Reflections Before Bedtime #72

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I was catching up on podcasts, and I *so* enjoyed listening to one of my favorites, BBC: World Have Your Say. I love hearing the diverse guests call in and comment on interesting international topics. I was listening to Egypt Protests Five Years On.

It took me back to five years ago: I was at The Hub, a lounge and food court type area at The University of Florida. I had rushed from a journalism class to go to the lounge and watch Al-Jazeera, live from Tahrir Square, when Mubarak stepped down. It was just me and like three international students from the Middle East watching the screen. Isn’t it crazy to think of how time flies? Do you remember something historic you lived through or observed? It’s interesting to remember…

According to a BuzzFeed quiz, I am an ancient soul. Sometimes, we take these ridiculous quizzes that tell us what we already know. I always cringe when I hear that, but I know it’s true. I feel old. I am not, but inside, I feel like I have lived 100 years. It irks me, but with every year that goes by, I accept it more and more.

My friend pointed out that I was listening to this podcast for fun in my spare time. Hmmm… Somethings don’t change over time, just like many countries didn’t change after the Arab Spring. The young journalism student who found inexplicable joy in getting to the library early to grab a new, glossy copy of The Economist, still listens to BBC for fun and scans the magazine rack for Foreign Policy. *Sigh* I am hopeless, at this point.

The truth is, I was young enough to watch the protests in Egypt while in college, but my soul was old enough to care.