Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank you for being here today, to share with us this great moment.

Two years ago, while waiting at checkpoints, or chatting outside about our concerns, we thought that this day would never come. We longed to spend quality times during the week-ends with our families, spouses and children. But today, we have conflicting feelings. We are happy that our hard work was crowned by this event and that we are going to assume a normal life again. Sad, that we are leaving BU at which we spent great times with great friends. We are not going to complain about studying and the high workload, we are not going to bother Andrea and Dr. Fadi any more. We are not going to chat with our professors during the coffee breaks -5 minutes (European timing), 15 minutes (Palestinian timing). We are going to miss every moment. And I’m going to miss each and every one of you my friends.

I’m going to miss the comments and jokes of Nabeel, Hanna, Saeed and Hatem; the wisdom of Kayed, Maher, Nader Abu Amsha, Reem and Amjad (our spokespersons); the softness and loyalty of Lubna Bandak and the friendship of Fadi and sweet Samia, Rana, Carol, Dina and Tanya. I’m going to miss the company of Rami, Issa, Hanna, Margheritta, Nabeel and Dina on the roads and at checkpoints; our feminist Nader Raheil, Fahd’s sense of humour and knowing everything, and the chivalry of Eyad and Rami.

Please allow me to share a couple of minutes with you about what MICAD means to me personally. Before the Intifada started, I spent two years looking for a scholarship to continue my education abroad. I got accepted at the University of London among other 15 students from all over the world. But as the Intifada started I could not go. Later I had children and it was impossible for me to leave my kids and follow my dreams. So, when I heard about the MICAD program, I thought that it was God’s gift to me from the sky. I thought that God must have read my mind and inspired someone to think of this program that was tailored just for me and my needs. It gave me hope that I still can give and produce no matter what the constraints are.

Seeing the wall every time, getting humiliated at checkpoints and reaching home sometimes late at night were so frustrating. I wished sometimes to have a magic stick that makes the wall and checkpoints disappear. Eventually, it turned out that the magic stick in the fairy tales exists in real life. It is called the will. The will to survive, continue and succeed no matter what the obstacles are. The occupation did not succeed in letting us bend or in shattering our dreams. It just made us stronger.

However, we could not have been here today without the help and support of many people. Our gratitude goes to the people who created, managed and sponsored the program. To the people who worked and still work hard to make it succeed and make other dreams come true.

To each and every one of the staff and professors, I wish to express grateful acknowledgement for their support and hard work.

Allow me to seize this moment to show my gratitude to my family:

To my parents, for sacrificing their careers and comfort, for having to tolerate checkpoints on a weekly basis, for the last couple of years to take care of my kids while I was at BU, so as not to worry about them.

To my dear husband (Haitham) and children, for their patience, support, standing and understanding my absence and preoccupation for quite along time. (Nader, you have a competitor now).
Finally, allow me to thank my supervisor and director, Dr. Cairo Arafat, for her support, guidance and believing in me, the Belgians, for funding me in the program and the Italian cooperation for helping me and some of my colleagues in getting permits.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my special colleagues, for their support and faith in me. For the great and unforgettable moments I spent with them. Andrea and Dr. Fadi, this would not have been possible without your guidance, patience and practical assistance. I’ll never forget you.

Thank you,

Lubna Iskander (BU MICAD ’07)
Head of EU Department
DG of Aid Management & Coordination
Ministry of Planning
Tel.: 02 297 30 10/8
Fax.: 02 297 30 12
Mobile: 0599 659 169
liskander@mop.gov.ps