Getting to know Karmel

Before creating this blog I constantly thought about what it is I should blog about. Should I blog about my personal and general interests, or should it be my online journal? Should I bring up politics or should I address my concerns for society?

One thing I knew for sure. I knew that which ever way I choose to run this blog, it should reflect everything that is me. To a huge extent this means that my blog will tell my personal story, but I'm not sure I have a story yet. It was soon after that I realized that this blog business is making me question who I am, and in that moment I found myself faced with the word discovery.

I then asked myself this question: What exactly about myself do I want to discover? I quickly had the urge to dig deep down. Heritage was the second word that came to mind. What truly identifies a person better than his own heritage? Born and raised in Jordan but originally Palestinian, my knowledge of my original heritage only comes in fragments. I don't mean to sound like a really biased Palestinian, but I think that the Palestinian heritage is probably one of the most fascinating in the world, and is really worthy of attention especially that it is in danger of being instinct; a fact I find highly critical and very sad. I immediately decided that on this blog, I will go through a personal journey of discovering my heritage, a huge part of my identity and a series of unanswered questions.

Could this blog only be about that? I have so much that I want to put out there and this blog is just the place. I then thought of my passions in life – les joies de vivre. Why not share them with others? Like many in this world, I look for the beauty in everything, which basically means that I don't really know what my passions are since I will quickly develop one as soon as I discover another beautiful thing. What I know though is that I have a passion for food, a constant urge to know how different ingredients are mixed together to make great flavors and to learn about the international cuisine. Another thing I know is that a great book exists as a gift to all mankind, truly great in every sense of the word, this book, through its stories will unfold to you everything that is beautiful in this world, and since it is beauty I look for, then where better to look for it than in the Holy Quran.
"Music is the universal language". I don't know who this quote belongs to but I agree and to that I might add: in it much beauty can be found. It can be the expression of every emotion and in that sense it is par excellence a very personal experience. Mine can't be put to words but on this blog I will try.

After making my mind up about discovering my heritage and exposing my passions, I still felt like there is more to be said. As limited as my experiences are due to my young age, I feel like some of them are unique. So on this blog, I will also write about my special experiences.

With limited knowledge of what goes on in the world, I still always feel concerned about some issues and particularly two. I am majorly concerned about the Palestinian crisis; how Gaza will be restored and how stability can be sustained amidst the threat of Israeli occupation and civil dispute. Other major concerns of mine are the negative influences on the upcoming generation. Being a teacher and working with teenagers made me realize this and worry. So with that said, I want this blog to be a platform of debate, where I can address these concerns and hopefully get valuable feedback. Of course, my mind is welcome to add any new concerns to this plateau.

Finally, I thought I'd add a completely spontaneous element to this carefully planned blog. I thought I'd designate a part of it to my floating thoughts. This is where I pay tribute to my father – Izzat Sajdi. On a blog entitled space, my dad lets his own thoughts float. How liberating! In that I find joy, and this is why I shall do just that as well.

That being the last of my ideas, I think I know how I'll run my blog. I would like to go back to the word discovery. I think of that word when I think of my heritage, as much of it is unknown to me, but in reality, pretty much every aspect of this blog will be my attempt to discover what my passions, experiences, concerns and thoughts are. Hopefully it will be the way my mind can grow, as I explore things and then write about them, it'll be an incentive to know more. Also hopefully (and this will require patience and probably some time) it'll be read by many people, and I'll get feedback on everything I put forward, because that can teach me great lessons and open my eyes and mind.

Pieces of my Palestinian Heritage, La Joie de Vivre, A Unique Experience, Debate and Floating Thoughts are the five constant topics you'll find here, under which I will explore some facts and mysteries!

* This blog is entitled Karmel. I love the sound of this word. Originally, Karmel is a mount along the coast of Palestine. It is also what my sister always says she'll call her daughter. To me, the word Karmel embodies beauty and is also largely a symbol of my intention of discovering my heritage. I felt it appropriate.