Gaza

Last night I hung out with my buddy SH. I met SH years ago, at the job I will returning to on Monday, after 5 years of absence. We took a walk to Christiania, the "free state". Years ago, it was an orderly alternative to the world of Danish designer lamps and luxurious kitchen renovations. The main street in Christiania was lined with booths where marijuana and hash was sold openly under banners that said, Say No to Hard Drugs! It attracted tourists and natives hungry for vegetarian meals and a respite from the hustle and bustle of city life. Patches of grass offered itself along ponds where houses were constructed on land repossessed from the government for the people. Because marijuana and hash was not criminalized, there was a peaceful mood about it and Christiania burned hearthlike amidst the norm. The eclectic mix of passersby attested to its appeal which went beyond your average potheads.
Unfortunately, there's been a lot going down. Many, seeing prime real-estate, want the present inhabitants out. The presence of five-0 sharpens the air and as a result, I rarely ever go. But last night we decided to take a walk there.
The atmosphere was a relief. The streets teamed with people who seemed oblivious to the cold. We stood and admired the mixture of characters, the fires started out on the streets to create warmth. Strangers smiled and all seemed in general holiday cheer. And then suddenly BANG!
Denmark must not be far behind China in fireworks use! Every New Years Eve, and the days approaching it, fireworks are set off throughout the city. From the safety of my apartment, I enjoy watching the colors burst into the sky, only to dissipate and fall to the earth as burnt out dust. For as long as I have lived here, I have avoided going out into the foray. I don't know if its a direct response to experienced shoot-outs in my youth, but every time I'm close to a fireworks being fired, well, I can't help but think about people in war-torn areas. It makes me think about the parents who have to try to explain the noises to the kids, the destruction. It makes me think of the parents who have hide their fear from their kids as they wonder if their house is next? It makes me think of the mothers who try to calm babies as bombs are being dropped, indiscriminately, from the sky. Luckily SH felt the same as I and suggested we get the hell out of there, only to come home and watch the News and learn of what is happening in the Gaza strip.
I present to you again Suheir Hammad. Funny thing is, in preparing for my classes on Monday I returned to her autobiography Drops of This Story. Since many of my students are Middle-Eastern, I wanted to bring something in for them that I thought would speak to them. I really recommend this book and all else she has written. In these days, we must support each other in our commitment to peace.
Happy New Year.
the lab

P.S.
SH told me that the flooding in Bangladesh is a direct result of China's routine flushing of its rivers...