QUARANTINE - DAY 35 - 9th April 2020
"That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"
William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
No new cases in Palestine today. When I was speaking to a friend in Bethlehem today about the pros and cons of children across the world studying and doing exams online, he reminded me that this is in fact not always applicable in Palestine as many families do not own computers. Israa, a young woman from Bethlehem talks about how she is continuing her university studies online:
I am Israa from Beit Sahour, the neighboring town to Bethlehem and Beit Jala. The quarantine period started on the day I had an exam at my university which then had to be postponed because of corona. I thought it was just a disease that would go away after the 14-day quarantine period had been observed.
However, with the passing of time, I became certain that it was not going to be easy, as cases increased in Bethlehem, and that it would take longer than a month. I started spending my time at home - spending time with my family and doing homework. I followed up on the latest news of corona and new cases every day and I participated in virtual meetings online for my lectures. I spend some time playing with my brothers. Sometimes I played sports to keep my body healthy. Also, my family and I had planted summer crops in the land adjacent to our home and for the past ten days we spent our time on the land gardening, digging and preparing it.
I am now preparing for electronic exams. I study and revise in order to finish the course with good results. I have never left my home since the quarantine started. The only ones who leave the house are my brothers, who are now used to going out to get the necessary things and bring them home.
God willing, this ordeal will soon end and we will return to our normal lives...
https://www.bethlehem-town.com/
Photo courtesy of Mohamed Abu Haniyeh
