Over the holidays things can get hectic. It seems the time of year when we’re all inundated with numerous messages of multiple aims: buy more, pray more, give more, celebrate more. And while many of these themes are certainly sincere, it can still be tough getting pushed in so many directions. In turn, we chose to wait out the seasonal din and merely share what we’ve learned in 2009 – put simply, that there are a lot of unknown friends out there wishing you well.

To support this finding, we are happy to share that 2009 was Kitegang’s most successful effort to date for one gratifying reason. We began the year seeking out the most ostracized Iraqi youth we could find living precariously throughout the Middle East. Knowing how innocent kids often get caught up in the gears of war, we focused primarily on those who merely had the wrong last names and virtually no sympathy from those on the winning side — and hence not stay innocent for very long…

So we began working closely with many of our supposed enemies that followed different religions, spoke different languages, and often cheered for different sides during conflict. And what did we learn, as relative newcomers to the region, from our trial by fire? Most importantly that Iraq has some of the most inspiring teenagers we’ve ever met – and those of us lucky enough to work with them have now gained a whole new perspective (in addition to many new friends).

As we enter a brand new year, we will certainly echo that lesson and do our best to appreciate whatever wonderful opportunities 2010 presents – even in unexpected places. We’ll keep erring against the cynics and asking why we’re supposed to hate so many people — an approach that will present plenty of bumps in the road. But out of experience these will merely be the exception, and thankfully the vast majority of days will yield the joy of getting to know some truly wonderful folks, who, while different, offer much more fellowship than we’re often led to believe.

For those of you in more predictable locales, the challenge is almost greater to pioneer new ground. But take it from us, it’s worth it. And if you ever want to compare notes or band together, feel free to drop us a line. It’s so much more fun as a team effort – a lesson we re-learn with every new day.

GAZA CITY - I’m not altogether sure how one properly apologizes in Arabic.

I certainly know the word, as I clumsily offend local customs quite regularly in the Middle East.

But it’s difficult for me to express the Scandinavian guilt that we Minnesotans so often attach to such acts of contrition. I compensate with extra eye contact, and sometimes repeat my apology a few more times than is expected, in hopes of wearing down local cynicism.

Yet in a region rich in theatrical nuance, it’s difficult to convey the sort of sincere discomfort a Minnesotan feels when forced to leave someone to shovel their own car out of the ditch.

Of course, there’s no snow in the Gaza Strip, and hence not all that much shoveling. But ditches are plentiful, and so are problems, and it pains me to see regular folks in Gaza left out in the cold to fend for themselves.

Such is life as a Minnesotan in the Middle East-torn between guilt and gratitude, especially with the holiday season upon us.

Ironically, there are few better places than Gaza to marvel at Minnesota’s material bounty, and to give thanks as well for that grand tradition known as Minnesota Nice.

The Gaza Strip is currently under an economic and military siege, and the difficulty of the situation is trumped only by its complexity. As a result, even the most meager pleasures, be it a good cup of drip coffee or some stale candy corns, are greeted with joyful appreciation. Of course this only makes the abundance of the Midwest seem that much more uncanny. With so much water, so much soil, and the knowledge of how to manage it, surely we, from the Northland, are blessed.

Yet life in Gaza makes me even more appreciative of our social riches back home. Without a grounding in diplomacy-Minnesota style, in places as notorious as Gaza, I would have found myself upended by my own bravado long ago. No doubt this contradicts conventional wisdom; when in threatening places, surely it’s best to hunker down, or, if feeling adventurous, to meet skepticism with more of the same. Emotional and physical detachment is the widely advertised way to survive such brutal surroundings.

But this rings hollow to me. Suspiciously guarding against your neighbor’s aspirations, your neighbor’s beliefs, your neighbor’s concerns is, perhaps, sadly understandable for those shaped and forged in the Middle East, in places like Gaza. Yet not for me. I’m not Arab, nor Israeli, nor Jewish, nor Muslim. I’m Minnesotan, and I’m clinging tenaciously to our cultural norms that celebrate getting to know one’s neighbors, building inclusive communities and, whenever possible, helping someone you’ve never met dig their way out of the snow.

