Welcome to The Odyssey Live Chats Transcripts from the Middle East! The Trekkers join students in the Dheishe Refugee Camp.

<Moderator>: Greetings to everyone joining us. The students in the Dheishe Refugee Camp are almost ready to begin. Two minutes to start! Keep sending your questions in!

<Moderator>: Joining us today are the following students: Eman - a girl, age 17, Ahmed - a boy, age 13, Matassem, a boy, age 15, and Jihad - a boy, age 18.

<Moderator>: Greetings to Eman, Ahmed, Matase, and Jihad! OK, here come your questions!

<Liz(Oceanport, NJ)>: Who are your heroes?

<Jihad>: My heroes are the leaders of the Ibda'a Center - Ziad and Khaled

<Jihad>: They have experienced a lot in life and I was with them since I was six years-old. Both have finished university. Ziad is a journalist and I want to be like him in the future. Khaled is a teacher and all the kids like him.

<Matassem>: My hero's name is Rashid from my high school. Rashid teaches me many good things like dancing, sports, and public speaking.

<Ahmed>: My father. Because he is a great man, he made a man out of himself, out of nothing. He is a teacher, and teaches the children to be strong.

<Eman>: My uncle is from Jordan, and he studied in Iraq, he has a wife and a small baby, whose name is Ibrahim. He has good luck.

<Lindsay (Oceanport, NJ)>: What kind of jobs exist in your refugee camp?

<Ahmed>: The jobs here are teachers, doctors, engineers, and employers, builders.

<Matassem>: We have people working in construction and some people working in the schools as teachers.

<Moderator>: We've just been joined by another student from Dheishe. His name is Mohammed and he's 13 year old. Welcome Mohammed!

<Soraya (Houston, TX)>: Is there a favorite singer you have or type of music?

<Jihad>: I prefer basketball to music.

<Ahmed>: Kazem Alsaher, he's from Iraq, I like him because he has good songs, and the songs are about the country and romance and many things...

<Mohammed>: I also really like to listen to Kazem Alsaher. He is an Arab singer.

<Eman>: I have a favorite, his name is Hani Sheker, he sings sad music.

<Moderator>: We have a question from Jihad for you in the United States.

<Jihad>: What is life in US high schools like?

<Moderator>: While you send your answers in, here's another question from the States:

<Howard (Oceanport, NJ)>: Do Palestinian children like Americans?

<Matassem>: I like American children but I don't know about others.

<Ahmed>: Yes. They're the best because when we visited to America, the best thing was the people. I went to America in September and we returned in October. We went with IBDA, which is a traditional dancing group, here in Dheishe.

<Eman>: I like many things, I hate many things. I'd like to study there in the university and the school, but I don't like America because it's very strong and very hard for the people and the people are not straight. Some people are poor, poor, poor. Some people are high, high, high

<Jihad>: I don't like the American Government. I hope people are better than their government.

<Moderator>: We're getting some answers to the question Jihad asked about American schools:

<Gdod (Lockport, IL)> : [The schools are] very challenging, but also very educational and have many fun activities to join.

<Moderator>: Jihad wants to explain why he doesn't like the US government:

<Jihad>: Because they help Israel to deprive us of our rights: right to freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of choice

<Jihad>: And they are responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

<Mohammed> - The US Gov. always wants to be in control of everything

<Moderator>: We have another question for students in the US:

<Matassem>: I'm wondering what Americans think of Palestinian people.

<Gdod (Lockport, IL)>: Sometimes we disagree with our government, but consider ourselves to be nice people.

<Lauren (Oceanport, NJ)>: What is a typical day like for you?

<Ahmed>: First I wake up and prepare myself, then go to the school in the camp at 7 o'clock. I'm in eighth grade. When I'm back in the home at twelve, I take the lunch, makluba--you don't know these things, it means "up and down" in English, made from rice and beans and meat. Then I rest, after that, I come to IBDAA cultural center and I help in the internet lab here.

<Ahmed>: After that, I go to friends', then I study at eight o'clock or nine, after studying, maybe I watch tv a little then go to sleep

<Jihad>: I always go to school at 7am and finish 2pm. After that I eat lunch and rest and then do homework or play basketball

<Jihad>: At 6pm I come to the Ibda'a Center and I help the other children to use the computers and Internet

<Eman>: I wake up, go to school. All the time I'm in IBDAA Cultural Center, I speak with the children here. I play, like volleyball, I go to Bethlehem to buy something, I go to my sister's in Dheishe camp, she has a wonderful baby. I have email on hotmail, I watch TV (one hour), I help my mother in the house, I think I do many things. I get very angry if something bad happens, and this is it.

<Matassem>: One more thing: We also participate in the creation of our website at the Ibda'a Center. We have the first computer center in a refugee camp here in Palestine.

<Ahmed>: The website here is http://www.dheisheh.acrossborders.org

<Matassem>: We also post pictures on our site of kids from the camp and events around the camp.

<Brookshire (Brevard, NC)>Daniel : What are your ideas on a peace agreement? What do you think you should do for peace?

<Mohammed>: Israeli people must make a just peace

<Moderator>: We've lost our connection with the Dheishe Refugee Camp. After five minutes of silence from them, we received a phone call from Kevin, the World Trekker, and he informed us that the power has gone out in Dheishe.

<Moderator>: We will e-mail them more of your questions and post their answers in the "Chat Transcript".

<Moderator>: So be sure to check that out. AND, be sure to check out our NEXT CHAT on Thursday!

<Moderator>: Chat with Jewish Israeli students from the Givat Hayyim Ichud Kibbutz. Thursday, Jan. 13 at 9am PST / 12 noon EST

<Moderator>: Thank you, everyone, for joining us, and our apologies that the power went out at the Refugee Camp.