Freedom in Libya at last

Thank you all for asking about me and Pearl we are well and safe .

Over six months have passed since the first spark in February! Six months where Libyans have proven continuously to the whole world of what stuff exactly they are made.

It is not all over yet, some parts of our Great country ( and the adjective here is absolutely fitting still need help to be liberated, where complete safety still needs to be restored, where martyrs still need to be buried, prisoners released, injured treated and children reassured! But for sure the hardest part in the fight is over I hope.

Unfortunately many children including Pearl have lost the innocence of childhood, they know what a sniper is, and how a dead person looks, and the sounds of gunfire, and the sense that they cannot buy what they want, let alone what they need, they fear the security forces and are afraid of anything with a gun or uniform or to talk on the phone for fear of being overheard by someone who will harm the family. Pearl keeps drawing on her whiteboard an imaginary combat scene between the rebels and the Gaddafi militia where she says why don't the rebels pretend to give them presents as toys and have bombs hidden in those toys which will explode in the hands of Gaddafi's militiamen.

This had become her favourite game and it has been difficult to get her out of this mood. She kept saying "mummy is he not an evil man, why does not God make him go ?"

I wish it were that easy, it took so much doubts, hope, hopelessness, pain, sacrifice etc... to reach this point today where we are allowed to breath deeply and celebrate the achievement of the whole Libyan nation at their final attempt to unseat the Gaddafi dynasty. It has been a struggle of almost 42 years but at last this time it succeeded.

As a practical mom who does not have the luxury to rest but must think about the wellbeing of her child, I'm pleased that this is ending just in time for the new scholastic year to start. Pearl has passed her exams despite all the hardships. I am relieved to hear today during the press conference of Sarkozy and the Libyan NTC representative that schools will start on time in Libya. I'm currently unemployed because all foreign companies left hastily in the first week of the uprising but I'm not worried, we managed with so little for six months we can do it for longer and also there is going to be a hive of activity now to rebuild this country so I will surely find something I can do again.

I hope to return to love stories soon.

Meanwhile it is beautiful to see how much change there has been in the Libyan psyche, the wall of fear has been broken. Freedom is priceless.