A Dreamer's Dream

Every pro-democracy seeking Libyan is now dreaming of the day when Gaddafi would be ousted... for good! So many times we've heard people saying on TV or commenting online that they want nothing but for him to go. Months have gone by since the beginning of the uprising in Libya, and this dream still remains a bit far-fetched.

Earlier today, I was chatting with a friend of my in Palestine, and we were talking about dreams, what they mean and how to interpret them. It's amazing how dreams are signs from God that, in a way or the other, assist us in determining a few things in life. Dreams sometimes give you hope, but very often scare you.

Last Saturday I dreamt that Libya was finally liberated. In the dream, it was a Friday and a Friday that preceded the beginning of Ramadan. Get it? Ramadan this year is either this coming weekend or the beginning of next week. And this Friday is the last one before the holy month!

I woke up excited and full of hope. It felt great in the dream. How would it be like in real life!?

Have you ever had a dream that really happened in real life?

The thing with me, is that I dream of wars... and they eventually happen :( Freaky, I know!

I remember back in 1998 I dreamt that Iraq was under invasion... and it was just horrible. Almost five years later in 2003 the war started there...

This yearو around February 17th, I had a horrible vision of war in Libya. In my dream, I was in my hometown Sirte at one of my aunts' house. There was a huge rumble outside, like thunder, but very bellowing it shook the whole place. I peered outside the window and saw a Beoing 747 nearing the ground. That was really weird, because, Sirte's so tiny and surely its airport's capacity wasn't suitable for such planes. The plane got eerily near to the earth and everything was so quiet all of a sudden. I looked on, horrified, as the plane crashed into a line of houses in the city. Shaking madly, I ran out of the house and found people running around with no direction. I saw my Dad and was about to tell him what I saw, but he stopped me and said that he knows and he'll deal with it.

That's about it.

Days went by and the horror materialized before my eyes as news flashes of massacres and vandalism took place in Libya. The question then was: How worse can it get?

Now we all know.

Okay, I'm not this creepy person who claims to have extra-mundane powers with dreams that come true. In most cases, it can be labeled as a gift. I only get these visions every once in a while and I value them greatly, because they offer me insight on what is to come/what to do next... so to speak.

I love how God helps us make sense of this world through dreams. They are surely a blessing and I strongly believe in that, and to contemplate them is always worth it.

But don't try too hard if you keep reaching dead ends. Sometimes, if not most of the times, they're mere ramblings of your subconsciousness.

Did you have a similar experience with dreams you'd like to share? Comment below :)

Till next 'dream',

Hana S.

• i love how Allah helps us make sense of this world through dreams they are mere signs and i believe in them and contemplating them is always worth it

Why Do We Even Bother?

It's none of my business.

                            Why should I care?

                                                No, thanks. I'm fine the way I am.

                                                                                               ......

How many times have you heard these phrases and wished for real that you'd never hear them again... for a change?

Here's a better one:

Someone seizes an opportunity in an odd way and says, "I'm entitled to it. This is my share from the government."

Your share? Okay, nobody's gonna touch your share. But have you asked yourself whether you're taking it the rightful way?

Not so sure about that, eh? 

So, people start doing the same and crowding others to get their "share" or whatever (a scholarship, a loan, a car, a job...) without thinking twice of how they're approaching their goal. I'm not against seeking a better life. On the contrary. I'm just referring to those who slip tips inside their applications (per se) or pressure an "acquaintance" to put his file on top of the others because he's got a football match he doesn't want to miss...

I mean, will you seriously be content with your gain later on?

My point exactly.

The revolution in Libya was a sensation to almost all of us (yeah, never forget them Pro-Gs). Signs of liberation and relief was quite evident in the (then) newly freed cities, namely Benghazi and Misurata. 

Question of the day: Have you ever seen a Libyan pick up a broom and clean the streets? Voluntarily??

I sure haven't.

That's the difference between living in an era ruled by Gaddafi and another one that's not. This guy never planted in us the love of our country... in his reign. He was busy tending to his theory and making sure we all knew his phrases. He also made sure we were stuck on the fact of who's better than who, this tribe or that. But when it came to some kind of problem or legislation, he'd pompously say, "It's not my problem. I granted you authority to rule yourselves so you figure it out."

Meh?

And that's why, to an extent, we led a meaningless life... a life of selfishness. When we clean outside our houses, we make sure we do not exceed our doorstep (Yes, that does not include the two feet between us and our neighbors). So why do we even bother? Our leader doesn't...

He just doesn't.

Which should've made us wonder earlier than now... how did we tolerate all this?? How did we tolerate him? An unfair leader. A criminal!

So, now that he's out of our dictionaries, we are seeing brighter days and more still to come. My brother in Misurata said the city's never been this clean!! Now we care! This land is now truly ours and we're gonna make it look better so we can live better.

