Cosmic Chaos: Student's Life in Gaza

Just another exam, just another day full of countless hours of studying and revising. Or at least that’s what I thought it’s going to be. I woke up early to study for my Parasitology final exam. Sitting quietly in my room and everything was perfect, the electricity was on, what more a student can ask for?

It was hours later when the beloved electricity decided to depart leaving me angry and frustrated. But anyhow that didn’t stop me from studying, there was sun out there. I pulled a chair and opened the balcony and sat down and started studying under the beautiful Gazan sky. Perfect again? No. and then the bombs started flying around. East Khan Younis where I live was under attack. Almost every hour there was sounds of gun shots, explosions and the following ambulance sirens. The Earth was agitated like it’s never been in a while. Regardless I continued studying because god knows no amount of time is enough for Parasitology, I kept that in mind and decided to block out the sounds of everything around in order to finish but imagine how hard it was when you’re sitting in the middle of this unpleasant action. RPGs. Arterially shells. Ambulance sirens. You’d think I’d freak out and drop my books but to tell the truth the idea of not being able to study and revise properly scared me more. So I kept on studying while being continually interrupted by the sounds of gun shots and explosions and again screaming ambulance sirens. This seemed endless. But I kept on going anyways, it took me longer than it usually does to memorize the classes and diseases caused by each parasite because I kept forgetting them, thanks for the countless distractions around and that’s when I decided to use them in my favour. I linked each class of parasites to a time we were being bombed and  I eventually did get them right. Israel eat your heart out!

Now the sun was also departing declaring that I can no longer use her beautiful rays to study. And that’s when I decided to go grab some coffee from a nearby café in Khan Younis. Hoping by the time I get home they would’ve turned on the generator and I can continue studying.

I came back home after 30 minutes to find my mother and sister  still drowning in the darkness they were in before I left. I was mad. I still had an astronomical amount of studying to do and there was no light! Then the conversation drifted not to be about the absent electricity but about my short temper, which got even shorter when it was the centre of attention. As if they don’t know that it’s a good thing that I’m still sane after all. I went to search for the ‘’Kaz light’’ I haven’t used it in ages and it was time for it to shine (literally). I lit it and started studying. Ok it’s a summer day it was hot already and the little kaz light wasn’t helping the matters. Anyhow, continuing: intestinal nematodes, tissue and blood nematodes and life goes on. And my vision doesn’t.

Hours later the generator magically started working! It was like an adrenaline shot straight to the heart, I jumped and turned on the lights and guess what!

Due to fluctuating current of the generator the light bulb decided to explode, as if it wasn’t enough being bombed all morning.

You’d think I’d go mad and drop my books.

But instead I started laughing hysterically. The day has been hilarious no?

At that point I had no fight in me and my eyes started to give up.

I made myself another mug of coffee and got up to the roof to watch the mesmerizing night sky, something has to be good about this day.

Perfect again? Sad to report that it wasn’t.

The sky was perfect but that wasn’t the issue. As I gazed  at the sky I noticed the lonely creatures roaming above aka DRONES. And other warplanes making a pattern in the sky that could distract you even from Vega.

The whole day felt like a cosmic chaos from the start, most days in Gaza are like this, we’re bombed but we choose to continue studying. The power is out but we choose to continue studying. The generator is not working, we choose to continue studying. The drones are so loud that you can’t sometimes hear yourself think, we choose to continue studying. Regardless of the circumstances we choose to continue studying because we know very well that as Palestinians our education is our ticket to freedom. And that’s what was engraved in every cell of my brain from the moment I was born.

So cheers to all the Gazan students  studying when the power is out and losing their eyesight just like I’m losing mine. We can make it!