Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel. It is a seaport, so we have great beaches for surfing, windsurfing and sailing. On weekends, I go to the movies or bowling. I love to shop with my friends in Tel-Aviv, Israel’s biggest city, because it has lots of cool stores.

As I’m writing this, a ceasefire is in effect. But during the bombings, things were scary. Every time an alarm went off, we ran to shelters to be safe. A lot injured people were in the streets, and we worried about getting hurt.

I sometimes felt bored because we were stuck in the house or bomb shelters. We couldn’t go to the mall, movies or bowling because it wasn’t safe from bombs. People stayed at home or at friends’ houses. Recently, I was on a sleepover at my friend’s house for five days!

Anyone would get nervous, right? It’s a natural reaction to be afraid when sirens are screaming and you have to run for protection. Some day, I didn’t get why I deserved this. And I’m sure girls my age on the “other side” of the war felt the same. It isn’t fair that innocent people would get killed on both sides.

To U.S. girls, Israel can seem like a faraway country. Still, I think we’re probably more alike than different.

By Karen, 15 as told to S.K. Dunn

2/17/2010 1:25:00 PM