The strength comes from pain by Maroua, Algeria

Life is not a piece of sweet chocolate, life is much more complicated than that.

It is a mixture of joy and sorrow and it can’t just be always bright, there must be some darkness to complete the image of life and to appreciate it. You can’t be strong in facing life issues if you don’t suffer, that’s what I deeply believe.
At the time this happened,  I was supposed to pass my baccalaureate exam. The special thing about me is that my best friend was not someone close to my age, he was my uncle,  in fact not only a best friend he was my support, my protector, my role model. With his principles and moral values, with his humbling character, with his pure soul, and smiling face even in the worst times.  

My uncle got sick, like seriously sick, the diagnosis proved that he had cancer and only had a  few months to live. In the beginning, I was in shock and depressed and I was even avoiding him just because I was not ready to accept the fact that he would not be there any more. I even was neglecting my studies. Crying days and nights and that was all.
One day I was walking, then I found a lady crying on the street I was curious to know the reason behind her tears, I asked her what was wrong with her, she replied ‘nothing’!  I wish I had another chance, then she left.
I kept walking in a long path and the only thing I was thinking of was her words wishing for another chance! The first thing that came into my mind at that time was my dying uncle…

My legs took me directly to the hospital to see him for the first time after a whole month.

The section of cancer was fully yellow, with painful faces, dying souls, who are still holding onto life in their deepest pain, smiling to the passengers as if they were encouraging them deep inside that they were in need of courage… I found it in my uncle’s room.
He was in a deep sleep just like an angel. I held his hands robustly, he stared at me with carefully appraising eyes… I felt his heartbeats in my ears. He had dazzling completeness of beauty at that moment …With his yellow face and tired soul.

I apologized from him and tried to hug him so hard I just kept crying… He smiled as usual and comforted me by saying that death will be his relief and that he is not leaving me, that it was his destiny and his mission reached its limits. Then he said “you have always to be strong, remember the mixtures of black and white keys on a piano give great music, and the same for life, joy and sorrow construct a life. Keep dreaming, keep smiling until the last moment “

In fact, his words were helpful to carry on my path. After a couple of months, he died. His last words were to stay strong for him.

I promised him that I will fight for it, I actually did. I passed my exams and I succeeded with high grades. I still visit his grave today to say that I’m keeping my promise and I’m strong. In fact whenever I face a problem I just go to his grave and talk and say anything I think of. Also whenever I feel tired and hopeless I just recall his words, “stay strong, fight for it”
Actually I have faith in Allah and I do understand and believe in destiny that was his destiny and I respect that.

Now, I still believe in his words, I really need his words at this time… my father now has cancer, so you can say that I’m having the same destiny again, but with a different soul. I’m not crying day and night, I’m passing my final exams, studying hard. Holding my father’s hands so strongly doing whatever it takes to cure him, I’ve taken him to many hospitals, many doctors, keeping hope that he will stay with us.

This is just one example of the important work produced YaLa’s citizen journalists, a program funded by the European Union’s Peacebuilding Initiative in order to enable young leaders from across the Middle East and North Africa to document and share their experiences of the region.