"A qualified doctor, he has recently been evacuated from Gaza to begin his studies at Queen Mary University of London on a fully funded, government-backed Chevening scholarship. As well as his work in hospitals, he has been striving for months on behalf of the dozens of Palestinian scholars like himself who have been stranded in war-torn Gaza awaiting evacuation by the British government to take up places in UK universities."
"It's a strange mixture of feelings, he said. Being happy, being stressed, sometimes being overwhelmed. Living in Gaza for 27 years, then getting here and being in London, it's completely shocking. The very basic things here are luxuries in Gaza. It's his first time outside Gaza and at the beginning even shopping was a challenge after war and famine, such abundance at the local market was overwhelming."
"After months of uncertainty, rumours and counter-rumours, Abdallah and the 33 other Palestinian scholars who made up the first cohort to leave Gaza for the UK finally touched down on 22 September, after a brief stopover in Jordan to complete visa requirements. A second group have arrived since and more are expected. He had hoped to have a bit of a break before starting his studies."
Abdallah is a 27-year-old qualified doctor evacuated from Gaza to begin studies at Queen Mary University of London on a fully funded Chevening scholarship. He worked for months to secure evacuations for dozens of Palestinian scholars, writing to officials and coordinating with academics and lawyers. Arrival in London followed a stopover in Jordan to complete visas. He experiences mixed emotions—happiness, stress and overwhelm—finding basic abundance unfamiliar after war and famine and struggling with separation from family. The first cohort of 34 touched down on 22 September, with further groups arriving and induction plans to help them settle.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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