Uncontactable and Unread

اِختِفاء

root: خ-ف-ي / form VIII verbal noun / definition: disappearance

For those who have found me almost uncontactable—of whom I must mention: journal co-editors, my Akkadian teacher, and dear friends whose messages lie in wait in my Whatsapp unreads—I apologise for my unexplained disappearance.

You see, there was an unexpected meeting. Then, a chosen date; then rings exchanged; then a move to somewhere new. Now: here I am, on a balcony overlooking city lights and my suitcase only half-unpacked.

A whirlwind is probably the only way to describe it and I’m still swirling.

And as you can imagine, I’ve also been leaving my PhD work on unread. When was the last time I turned that novel’s pages? And how do I contact my second supervisor after two years of not even an email exchanged?

It seems I’m in between picking things up and putting other things down.

One thing I’m picking up soon is a six-month work placement with an Arabic literary magazine, which I’m due to start in December, إن شاء الله.

I finally got the approval from my PhD funding body to take half a year away from researching and writing my thesis to undertake a placement in my field of interest. This should also push my final thesis deadline to September 2027—which, I have to say, sounds nicer than March.

So, here’s to new beginnings and delayed endings. And to all those in-between moments when we’re just caught up with life.

It’s good to get your head out of the dictionary sometimes.

.في أمان الله