Cleaning the streets merely as an example of a series of my country's downfalls throughout the years. And it is but a significant event that turns the head ... that this is actually happening T___T

I'm so proud of our youths. It is sad that they did not get any schooling since February, yet, they have instead made good use of their extra time to do good. Imagine how constructive this is going to be on their characters once they become adults? Or how they're going to pass it on to the next generations... the trait of caring for our homeland.

It will not be amiss...

Till next time,

Hana S.

Advice From A Dying 40 Year Old

In Unity... There is strength

في الاتحـــــــــــــــاد قــــــوة

Remember that story we took when we were in third grade? The one in which a dying father advises his seven sons to remain as one after he passes away? Okay, if you don't even know it, it goes something like this in brief:

So, as I mentioned above, a dying father gathered his seven sons at his death bed for his final request. He gave each one of them a stick and asked them to break them. Naturally, the sticks broke easily. Next he showed them a bunch of seven sticks tied together and passed it to each one of them, asking them to break the bunch. Even the strongest son wasn't able to do that. That's when the father advised them to remain together as one bunch that no one can ever break, and not live as separate, vulnerable individuals..

:)

Oddly enough, I was reminded of this story at the break of our uprising in Libya. The past 40 years or so is more like that dying father. Frail and useless, yet provided us with this one last request. To stay together as one in order to defeat our enemy and gain freedom. 

I was happy to see many of us Libyans have stuck together during these merciless events. Online and on the ground. A clear message to Gaddafi's regime that we are united as people and we love each other no matter how hard they want to tear us apart.

We have proved our strength in the battlefields, fiercely fighting our opponent. We have proved our compassion with our prayers, aid convoys, emotional support, and generous donations.

Like it or not... we are one!

It's amazing that no one has stopped to throw blame at the past generation for not reacting to the regime earlier... because we know what it's like to be in fear. We hate it -definitely not proud of that feeling- but it's a fact that we grew up realizing. And because we have respect for the previous generation, we have more than willingly marked the starting point of the end.

Once more, I'd like to shed light to the strictly monitored cities of Sirte, Sabha, Tarhuna, Juffra and many others. There will come a day. I have no idea what to expect from those on the inside, but I'm positive that those on the outside (abroad) are doing a great job supporting Feb17. 

On facebook we are a lovely family. Sirte and Sabha pages are doing well to show the true image that Gaddafi has marred for more than four decades. Admins are truly respectful and are patient with those who feel contempt just because those cities did not publicly react.

We understand their feelings, but that does not give them the right to go hating on others. It's nasty to judge something you know nothing about and to make assumptions with no evidence is equally as mean.

Can we listen to the dying 40 year old period and stick together? And then tend to pleasing our personal egos? 

Thank you.

Till next time,

Hana S.

Smile, Though Your Heart Is Aching :)

Smile though your heart is aching

Smile even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by

There's this weird smile on my face... my tired face... that woke up at 9am today to the ringing phone -__-

It was my brother in Misurata. He had told me yesterday that he'd be going to a cyber café, saying that it would be early in the morning. The warning didn't help, but I got up anyway and scrambled to turn on the PC.

As always, it was great to see him. Yes, he's lost a lot of weight in comparison to the last time I saw on webcam (back in April) but it's nice that he's smiling. There was a man next to him speaking loudly with someone on the internet, giving him a number... we couldn't help but laugh. The number was long, and I told my brother that maybe it was a code or something... his eyes teared with laughter ^_^ cute!

Ah, well. He said he was bored like Hell... there's definitely no sign of schools reopening anytime soon, and I'm really worried about how this will turn out. I know the important thing is that everyone is safe and sound, but it kinda makes you upset that thousands of students are kept on hold just because of that evil G-Jerk.

My brother told me about our neighbor's son who had been in Benghazi at the beginning of the uprising, and when he came back to Misurata and saw his peers, he teased, "Man, are you guys on drugs?"

-___- heehee ... yeah, because, just like my bro, many of them lost weight.

What's interesting is that my bro had grown an afro during the first couple of months of the revolution, and now it's all gone as he shaved it all. So, from being Abu Shafshufa بوشفشوفة he's now Muzeel Elbatsha مزيل البطشة

looooool

Good to look at things in a light manner, don't you think? This crisis has taken its toll on all Libyans... yet it has provided us with loads of comical material! ^___^

So, just smile... Libya will be okay

Till next time,

Hana S. 

Once Upon A Time In Libya...

Remember how we used circle around our grandmas or relatives to hear stories of the long gone past? We'd hear fascinating tales, both true and fantasy... all for the cause of getting a moral out of previous experiences.

Definitely, many Libyans around the globe, and in Libya too, are longing for such a gathering with family and loved ones... wanting to hear tales and accounts from those who have lived February 17th revolution.

Every time I contact my family in Misurata, I am told, "When we get together, we'll tell you all about it." And I can't wait. Though they've been leaking some stories every now and then, I would wish they were in front of me, so I could see their expressions, their true emotions as they recall the horrors of a tyrannic regime.

They are now glad that the situation is less dangerous than it was a few months ago in Misurata. Now they can freely wander about the city, visit relatives, go shopping, and see the remnant destruction of complete barbarians. 

