Youth Talk

Introductions have always been tough for me. Regardless of how passionate I might be about a certain topic I’ve always struggled to put pen to paper and actually begin. Ah, the cursed life of a notorious procrastinator.

   It’s upon overcoming that initial obstacle that open sesame is unleashed. As bizarre as it may sound, I’ve actually spent three hours staring at a blank screen, followed by 20 minutes of adrenalised typing.

   That sensation of finally expressing yourself honestly feels like magic. Achieving that level of fervour almost compensates for all those hours of mind-numbing frustration. And yet, for the first time, I find myself unable to overcome that initial hurdle. 

   Knowing that this will be my last ever YouthTalk column, it is hard to not be overcome by the sudden wave of nostalgia. It’s insane to think about how fast the past year has sped by.

I still remember the immense feeling of satisfaction I had seeing my first piece printed. For years I had eagerly followed previous YouthTalk columnists’ work in awe. I marvelled at their witty insights into the general human experience and just knew I wanted to be given the same opportunity.

   And after a year full of experiences, I have to thank my dear old Editor Stan. I can’t appreciate enough the creative freedom you gave me; the jestful email correspondence and most importantly for giving me this position.

   To all the readers who were kind enough to give my column a glance, I sincerely hope I haven’t scared you all away. I’m not always a politically-minded, hotheaded teenager, I swear!

   To all the people who approached me with compliments, or discussion points related to my article, I can’t express how happy and forever grateful I am.

   Change is in the air and indeed it is time to move on.

My A-level exams are rapidly approaching and the stressful preparations have begun.

As for future plans, provided I meet my admission offer, I am eagerly looking forward to the exciting prospects of studying Law at University College London (UCL).

   As we often say in the Middle East, inshallah this won’t be my last time writing for such a platform. But if it is, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Thank you.