Reflections on and at the Reflecting Pond

When I first started to wander around the University of Central Florida, discovering the place where I will be spending quite some time of my life, I was absolutely taken by the beautiful fresh wet greenery and the neatly fit scenery (reciting after the mythical singer Abd el Haleem Hafez; Al ma2 wal 5udra wal wajh al hasan.. with a slight different reference :))
The Reflecting Pond though, which is genuinely located in front of yet another huge stop, the library, happened to be my favorite lunch place. Even the light and, during summer time, PRECIOUS breeze used to bend a little over the fountain conveying to me a refreshing kiss while enjoying my lunch under the hot sun at the Reflecting Pond.

Not a long while ago I passed by the pond to see some preparations going on

Students, staff, professors and visitors tried to make themselves as comfortable as they could on the other side of the fountain

and i took my spot as well, waiting in anticipation until everything got in place, and i enjoyed an open air, outdoor concert at the Reflecting Pond




that night was so perfectly lit and filled with amazing music, i left the pond and took the music with me..


A couple of weeks after, other kind of preparations were taking place and students gathered again at the Reflecting Pond, but this time with wet eyes and shocked hearts lighting candles in memory of the Virginia Tech victims..



that dark, sad and heavy night was not allowed to pass all dark, it was lit by hope of a better tomorrow..


and again i left the pond but took some thoughts and questions with me. The Virginia Tech incident was a shock for me and i figured out that innocent lives are lost whether in classrooms or on battlefields, 32 old and young souls were lost that day and hundreds of other souls are lost every single day in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon, but what sank deep into my heart was the idea that victims turned into mere numbers!! these lives of sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, teachers and students, friends and more.. with all major and fine details.. these lives of x-years turned simply into a number count!!
The Virginia Tech incident left me with yet another insight on a different matter that i may share in another post to come..

but the most important thing is that nights are not supposed to pass dark no matter what they hide under their black coats..

on May 5th, i was at the Reflecting pond again, wearing my graduation gown and hood, and holding my certificate in an attempt to frame some memories and forget some others..

That Pond, for sure, witnessed many gatherings, held many stories and kept many secrets.. some just sank in the shallow water and some were carried by that same precious breeze while other dreams are being born elsewhere, as long as nights are not allowed to pass unless always lit..