Latest Posts by ofzahras - Page 4
where: outside of the new york public library open: to anyone!
A drawn-out sigh escaped Zahra's lips as she stared at the massive, blue Ikea storage bag filled with books to the point where it would be a miracle if the bag remained intact for the last few steps. It had become evident she would not be finishing - or even opening - most of them in time, and paying late fees for the lot didn't exactly appeal to her. So, there she stood, trying to steady her breathing before entering the building. Evidently she needed to invest in a gym membership if she were to start lugging dozens of unread books on a weekly basis.
Feeling someone's presence next to her, she glanced at them almost sheepishly. "Don't ask," she muttered before flashing a nervous smile, "please."
Zahra studied the cover of the book that had caught her attention for a moment before thumbing through the pages as if trying to catch a word or a phrase that would solidify her decision to purchase the book. However, a voice clearly addressing her made her stop.
"Oh yeah?" she glanced at the young woman before turning her attention back to the book. "Just how annoying are we talking about, though? Is it a pain to get through it?" As much as she wanted distraction, she was of the opinion that life was far too short to be reading bad books. Besides, she certainly had a fairly handsome collection of unread books at home. "Thank you, though. It's good to have recommendations. It did seem pretty interesting."
who: ( open !! ) @bhqextras location: cover to cover
often times when maddox found herself with nothing to do, she would go to the bookstore. it was a knee-jerk reaction, fuck knows she had too many unread books already. but who couldn't resist the excitement of a new book? besides, it was commonly agreed upon that just being in the presence of books was fulfilling enough. she was so enthralled by the stacks, she almost didn't notice the person beside her until she'd wandered far too near to them.
"if you're debating on whether or not to get that one, you should know it's my favorite. though, i'll be honest, the main character is a bit annoying at first. have faith in knowing it is an integral part in the story. i promise she gets way less insufferable."
Zahra shook her head as she pocketed her phone. Lately she had been eager to seize any opportunity to avoid doing anything work-related, and a chat about bumblebees with a stranger seemed like a good distraction. "I can confidently say I had no idea, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Bugs are weird." She shrugged. "Couldn't imagine that either. I guess it would help them to have a wider field of vision, right?"
open @bhqextras
where: somewhere outside
"Did you know that bumblebees have five eyes?" Marina asked the nearby person. Looking at the fuzzy bumblebee perched on her hand, she grinned. "Two big ones, three smaller ones. Could you imagine having more than two? I think it would be neat, but that would also be a lot of contacts to go through in a day."
[ aiysha hart, cis woman, she/her ] — whoa! ZAHRA HAMED just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for TWO MONTHS, working as a POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER. that can’t be easy, especially at only 34 YEARS OLD. some people say they can be a little bit OBSTINATE and RESTLESS , but i know them to be OPEN-MINDED and RESOURCEFUL. whatever. i guess i’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to QUEENS! —
![[ Aiysha Hart, Cis Woman, She/her ] — Whoa! ZAHRA HAMED just Stole My Cab! Not Cool, But Maybe](https://64.media.tumblr.com/ae5a8cbd721d5d57d18ac86561eb127c/4aec854bd140c092-e5/s400x600/0e9726c691a766da98907c365941fdafafc6059a.gif)
here's zahra's pinterest for the vibes.
FULL NAME: zahra hamed DATE OF BIRTH: may 11, 1990 GENDER & PRONOUNS: cis woman, she/her
ORIENTATION: bisexual OCCUPATION: postdoctoral researcher PLACE OF BIRTH: minneapolis, minnesota FAMILY: mother, father PETS: a black cat called circe
HEIGHT: 5′10′’ HAIR COLOUR: dark brown EYE COLOUR: dark brown
trigger warnings: mentions of religion, infertility, emotional distress, and smoking.
she’s an only child, born to a mixed race and interfaith family. her christian mother and muslim father brought her up in an environment where questions were encouraged and zahra was taught to argue her views and research new ideas.
despite her status as somewhat of a miracle child - her parents had already come to accept they wouldn’t be able to have children of their own due to a host of fertility issues - zahra grew up knowing a lot was expected of her. both of her parents had grown up with very little and had been able to use education as their way out of difficult home situations. she doesn’t resent her parents in the slightest, but sometimes wonders what her life would now look like if she been given just a bit more space and freedom to discover and make mistakes. still, she’s grateful for the drive her parents instilled in her as it has helped her to keep going even during times of distress. that being said, she has unfortunately picked up a host of rather unhealthy coping mechanisms for said stressful situations.
after graduating from high school at the top of her class, zahra packed her bags and moved to durham, north carolina, where she would go on to attend duke university, studying religion and philosophy. she later completed her phd in columbia university, writing her thesis about religious dialogue and pluralism.
while her life hasn’t always been easy or uncomplicated, it has been rather streamline. she has struggled and put in an enormous amount of hard work to get where she is now, but things have generally gone well for her. however, she has recently gone through something of a personal crisis and is really struggling to find her feet again. to put it simply, zahra has become wildly disillusioned with the academia and is suddenly really not sure she’s happy with her choices in life.
her postdoctoral research has now taken her back to new york city where she conducts research in and around the city. well, that’s what she’s supposed to be doing. however, she has run into a real slump and is struggling to get anything productive done. her self-esteem has taken a hit due to the resent developments, as her sense of self has been so deeply intertwined with her academic and professional success. she previously did a disappearing act, leaving her life in nyc behind, and is currently trying to get her shit together. trying being the operative word. she knows she doesn’t have the time to fuck around, but that’s kind of exactly what she’s doing.
will become visibly grumpy when asked about the state of her research project. that being said, she is procrastinating by researching other things, and has, amongst other things, taught herself french while trying to avoid all her responsibilities. she will soon start picking up and abandoning all sorts of fun pastimes in the hopes of distraction.
while she can be bit of a hermit - she spends most of her time alone, trying desperately to read and write, or avoiding said activities - zahra isn’t the sort of shy, serious person people might expect her to be. she can be incredibly talkative and opinionated, even downright bossy, and genuinely enjoys meeting new people. sometimes she just needs a friend to drag her outside.
looks kind of intimidating unless she’s making a conscious effort to appear approachable. while evidently very intelligent and well-meaning for the most part, zahra sometimes struggles when it comes to socialising and pleasantries.
zahra back arrived to nyc around two-ish months ago, so here are some super vague connection ideas for anyone interested!
the stress has led to a lot of sleepless nights, resulting in her becoming a real night owl. she can be spotted frequenting places that are open late, and can be found chain-smoking and scrolling endlessly on social media. she would've undoubtedly run into some folks with similar schedules and habits.
any people with fun, interesting hobbies. after forming some sort of a connection, she would undoubtedly pester these individuals to teach her stuff. your girl needs to be distracted from the looming doom of her research project.
zahra enjoys noisy music. so, a person willing to accompany her to gigs around the area. she's happiest when it's so loud she can't hear her own thoughts.
definitely people she met while doing her phd in nyc. she left the city a few years ago, but would've spent around five-ish years there before skipping town. she would've definitely had friends and even little romances during that time.
Academia is cool and sexy until I’m expected to do work
