Saturday, July 22, 2006

The Rains and Some Friends

1- She moved from Gaza to the West Bank to study her Bachelor degree in English Literature, then wasn't allowed to have a permit to move back and forth from Gaza (her home town) and the West Bank. This stayed for 4 years. Later, she decided to work and then to do her masters, as she did, successfully, and was honored by the Best University in Palestine and was asked to teach at the University. During her work in the West Bank town of Ramallah, the Second uprising took place to make movement even more complicated so she couldn't see her family, which is one hour and a half away from where she lives, until 7 years later. When she did...Summer Rains surprised her. She was planning to see them for a day or two before leaving the country for further studies. She is in Gaza now. And since the operation "Summer Rains" was imposing a complete siege on the Gaza Strip, she is facing a threat to lose a scholarship to complete her PhD in the United States and she is also away from work and her personal belongings. This may not sound very bad..But it is. Living in an area where you can not plan for anything over any period of time is simply not a normal one. She was wondering..: is it always like this for Gazans..? Do we have to choose between our career, studies, future and our families..??
Her life has been always around similar questions...Since she moved for the first time for education..
Now...Hardly dimplomats can come in or go out of Gaza. She is trying her best. She already missed a necessary training course that she should have had in the West Bank before going to the U.S. She has not got her visa yet either. She should be starting her program in less than 3 weeks....Believe me ...It will be a miracle if she makes it under the current situation.

Plus, Gaza was never her place. She has only very few friends. I am lucky to be one of them. There is not much that you can do in Gaza, anyway, to keep yourself busy..Well, maybe there is. But not anything positive or entertaining. Only if you are really addicted to the noise of bombings.
I will miss her, we are spending some good time together, but I wish she can leave as soon as possible..
suffering is not only dying or bleeding...It is also seeing your future wasted and your life is extremely uncertain.

2- He came to visit his family from the U.S to Gaza, and has to go back to finish his program that started a year ago. He is stuck here, of course. He lost a cousin the other day when an F16 raided on a house...The people who were killed were not Israeli targets. There are so many mistakes these days ..:)
He was starting to build a positive relationship with American community in California. From California to Gaza, wasn't an easy shift for a vacation. I wonder how angry he is and i wonder if he is not looking forward to go to America, where you are either good or bad.. especially if you are from this area.
*The U.S. is sending more special missiles and bombs.
There is a limit to making a distinction between politics and people.

5 comments:

Dua' said...

salam
najla, this is breath taking for me. i wish i am in a position to write. since my never ending weekend visit to my parents in Gaza, i lost my pen, i missed my stuff, i lost my job, scared of losing my scholarship and close to lose my mind!
i keep thinking of the present me as an outcome of the pile of my complicated life expereinces. i suffered for being a Gaza ID holder in the West Bank, i suffered Because i had to graduate alone, to celebrate alone and to cry alone back in ramallah. and now i have to go through another kind of suffering; a Gazan in Gaza!
believe me all what happens reaches no where but to one end: i become more palestinian than ever. i become stronger every day.
i believe what you are doing is documentation for what is going on, of stories that are never told!
so please go ahead, voice the voiceless...

Karin said...

Naj - I just found your blog through Mona's!
My blog-friends (they're a BUNCH!) and I ALL know what you're going through and support you all the way - just STAY STRONG!! You're not forgotten but in all our hearts!! :)

A word to dua' ... you're passing a nightmare and they make it more and more difficult - JUST HANG IN THERE!! We're with you ALL ... HANG IN THERE!! You guys a GREAT PEOPLE ... rest assured I KNOW!! ;)

Naj said...

dua', Osama and Munich,thanks to you all for the lovely comments

First to Dua'..i am trying to get you the good news about the crossing. but undortunately i couldnt, thats why i couldnt call you. Thank you for the lovely words. with those i will have some confidence to go on and try to put anything that happens and anythingi feel towards this difficult period of time.hope you get out soon.
osama, u are right, we can take a lot apparently, i thought everyone can when put in such situation. But i agree not many can. i believe we can still take more!
just to have some dignity...

best to you all..

Dua' said...

dear all,
knowing that some people are reading this is a releaf!
Naj, it is great to talk without the good news. actually sometimes we pass "bad" time through talking. it is healthy to talk sometimes.
additionally, it is really hard to determine what is good news these days. we became so self-centered about the "good news"! I unfortunately reached a phase where i don't give a damn about any news but those that are related to lifting closure on Gaza Strip. you can't imagine it i catch myself searching and even digging the news and the breaking news at the bottom of the screne. one becomes addicted.
this is what the Israelis made out of us. it is a human nature to care about ourselves but one has to be careful; my personal cause is only one small tiny part of a much bigger one that MUST not be forgotten. and believe me, as a result of our well-known "human nature", i sometimes forget! iget too saturated and focused on my own personal relatively small problems and forget about the much more important much streched and huge cause.

Naj said...

check this out ...
http://www.euroarabe.com/