It’s been about four months since my HeroPress essay was published, and a lot has changed since then. This post picks up from there, a small update on where life took me next, and what I’m trying to build moving forward.
I hesitated a lot before writing this. For a long time, I wasn’t sure if sharing any of it made sense. But then I thought maybe someone out there needs to be reminded that life doesn’t stop at one “second chance” sometimes it gives us many chances! even when we think we’re out of options.
So I decided to finally create my own blog, partly to encourage myself to write more, and partly to keep track of my progress as I rebuild my life here. Writing helps me stay grounded, and I want a space where I can look back and see how far I’ve come.
Arriving in Spain
I arrived to Spain in the middle of June. At that time, everything felt new and uncertain. I was still carrying the noise of the war with me, and it was hard to imagine what “normal life” could look like again.
But very quickly, something here made me breathe a little easier. I kept seeing Palestinian flags on the streets. People were kind, open, and genuinely supportive. That small sense of solidarity stayed with me, and it helped me feel that maybe I’m in the right place.
Taking care of myself
The first thing I focused on was my health. Months of stress had left their mark, so I tried to rebuild basic things: my sleep, my food, and my daily routine. Long walks helped clear my mind, and having some structure during the day made a noticeable difference.
My anxiety didn’t magically disappear – especially since my family and the people in Gaza are still living under impossible conditions – but it started to ease.
The genocide is still ongoing, and the situation in Gaza is still far from safe, but the pause in the large-scale attacks meant I could at least breathe without constantly checking the news every minute.
Rebuilding
I had to leave Gaza and start again from absolute zero, new country, new culture, new people, new language.
Now I’m rebuilding piece by piece:
- still writing code,
- still trying to create stability day by day,
- still learning how to belong in a place that is completely new to me.
It’s not easy, but it feels like forward movement, slow, steady, and real.
People who made Spain feel lighter
After I arrived in Spain, I reconnected with friends I had met through the WordPress community, who soon became very close. Through them, I was introduced to others from the Basque Country who welcomed me with genuine kindness.
Their warmth, their culture, and their strong support for Palestine made me feel understood in a way I didn’t expect.
Little by little, I started to feel that this is the place I want to stay, the people I want to live among, and the place I will call home.
Family on my mind
Even though life here is calmer, my thoughts are never far from my family.
My wife and my son Rami are still in Egypt waiting for the reunion process. I applied for asylum in Spain, and now I’m waiting for the next steps.
I think about my parents and sisters in Gaza every day. I haven’t seen them since March 2024, and I haven’t seen my oldest sister and her son since November 2023. We were separated when the north was completely cut off.
There were many nights when I couldn’t sleep, so I kept myself busy with code. But I always remind myself of one thing that gives me strength:
Nothing will ever befall us except what Allah has destined for us. He is our Protector.
Surah At-Tawbah – 51
This belief gives me patience and hope.
And through all of this, I keep thinking about Rami, his future, his safety, and the life I want him to have. He is the biggest reason I keep moving.
Exploring, learning, looking forward
I haven’t seen much of Spain yet, but the few places I visited left a strong impression on me. Barcelona and Donostia-San Sebastián were the first cities I explored, and I loved both, the atmosphere, the streets, the coastline, everything.
By the way, I built this slider with Telex AI in like 5 minutes 😅 if you like it, feel free to download it.
I want to see more, but for now my free time is going into learning new things. I’ve been diving deeper into AI and thinking about how I can build something useful for the WordPress ecosystem.
This still feels like the beginning of a long path, and I’m trying to take it one small step at a time.
What’s next
The biggest thing I’m waiting for is to reunite with my family. Everything else feels secondary.
In the meantime, I’ll keep writing here about tech, travel, and this journey of rebuilding life far from home.
If you’ve taken the time to read this, thank you. It means more than you might think.