Selam to everybody from Gaza as a first international master student in Gaza I have completed my first semester successfully before two weeks (early January 2017) in Islamic University of Gaza Alhamdulillah.
Generally I am not a hard-working student but herd mentality and motivation in here made me like Gazan students and if you are a student in Gaza your only aim is to get full mark from all exams.
There is no mentality of “I just want to pass” so if you dare do not study hard. To be honest when you saw perseverance in here you feel shame of your sluggishness and by focusing on your best field you achieve many fruitions and happiness.
Here is Gaza if you cannot fly you run but never sit; it is like life effaced to rest to the lovely people of Gaza even most of people in Gaza use their annual leave on the same time of their kids’ final exams to be able to help them in their preparation in home.
Yes yes you did not get it wrong the annual leave in which generally we dream from the beginning of the year in which part of the world to spend in the same annual leave the strong people of Gaza have to run for other jobs because you cannot leave from the Rafah Border unless you have strong valid reasons. Unfortunately for Egyptian Government “annual leave” is arbitrary situation…
Let’s answer your questions this sentence is for the question of “Do you still love to live in Gaza”; four months passed and I am still new to Gaza like the first days and Gaza is new to me too.
After interviews that I had almost wherever I go I find somebody who knows me and first thing that they do is “You are the student who came from Turkey look here is our home please come to our home we want to prepare something for you you know here is your home whatever you need just let us know we will do our best to help you insha-Allah…” I come across with these kinds of sentences every time they make me feel as if I just arrived to Gaza.
Could you please tell me if you are welcomed with such a lovely way do not your love and belief increase…? For the question of “How do you handle with the problems you face in Gaza” my answer is; it looks like I became a Gazan I follow people of Gaza. When I want to wash my clothes I wait to have the electricity; and of course most of time while my clothes are in the washing machine electricity is offed so my clothes have to stay wet in the washing machine till I have electricity again anyway at the end I have them clean. I use my generator economically just for the internet and for the night reading that only I can open the light of one room. Always I have water container for both cleaning and drinking in the home I learned it from my mom it really works.
In the winter season I dress up in layers if I study at home always I am under blanket or I do exercise to feel warm it works. When I see orphans and indigents I do not cry anymore I try to enjoy my time with them because one more time I found out that “HUMANITY” became in a situation that needs be cried so I started to apply knowledge that I learned from them in my life.
I told you; “If you are doing your master in Gaza this will be more than just to get a master degree be sure about that!” I preferred to stay in Gaza for my three weeks’ holiday I wanted to improve my Arabic language and also to achieve my goals I have to work harder in Gaza. Actually even if I tried to go to Turkey “Rafah Border” was not opened this month as you understand people who were waiting to leave Gaza are continuing to be patient.
I am sure now you are asking how come you can feel that much serenity under these kind of difficulties; under this siege; people who thought the world is in their hand and they imagined that they run the world as they want those people said “ Gaza is under siege” by that they wanted to leave people of Gaza alone with death and according to their calculation forget about serenity they were expecting Gaza to be an uninhabitable city for its people right…Of course their enthusiasm stick on their gizzard; because life and death like the whole of the universe are only in the hand of Allah! I am sure that they have no idea about why they do not feel serenity while so called they have everything like they cannot understand despite of all these challenges how we still feel that much serenity.
However I want to convey them the message of Allah although I know they will not understand this as well: “He it is Who gives life and causes death. Whenever He decrees a thing He only commands to it “Be” and it is.” (Surah Al-Mu’min 68)
Ultimately I want to say that there is a serene life in Gaza absolutely does not mean that current injustices and oppression can be continued on the contrary every single individual who respects himself/herself need to fight against these inequities and they need to see this action as a responsibility rather than a favor.
Then the bill of genocide that has been done for 68 years in the land of Quds which is known as the dearest for the all divine religions has been paid by a majority of Muslims and humanity chose to be silent. If still there are conscious people in somewhere we want them to know in here Gaza; we do not just have the serenity of Prophet Yosef which he had in the prison also we prepare for “Reign”.
From now the world’s highest rate for PhD holders are Palestinians no need to mention about their success in the military field and of course we should not forget the high level of resistance and steadiness of Palestinians when we talk about their independence.
To live in Gaza and to be witness of all these beauties and to be a part of this blessed resistance not just give honor to me but also they widen my horizons day by day.
Already there are number of students who want to apply to complete their doctoral or master studies in universities of Gaza. I have noticed that there are a number of fair and big hearted people who have a dream of learning knowledge in this lovely land and they let their childhood to live with its all purity within themselves masha-Allah. What to say; “May Allah let all to be successful”.
