Olfat Mahmoud Bite

"When I was a child, we did not have books not even libraries around. You know, we lived in a refugee camp where we only had our tents. No services, no resources at all. So, every night instead of reading a book before going to sleep, it was our grandparents who told us a story.

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They told us stories they had experienced. That’s what’s called oral history now. Since I was five or four years old, I asked them questions about our homeland, I am Palestinian but I don't know Palestine... I'm in Lebanon, so why am I not Lebanese? Their answers helped me understand our problem. It was very nice that they never told me those stories with animosity. Those stories helped me understand that I am a survivor. I am a refugee, but I’m not a poor refugee. I'm a strong refugee. I don't want to be a victim, I want to be a survivor. And this is a huge difference, when you’re brought up as a survivor than when you are brought up as a victim. So, my grandparents' daily night story made me a survivor and made me strong. They convinced me about the existence of a peaceful way."