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! 

#VenusTransitGaza

Wednesday morning the 6^th of June was a unique one. A rare cosmic event was occurring, we in Gaza were lucky to have the opportunity to watch the Venus Transit and enjoy the beauty of the event via Dr.Suleiman Baraka’s Solar Filtered Telescope.

THANK YOU TWITTER.

Earlier in April I met Dr.Suleiman on twitter and he told me about the Venus Transit and said that he will be preparing a sky seeing event if his trip to France was cancelled and that I was more than welcomed to attend. Guess how excited I was at that moment I felt like I couldn’t breathe!. Now I didn’t want to wish that his trip gets cancelled for my own selfish reasons, I just kept dreaming about the day.

When the details of the event’s location were disclosed and I found out that it’s really happening I was smiling all day that I didn’t feel my facial muscles aching till late at night.

Now I understand why people get excited about rock concerts.

Wake up, Venus is visiting!

The night before the event I was supposed to ‘’get some rest’’ but I tried to sleep countless times and failed. I kept following the progress of the transit online and when it was 5 AM I woke my mother and my sister to get ready because the location of the event is an hour away from where I live. I’ve already made plans with a taxi driver to come pick us up at 5:30 AM. Everything and everyone were set.

We headed to the event and again I was smiling all the way and wasn’t able to hear anything my mother was saying. Apparently she was making fun of the fact that we’re up this early to see Venus. We arrived at the location and people were there already and the telescopes were installed and guess what! Dr.Suleiman Baraka was there moving gracefully between the audience and talking to everyone and making sure everyone got their chance to watch.

Dr.Suleiman adjusting the telescope.

I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said that the highlight of the event wasn’t Venus passing between the sun and the earth, but more it was Dr.Suleiman with his exquisite knowledge that he was more than happy to share. He told us about the myths surrounding Venus, it’s history and linked all of that to Ayat from holy Quran. It was amusing listening to him speak, he is one of a kind!

Dr.Baraka explaining to the audience what are sun spots!

I kept following the progress of the transit via the telescope and by the naked eye and every time I saw it, it electrified me. I needed few minutes to regain my breathing and heart rhythem back to normal after every observation.

Dr.Suleiman asked me ‘’Mabsoota ya Basma?’’ I replied: ‘’Mabsoota is an understatement sir, I’m ecstatic!’’ He smiled and thanked me for coming.

There was a good amount of media coverage for the event. I did two TV interviews for it. The interviewer asked me what most people ask when they first know that I'm a laboratory medicine student / space geek. 

''Why was it important for you to be here''

I replied: ''Astronomers look at the universe around us through their telescopes, we laboratory medicine students look at the universe within us through our microscopes, it's not that different. We are the universe.''

And at 7:30 AM Gaza said goodbye to Venus declaring the end of one of my best mornings in Gaza.

قمرٌ محير.

يسكن ليلنا، هو جرمنا السماوي المفضل، كيف لا يكون؟ 
فهو المكان الوحيد الذي وطأه الإنسان خارج كوكب الأرض.
 ذلك الشي الذي وجوده الروتيني يبعث على الراحة. دائمًا هناك في عمق السماء يظهر لنا وجهه اللا متغير. 

نراه يلمع بأشعة الشمس المتفائلة، لا نرى سوى وجهه المتبسم و نعتقد بأنه أسعدهم و أكثرهم فرحاً، كيف لا و هو المنير بجمال لا مثيل له؟

لا نعلم أنه في الواقع من أكثر الأماكن صمتاً و حزناً في كوننا الشاسع. و قد تفاجئ لو علمت بأن قمرنا هو محارب قديم ولد من باطن الأرض البدائية، انقسم عنها في محاولة للهرب و كأنه كان يعلم بأنها ستصبح مكاناً لا يطاق، مكان تملؤه الحروب و الدماء و جثث الأطفال المتناثرة و الأكاذيب المتلاطمة. فضل قمرنا الإنسحاب من هذه الفوضى محاولاُ التبرأ منها قبل أن تبدأ. حاول أن يسبح بعيداً في الفضاء و لكن سطوة الأرض بجاذبيتها العاتية فضلت أن تبقيه قريباً في مدارها (يا لها من أنانية!) لكي يرى و يشهد الأحداث. و لربما هذا هو سبب حزنه الذي لا نراه.

الهدوء القاتل

فلو ذهبت للقمر، ما أن تخرج من سفيتك الفضائية حتى يحيط بك الهدوء القاتل! نعم سيدي، هنالك هدوء خانق قاتل لا يمكن إنكاره. فالفضاء لا يحمل بين طياته الهواء فلا ينتقل الصوت من مكان لآخر فتجد نفسك محاط بذلك الهدوء الذي قد يبدو من الوهلة الأولى مسالماً و لكن لا، فالحكاية لم تنتهي هنا بعد.

لربما كان هذا الصمت ردة فعل القمر على كل تلك الأحداث المريعة التي مر بها، ربما هذه وسيله للدفاع عن نفسه أو ربما ما عادت الكلمات لتغير شيئاً ففضل الصمت الأبدي المطبق!

الحداد الرمادي.

نراه أبيضا لامعاً فنظنه سعيداً ضاحكاً، و لكن ما أن تهبط عليه حتى يظهر لك وجهه الرمادي المتشح بسواد في بعض مناطقه و الملئ بالندوب.

لربما تصدم حين تراه عن قرب. فكيف لشي يبدو بتلك السعادة من الأرض أن يبدو بهذا الحزن عن قرب؟

تقف عليه وحيداً و يبدأ حزنه يتسلل إليك، قد تتسائل عن سبب ذلك الحزن و ربما لا يتسع عقلك لاستيعابه فتغرق في حالة من الصدمة و قد تنهار باكياً على حاله.

.

 بالرغم من كل هذا الحزن الذي يملؤه أجد نفسي أحدق إلى وجهه في كل ليلة يظهر فيها،

أجلس أنا و فنجان القهوة مترقبة إنقطاع الكهرباء عن الحي حتى لا يعود هنالك ما يزعج قمري و يشتت انتباهي عنه. أجلس على حافة الشرفة و أنظر إليه. فكلانا يعلم شيئاً لا يعلمه الآخرون.

نجلس سوياً في صمتنا المطبق، فنحن أصدقاء قدماء لا نحتاج لكي نتحدث ليفهم كلانا الآخر.

يجعلني أتساءل أحياناً ما مصير أهل الحزن؟ فالقمر صاحب الخبرة في هذا المجال، فهو متوقف في هذا الزقاق من الكون منذ أربعة بلايين سنة ونصف. هل كان حزيناً منذ ولادته؟ و هل سيبقى حزيناً حتى مماته؟ هل سيتمكن من الابتسام بصدق يوماُ ما؟

يحيرني قمري.

ولكن حيرتي هذه لا تزيد سوى حبي له.

أحبه بالرغم من مزاجيته و حزنه و حداداه. فهو محاربي القديم و صديقي الدائم.