الشِّتاء
root: ش-ت-و / noun / definition: winter
To round off my program here in Doha, I presented my research paper last week, focusing on the image of Aleppo in the Arabic novel.
It was somewhat of a triumphant end, on a personal level, as I decided—instead of reading notes or preparing a speech—to improvise during the presentation. I wanted to get over the fear of being “unprepared” to speak in Arabic.
I think that fear now, الحمد لله, is receding at pace.
Since then, it’s been a busy few days.
A two-day conference. Networking. An F1 race. Rushed goodbyes. Dinner with new friends. Late nights. Long conversations over cups of tea losing their warmth, held between cold hands in the chill of early-December evenings.
I’m so glad I decided to cancel the trip that would have meant me missing out on these beautiful days here.
Part of me still feels like I’m leaving things unfinished, though.
But that’s okay. Because what a blessing it is to have people to miss and things to long for. And to have made a space into a place.
My mind runs through my post-return calendar now (…Akkadian classes, museum exhibitions, meet-ups…) and I try to tell myself it’s not a return but a continuation of sorts. And maybe I’m still trying to define or process what that means.
What I do know, however, is that winter seems brighter here. In more ways than one.
.إلى اللقاء
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