What comes to mind when you think of Gaza? Rolling ocean waves? Surf and turf? Likely that is not your typical first thought. But for a few teenage girls in Gaza, Shorouq and Sabah Abu Ghanem, getting out into the ocean waves is what they think about. Escaping the challenging lives they have on land, they opt for the freedom that the waves offer.
Their father, Rajab Abu Ghanem, taught them from a young age how to swim, bucking some of the social norms traditional of their society. "They can swim up to 6 miles, dive to 25 feet and surf on plastic boards that they hope one day to trade in for competition-grade models." I often wonder what the lives of children must be like in war-torn regions of the world. Surf and swim lessons don't usually enter my mind as a consideration. But what has this father given his children? A love for life, in a place where life may seem fleeting. A joy and sense of exhilaration, in a place where most only experience fear. What an awesome gift for his children.
"In the sea I find my freedom. I feel free of everything I leave behind on land," said 13-year-old Shorouq. "Gaza is under blockade. We lack surfboards, we lack diving gear. We lack many things. But out in the sea it doesn't matter."
Information for this story was found at msnbc.com.
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