As it turns out, this will be the 101st post on this blog. It’s taken exactly eleven months to reach this achievement, and while this might seem like a painstakingly long time, running this blog and dedicating its mission to the people of Palestine has been tremendously fulfilling. That said, I want to share with you some of the things I’ve come to experience writing for Sixteen Minutes to Palestine.

1. Maternal “wrath”

Writing takes time, especially when writing for a blog that seriously intends to change the status quo and advocate for the self-determination for Palestinians by promoting justice and truth. The way I see it, operating this blog may consume some of my time but the purpose is important and necessary. The way mama sees it, on the other hand, operating this blog means I’ve secretly dropped out of the pre-med track! It’s likely that she’s reading this and wondering whether or not I have homework to complete and whether or not I’m going to come clean and finally tell her I’ve switched to a political science major.

Just so we’re all on the same page though, I’m still a pre-med/biology major.

Nevertheless, many of my most prominent experiences as a blogger have been those involving my mom. She raised me to be who I am and I have no problem saying she knows me more than I know myself. It’s nice to know that she continues to support my ambitions as a writer, and her “wrath” (which is really just a matter of traditional Arab-style motherly concern) is much appreciated. It keeps me in check. Without it, I’d most likely spend entire days and nights reading and writing everything unrelated to my studies. [Read more...]