We fought our way into the shelter, which wasn't much more than a box of strangers packed in like sardines. Every few minutes sirens went off. "Khattar, khattar," voices would shout. People would run up the stairs, then down howling news about fire and bombings they'd seen from the second-and third-floor windows. The sirens were warnings before or after bombardment, and they were always followed by a silent moment of nauseating anticipation of destruction of our shelter. My brothers, my mother and me all joined in the stair madness." 

The Palestinians were beyond scared, they had heard the the settelers had said they would be invading their homes and kill every living thing that they found." All of the Palestinian families including Ibtisams, fled their home so they wouldn't get killed. 

How would you feel if soilders were claiming to destroy you're home and kill all your family? 

They crossed the border of Palestine to go to Jordan hoping they would find a shelter to stay in until this incident blew over. "The shelter was a three-story stone house. Before we entered, mother was unsure if Maha was still breathing. "I don't have the courage to find out if she's alive," To out stunned surprise Maha coughed and then cried." 

"I get off the bus to go home, as I am in the neighborhood I feel like I am in prison. The ground is dirty, there holes in the walls, and blood on the floor. Flashbacks come to my mind from when I was little, everything used to be perfect well, it seemed perfect because I had no idea what was going on.

In chapter 2 the author begins to tell her story about her childhood and what the Palestinian- Israeli war is like. She describes it very well. I can picture the setting and there is great imagery in the story. I have been to Palestine in the part of the area that she is talking about, so I can picture it very clearly. She takes you through her journey about what it was like to be under the occupation.

"Post office Box 34 is the only place in the world that belongs to me. It belonged to my brother Basel first. He left Ramallah and did not want to give up the bus. So he passed it on to me. I burry the key in the dirt under under a lemon tree near our house. If I die, the key will be under the ground with me.
having this box will be like having a country, the size of a tiny square all to myself. I wish i could open the box everyday.

I have pen pals from all over the world. My favorite is Luis from Spain he is unhappy for the reasons that I don't understand. His country is not occupied, and he does not have a strict mother like mine.

At some point in everyones life they wish they could just escape and go off to a place where no one knows them. Post Office Box 34 is the authors way of escaping the occupation and "traveling around the world."

What is your escaping place?