Not even 2 years have passed since the first time I voted. I didn't think I'll be doing it again so soon.
June 29th, 2006: 10 a.m. I went with my cousin to vote. Waited 2 hours before I was able to go in. The line was long. The heat was terrible. At night, I, sisters, cousin and brother went to a tent pitched in Sa7at Il-Irada to keep an eye on the votes being counted in the company of a few people I've grown to admire during the Nabeha 5 days. We stayed there till around 2 am.
May 17th, 2008: 10:30 a.m. I went alone. Took half an hour to go in and tick. It wasn't too hot. I know I won't be spending the night at any tent, with other people whose aspirations are similar to mine. This election day is empty of those feelings of patriotism I had last time. More hope before? More stress this time?
Now back to my book. Conference paper won't write itself, unfortunately.
7 comments:
I think it's more stress..
يصير اكتب بالعربي
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It "can" write itself.... all you need is a happy thought and pixie dust :)
How do you like "Middlesex"? I was fascinated and couldn't put it down. The way it intertwined the stories of the different generations of the family living their lives amidst the Greek immigrant culture of the US during that period of history... the skeletons in their closet... the odd but cathartic ending (I dont know how far you have reached, so I wont say more). What I loved especially was the palpable relief Calliope finds living within the odd truth of who she/he is, the freedom and release of living within that reality and accepting it - as strange as it was.
Eugenides hooked me with his powerful "The Virgin Suicides", my favorite of his two books.
Hanan, do you know Jhumpa Lahiri? I have read the amazing "The Namesake" and am now reading "Unaccustomed Earth". Highly recommended.
Have fun at your conference :) Hope its in one of those great resorts at a plush five-star hotel. My friend just got back from one at Steamboat in Colorado and couldn't stop talking about how fantastic it was (sadly, she had no time to ski much to my dismay as a long time and once avid snow skier (albeit a bit rusty right now).
And about the voting - well... nothing more to say except I think we will be doing it again much sooner than 2 years this time, so get your box ticking fingers and jenseeya ready :/
ولد الديرة: يصير ليش ما يصير :) حيّاك
DS: It actually DID write itself :) Maybe I'm close to some pixie dust here after all. You must've had some delivered here ;)
Ms. Baker: I love the book. I, like you, enjoyed the story within a story and the fabricated historical/social/political air of it. My paper was actually about this relief Cal finally finds in living with himself. I'm exploring the reasons.
Conference went well. Thank you.
Never read Lahiri. I'll get a copy here. Never read the Virgin Suicides either, the movie did it fo me. Loved the story and loved Sophia Coppola's rendition of it. It was impressive.
The Big Apple isn't exactly a resort, but certainly my favorite city to be at. So yes. I'm enjoying the trip.
That is exactly what intrigued me about Cal/Calliope in the book, his being condemned to live with this amorphous gender and sexual identity, and all the baggage that came with that. There is nothing worse than having to live a lie that is imposed or forced upon you, except having to live the lie that one imposes upon oneself. It is an even more exquisite kind of torture, and Cal's situation was an unavoidable amalgam of the two in my opinion. I am sure your paper on it was brilliant.
Ahhhh Hanan... hope you have a chance to catch a show and eat some fiery enchiladas and sopapillas at Pancho Villas (one of my favorite NY Mexican places... there was one across from Dangerfields comedy club many years back, but I bet it's gone now, it's been a while for me). Glad you are having a good time, have a safe trip home :)
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