The Two Sides of Qalandia Checkpoint

The Real-life Captain Mageds: Stories of Neighborhood Soccer Teams and The Occupation

There is an image that has been haunting me for years. On first glance, there is nothing haunting about it, but if you know what I know, there’s a grave reality behind it. For now, this piece, which finally found a home on Sinking City, will be the last piece on the segment of “The Two Sides of Qalandia Checkpoint.” I hope to revisit this … Continue reading The Real-life Captain Mageds: Stories of Neighborhood Soccer Teams and The Occupation

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On Both Sides of The Atlantic: The Diasporic Life, Reflections of A Person Not From Gaza, Uncategorized

Science, Solutions, and Gaza

A few months ago, I presented on the promotion of hydroponics as a sustainable solution  for Gaza. I found myself constantly thinking, how sustainable is this? Then, a medical student asked. My latest piece on the Fair Observer. Solutions to the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Can Only Succeed if Occupation Ends Continue reading Science, Solutions, and Gaza

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Day-to-Day, On Both Sides of The Atlantic: The Diasporic Life, Time to Introspect, Uncategorized

On Ndaba Mandela’s “Going to the Mountain: Life Lessons from My Grandfather Nelson Mandela”: Reflections from Palestine

A few weeks ago, I came across Ndaba Mandela’s book Going to the Mountain: Life Lessons from My Grandfather Nelson Mandela in the library’s “Popular Non-fiction” section. I checked out the book and started reading, only putting it down when I had to get to something else. I won’t give a synopsis of the book here, but I wanted to write about four instances to which I, … Continue reading On Ndaba Mandela’s “Going to the Mountain: Life Lessons from My Grandfather Nelson Mandela”: Reflections from Palestine

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Day-to-Day, On Both Sides of The Atlantic: The Diasporic Life

On Writer’s Block: Reflections on the Loss of Words

i. The Over Six Months Period I haven’t typed in here or scribbled on pieces of tissue or written in a notebook in over six months. I’ve written words here and there, but I haven’t written a well thought out piece in over six months. There are always things to write, right? ii. Things to Write It isn’t like I didn’t have things I wanted … Continue reading On Writer’s Block: Reflections on the Loss of Words

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On Both Sides of The Atlantic: The Diasporic Life, Poetry, Uncategorized

Speaking of lemon trees and home: Late night Poetry

we speak of lemon trees that are, that aren’t. we speak of olive trees – one of the first things I noticed in the Diaspora was how the olives tasted different- and how home tastes different. the further away I am, the more time passes, home is different, but I think it still welcomes me even when it’s painful to write about because sometimes it … Continue reading Speaking of lemon trees and home: Late night Poetry

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Day-to-Day, On Both Sides of The Atlantic: The Diasporic Life, Time to Introspect, Uncategorized

The Lingering Smell of My Grandfather and Father’s Old Antique Shop

Some time around October of 2016, when I was still adjusting to moving back to New Orleans, I found myself stopping in front of a gate entrance with a “No Parking” sign on St. Louis in the French Quarter. I paused for a moment. I always passed by this, but a gust of air carried with it a familiar smell this time…a smell I could … Continue reading The Lingering Smell of My Grandfather and Father’s Old Antique Shop

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Day-to-Day, On Both Sides of The Atlantic: The Diasporic Life, Time to Introspect, Uncategorized

My Grandfather: A Story About His Birthday

A few months ago, I saw my father flipping through an old notebook filled with pages of Arabic handwriting. It was a notebook of poems my grandfather, Mustafa Afaneh, had written – some poems dated back to the 1970s. I took it from my father and put it on my desk. We needed to make copies of this in case it ever got lost, I … Continue reading My Grandfather: A Story About His Birthday

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On Both Sides of The Atlantic: The Diasporic Life, Time to Introspect, Uncategorized

“Where’s the sea?”: Conversations with the Little One

“Where’s the sea?” My youngest sibling asked. I’m sitting in a small coffee shop three blocks away from a river. “Do we even have one?” She continues. “Yes,” I sigh. “We have one.” “Well, I want to see it.” I remember the trips my high school used to take me on. We were next to the sea. The sea from “From the river to the … Continue reading “Where’s the sea?”: Conversations with the Little One

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Current Recurrent Affairs, Uncategorized

My friend’s a refugee: Conversations with The Little One

“My friend is from the Jalazone refugee camp,” my youngest sibling told me, in Arabic, one day as I picked her up from her last day of school this past May. I remember a performer from Sard’s* August Open Mic Night, who was also from the Jalazone refugee camp. Before he started rapping with a friend, he told the audience, “No one is born a … Continue reading My friend’s a refugee: Conversations with The Little One

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