the past few days, I was intrigued by the smiling faces of children that were greeting me in Uncommon Grounds as I was having my daily shot of caffeine. Today I finally took the time to have a closer look at what I am not afraid to call a touching exhibit put together by local students who spent their summer in a troubled region while most of us were roasting at the beach or interning.

Contrary to a lot of what is available on the Middle East conflict, the exhibit is not prepackaged “infoganda.” The four unmistakable Georgetown students (two of them wear their pride on their T-shirts) give us personal testimonies of their emotional journey in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza or refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. Choosing to visit and to show us what they saw on both sides of the unfortunate wall, graphically presented in several pictures, these students are an example of the spirit of understanding and intellectual curiosity on which Georgetown prides itself.

Beyond highlighting the sad reality of the Palestinian plight, the photos of smiling children and creative political murals carry a positive message of hope, exemplifying the indestructible determination of all humans to make the best of the worst of situations.

Azmyra Kamil (MSB ’07) Oct. 6, 2005