Correction appended

Rozina Gilani will never forget the bittersweet tears that came to her eyes when she walked into the Nablus Circus School to see her students' final dance production.

It was one week before her nine-week trip to the Middle East came to an end this summer, and she was seeing first-hand the joy her work teaching dance in the West Bank brought to the students.

"When I walk into the circus school, all I see is smiles. Those smiles are what I'm fighting for. Those smiles are what we take with us," Gilani (senior-sociology and Middle Eastern studies) said, fighting tears.

Gilani and Isaac Kassis (senior-life science) traveled areas of the Middle East this summer -- mostly on the West Bank -- furthering their understanding of the Palestinian conflict, they said.

Gilani was located in Nablus, a town in the West Bank. Gilani, raised in an Arab family, worked with Project Hope, teaching English to the refugees.

While in the Middle East, Gilani discovered the circus school, where she taught dance.

"The purpose of the circus school is to provide a venue for the children of all ages, generally under 25, for empowerment, really, outside of the life that they face inside those four walls," Gilani said.

Gilani lived in international housing outside an army outpost. She adhered to a 10:30 p.m. curfew, as well as other travel restrictions around the Middle East.

Gilani said when she traveled to Jordan, she was held at the border for four hours. Also, she was forced to leave her Palestinian souvenirs in Jordan, for fear they would be confiscated in travel.

Gilani plans on holding a fundraiser to benefit the circus school.

"It's easy to say you go, but when you come back, [that's] two times more important as what you do when you are there," Gilani said.

Kassis' experience, though in the same general area, was different from Gilani's. Kassis traveled Israel as part of a two-week delegation called Interfaith Peace-Builders.

Kassis, a Palestinian, was one of 14 diverse delegates. Kassis attended scheduled meetings daily with people from both sides of the conflict.

While crossing one the checkpoints, Kassis and his fellow delegates had stones thrown at their bus by children selling goods.

"They were a bunch of brats, angry and hateful, allegorically linked to the whole of Palestinian society," Kassis said.

Kassis took them aside and asked the children why they were treating people like that, he said.

"You could see the shame on their faces instantly. They have no choice. It's a desperate situation," Kassis said.

Kassis attempted to travel to Hebron, one of the most war-torn and most religiously significant cities in the area, Kassis said. It's mostly Muslim, controlled by the Israelis and in the Gaza Strip; therefore, it's off-limit to tourists.

A few settler children approached Kassis' group and yelled at them to leave. When the group didn't, the settler children spoke to the Israeli soldiers, and the group was escorted out of the city, Kassis said.

While in the Middle East, Kassis learned it is important to listen.

"Even if I may be right, it's important to listen to the other side, especially if they are in power, because if they are in power, what they say goes," Kassis said.

This article incorrectly reported the location Hebron. Hebron is located in the West Bank.