Of course this sounds better in romantic theory than in actual practice — especially when surrounded by perennial conflict. It’s not by coincidence that some of the first words I learned in Arabic and Hebrew were “donkey” and “fool.” Such is life when you respond to every casual greeting on the Arab street with a chipper “Fine, thanks, and you?” The world isn’t quite ready for Minnesota and its eagerness to make the most of the thinnest of connections. Yet in rough-scrabble places like this, the world could use it.

Consider the skateboard I routinely carry with me through the Israel-Gaza border crossing. In this heavily fortified zone, the same men and women face off each day, separated by a mere 3,000 feet of no-man’s land yet hopelessly divided by generations on end of misinformation and misunderstanding.

But what have I learned as I’ve chatted, Minnesota-style, with the Israeli Defense Forces on one side and Hamas on the other? They both dig on skateboarding.

Over time I’ve discovered that Israeli troops have better technique, while the Hamas border guards are a bit more open and excited at the prospect of learning something new.

Every time I have to cross the divide, I skate with both sides. I can’t really share the irony with my respective friends that they’re enjoying the same diversion, using the same boards, as their mortal enemies, often only minutes apart. But I’m reminded how much we all have in common — if we just make the effort.

So as I journey home this holiday season, crossing militant boundaries guarded by gun-toting soldiers, undergoing strip searches with little more than a twinkle in my eye, I give thanks for Minnesota, where there’s not much difference in ideologies at 20 below. While others will be screaming insults and lamenting our unbridgeable differences, some of us will simply be smiling, and asking the person next to us how their day is going.

It may not be “shock and awe,” but in a world full of hostility, it is a beginning.

Patrick McGrann heads Kitegang, a Minneapolis-based toy company dedicated to supporting kids in the toughest corners of the world. He currently lives in the Gaza Strip.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/79681057.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU

Skateboard design contest in Gaza!

http://kitegang.org/includes/images/Uncle_Sam.pdf

This is a quick message that Kitegang likes to do favors. And because we’ve recently turned smuggling school supplies around the Middle East into a cottage industry, some of our students wanted to say thanks. So they made this email form for us to keep all of our friends around the globe up to date. In turn, we’ll now do a much better job of sharing news and fun updates with the surprising numbers of y’all who have ended up, for one reason or another, on our mailing list.
Thus it may be a bit belated, yet let us say welcome!

If you’d like to learn as we learn, we welcome you to the adventures of our little nonprofit toy company. If not, please click on the link at the bottom of the page. Either way, we send our greetings from our current home in the Gaza Strip.

In this and future messages, our goals are consistent with our larger mission – striving to expand understanding, be it who we all are, as well as what makes us happy. And while we have a lot of stories to share from our work with Iraqi youth over the past year, for now we will simply share our new skateboarding project announcement from Gaza (at right). Designing and manufacturing skateboards in Gaza may just be an innocent way to teach graphic design and employ a few local artists, but we have higher aims of sowing curiosity and delight as well. They learn. We learn. And we all have fun. Thankfully most Gazans have laughed when stopping to read our unorthodox posters. And all have smiled. With luck, we will continue to capture more and more local attention in Gaza and help the youth ponder the unknown. At least that’s this week. Stay tuned for what’s next.

http://www.kitegang.org/get_involved

For those of you looking for more updates on Kitegang, check out our page on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/kitegang

Wadat, Jordan: The project may have wrapped up, but that does not mean it has stopped learning. While the new enterprise sorts out its path forward, learning – and teaching – continues.

Wadat, Jordan: A new venture is created.

Amman, Jordan: Kite orders continue to come in – many for Gaza and most recently for psychosocial activities in Somalia. With luck, toy project kites will be flying over both the Gaza Strip and East Africa this fall.

Amman, Jordan: Kites have been a wonderful tool, yet diversity is always healthy. In turn, the toy project has experimented with designing skateboards when participants have needed a break. A wonderful side project.

Amman, Jordan: Designing and making kites are one way to express individuality. Yet at the toy project, we have an open policy welcoming any and all new ideas. It’s great to see what has been created.