As much as they're happy with their proclaimed freedom, as much as their major worry now is channeled towards the Freedom Fighters in the front lines. It is with Allah's mercy that these days the weather's quite mild for the month of June, and they keep praying for better weather to ease up their burden.

Yes, our neighborhood had its share from all the chaos. Two of our close neighbors were injured. One was shot by a sniper driving by in his car, another fell down an elevator shaft from the fourth floor while escaping Gaddafi thugs. Both survived miraculously. The former was taken to Egypt for medication, where he had one of his kidneys removed; the latter was lucky enough to have a visiting Italian surgeon operate on him before he was whisked to Tunisia. Incredible indeed.

Another neighbor was killed by a foreign mercenary (sadly from an Arab country). When the mercenary was captured, they took him to the mother of the deceased, where she took her revenge by killing him with her own hands.

Horrific, isn't it?

Well, there's more...

It's antagonizing to know that liberated cities such as Benghazi and Misurata are still suffering from Pro-Gaddafi loyals who seem to operate behind closed doors.

My sister said that in Misurata, certain areas have been volunteering to provide Freedom Fighters on the front lines with meals and any kind of supplies they might require. It was sad to hear that some food almost took the lives of those who ate it. It was poisoned. Another tale? Freedom Fighters received a Libyan pasty called "Sfinz", but couldn't eat it as fighting had commenced. When they returned, they found a cat lying motionless after it had eaten from that pasty...

So eerie and depressing.

Freedom Fighters even discovered that an old lady was firing an RPG from her house! I mean, what the Hell is that?! 

*sigh*

One can only pray for our fighters' safety from these goons... I mean... Gaddafi is a goner no question to that inshallah... what are they still clinging on to?

That's merely proof of what this regime is all about. A bunch of lousy people being herded like goats with Gaddafi's stick...

 We ask Allah for peace نسأل الله السلام

Till next time

Hana S.

Sirte The Stigma... Till When?

So last post was more like a second rant of some sort, and I feel the liberty to do so once I'm sensing injustice. Don't you?

Now, some might think, "Why can't she focus on the fighting going on in Libya, rather than racial conflicts?" Well, the answer is, I'm focusing on both. They go parallel in terms of importance. I mean, it's a hard thing to ignore once you find yourself subject to it almost everyday on facebook, and in real life before that. This to me is more like a challenge I intend on taking. The challenge to free us Sertawis from the misconceptions and myths that tag us around.

Some days ago, I mentioned on Twitter that I was working on establishing a page devoted to news from Sirte. The page is up and running since last Sunday. Though it's hard to get hold of any news from there these days, I think it's important that we have a voice. So far there are 17 members :) I wouldn't- didn't- expect much to begin with, because, I know truly well that they wouldn't want to be mistaken for a Pro just because they like this page. The funny thing was the page attracted a Pro-Gaddafi (who had to be kicked out due to his inappropriate conduct) so, I hope you get what I mean lol

I do hope that by fighting to clear our marred history because of him I wouldn't be misinterpreted... Sirte, as many should well know, is not just Gaddafi and his people. And I wish that once all this is over, we could finally give it a rest.

Till next time,

Hana S.

Let Me Be... Let Libya Free

As far as I could remember, at least before the 21st century, Libya's main spite poured over Americans and the west. "America is our enemy," was Gaddafi's cliché phrase for ages every time he delivered a speech, and what made this concept more like a Libyan's motto was the American air strikes on Libya back in 1986.

There is a limit to almost everything. Even when doing good deeds one should be moderate (This is merely my POV btw)

And speaking of moderation... do I sense a decline in facebook big-mouths lately? XD I am totally ecstatic! Like whenever Libyans would come out with a video stating they're with the revolution and anti-Daffy (Gaddafi), loads of member would backlash yapping about how late these statements are and what not. Now, if that ain't aggressive and hurtful, I don't know what is.

Basically, coming from a city, which I predict would be like the last city to make a move due to the plague of Pro-Daffys there, these kinds of acts are pretty depressing and demeaning.

This was noticeable to me ever since Misurata had been liberated about a week ago (if not more?) ... Why is it people make it sound like Libya's been liberated from this antagonizing regime? Aren't there other cities facing Hell day and night?

I am not a prejudiced person, nor am I racist, but to rejoice with one's victory then start lashing at others because they're not from a victorious city is mighty incongruous. And I don't really know if I have full right to make remarks about this, but this is something that has touched me and I've seen how others on facebook (not necessarily from Sirte) were taken aback as well.

Like we don't choose our own parents, we don't choose which clan we're born into. I'm sick and tired of people turning pale every time I introduce myself as being from Sirte '___' I mean, logically, why relate a whole bunch of people to one individual?? Don't give me that "One rotten apple ruins a bunch", the other ones get rotten just because they chose to stick to it, and by that, I mean all pro-Gaddafis on this planet!


*sigh*

To be cont....


Till next time,

Hana S.