A letter to Chemistry
This morning I had my last O level Chemistry exam. While going through my books for one more time a few hours before the paper, I was swept by a wave of emotion as I realized that after today, I wouldn't be reading them again. My favourite way of dealing with all sorts of emotions is to write about them, so before long I was writing a letter to Chemistry. It may sound weird, but well, that's the way it is. So here you go.
Dear Chemistry,
I’m gonna miss you. Today is my last O level Chemistry
paper, and believe me when I say I will miss you. The ten months we spent
together were a quite enriched experience for me. From knowing almost nothing
about Chemistry, I have now acquired an understanding of and an appreciation
for it.
You were never as boring as Physics or as difficult as
geography. In fact, you were quite interesting and made sense – at least most
of the time. The concepts and formulas you taught me were logically appealing
and were things I could easily relate to real life.
You taught me to care more for myself and the
environment. You explained climate change to me in the simplest possible way.
You told me exactly how and why the ozone layer is depleting, and what – if
anything – we can do for it.
You made me more aware of the food that I am
eating and where it is coming from. You strengthened my conviction that
plastics are a terrible thing, and made me know why. By teaching me about
polymers, you influenced my clothing choices and convinced me that pure cotton
is the best thing to wear.
Making a cup of tea or coffee will never be
quite the same after understanding you, as I observe the chemical reactions
happening in it. While adding a pinch of salt to any food, I cannot stop myself
from imagining what its concentration in mol/dm3 would be. While
washing my hands with soap, I can’t help wondering which sodium salts it would
contain.
When people tell me they hate you, I don’t
quite understand what there is to hate about you. You exist in every single
thing we do in our daily life. By understanding you, I have a whole new way of
looking at the things we do every day.
Believe me dear, I never hated you. In fact,
I grew to love and respect you even more as I learnt more and more about you.
While studying you, I wondered if there was any truth to the exclamation; ‘Oh
my God, Chemistry is so difficult!’ Now I know there isn’t. That was just a
rumour.
I wouldn’t like to part with you so soon –
I’ve only just gotten to know you! But I must go now… it’s almost time for the
exam and I should be ready. After that, I might not be reading about you in a
textbook but simply observing you in life. But don’t worry; I’ll probably be
back soon to study you in even more depth and detail. There is so much more to
know!
Thank you for all that you have taught me,
and for making me realize that I still don’t know much and that there is so
much more to learn. Thank you for giving me the knowledge that has made me more
mindful and observant. Thank you for telling me the truth about things I often
take for granted.
Thank you.
From your faithful friend,
Fatima
Lovely Fatima. I am glad to see how deeply you relate with the essence of chemistry. May you continue to live in the most mindful and meaningful manner my daughter. I feel proud to be your father. Thank you dear for demonstrating the strength of self-study.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteMasha'Allah did you really prepare for the O'Levels Chemistry in just ten months time? Amazing how schools take around five years for same. And then we see people running away from Chemistry; like I did.
ReplyDeleteYes I did. Maybe taking so much time to study it builds up frustration for it.
DeleteThanks for the comment. :)
I really appreciated the way you elaborated it so profoundly and beautifully and much applaudable that u did prep in just 10 months for o levels.. hats off
DeleteMashaAllah! Wonderful piece of writing for the love of chemistry ☺ I appreciate that you take only 10 months to prepare yourself for the subject.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :D
DeleteVery thought provoking..... After reading your letter my love for chemistry grew more
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing such a wonderful essence of this subject.....
May Allah swt give you ilm e nafay and may you reflect more towards the real essence of each and everything Allah swt has given us..
We need more children like you in our society
Its honor to be part of such a wonderful family in form of ERDC.....
Keep reflecting
Best wishes and prayers
Faiza Aamir
Thank you for reading and commenting on it, and thanks for the dua. :)
DeleteLovely. Very motivational for students who are drawn away from the subject. Very motivational and thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteBushra Kamal
Thank you. :)
DeleteI'm so amazed to see such love for Chemistry in a young girl's heart. Never considered this subject before, the way you have demonstrated. May Allah increase your knowledge and grant you amazing life. MashaAllah! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! :D
DeleteBeing in love with a faculty, is the sign of love with the knowledge which leads to wisdom. Congrats WISE Girl for your sweet 16 love. May God Bless You With HIS Love, Ameen
ReplyDeleteHumaira Ansari
That's quite true. Thank you.
DeleteReading your letter, I realized that you immersed yourself in the subject, not accepting others' opinion about it and secondly you didn't study for the sake of studying or giving exams BUT to know about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my daughter that you are able to look at a subject in deeper level and most importantly in your own way.
Thank you! :)
DeleteI can so relate to your letter
ReplyDeleteI loved studying chemistry and it always seemed to me that it helped make better sense of the world around us.May this knowledge grow and benefit you on countless way.
Best of luck with your exams
Yes, it certainly helps us make better sense of the stuff around us. Thank you! :D
DeleteIs this a Chemistry?? really?? it has so depth and meaning. I always thought chemistry is a alphabet gymnastic like Co2 H2so4 BJ83 hddy D3h998d Kjwid9j9903j etc etc etc etc.... just some weird combinations of numbers and english letters. And i always wondered how Chemistry look in Chinese language.
ReplyDeleteYes, Chemistry can have a lot of meaning if we look at it that way. :D Maybe you could google it? Thanks for the comment.
DeleteOh wow this was an absolutely charming read Fatima! While reading this I was so captivated by the way you have personified Chemistry and recounted the experiences you had with the scientific study. I think this is the most perfect solution (no pun intended!) to expressing your emotions about the subject! It's true how strange it is that people can be so ignorant towards chemistry (and other STEM subjects) just because it looks "weird" on the outside, but really, in depth there are SO many interesting things to learn, and you've illustrated this well with your descriptions relating each instance to real life, such as "I can't help but wondering which sodium salts it would contain" for soap. :) Also that's so relatable! I took chemistry as a GCSE two years ago and I'm now taking it as an A level as well (I missed a year of studying it in between) and it's interesting how I keep relating the topics I learn to the things I see around me. xD (The incredible world of atoms for example!) I'm impressed by how you ended this farewell on such a positive note too, where you mention that you'd like to explore chemistry in further depth sometime soon... it gives a bittersweet sense of the time you will rejoice later after a temporary yet emotional goodbye. Beautiful work!! <3
ReplyDeleteI might not be a "chemistry" person (physics is my most preferred science) but I have to agree that chemistry is certainly not difficult and definitely not a subject to be hateful about. In fact, it'd be great if you could share this beautiful message with others who don't quite know what chemistry is about - they might consider taking it in the end! :) (btw, O levels are the equivalent of GCSEs that we have in the UK aren't they? I'm not quite sure why we call them GCSEs tbh! xD)
Why thank you Kenza for such a lovely comment! :D Yes, there seems to be a general consensus within society that Chemistry is a difficult, strange or weird subject, and then we see every other kid groaning about how tough it it. There are countless real life examples of Chemistry, but we just don't look at it that way!
ReplyDeleteAnd hey, have you started A levels now? That's amazing! I'll begin studying for A levels in July or August, now that I've completed my O levels (yeah they are the equivalent of GCSEs, but they're an older version of them). So are you taking Science subjects for A levels?
Thank you. :) I happen to find Chemistry more interesting and relatable than Physics, but I guess it is just a matter of what each one of us finds interesting. Yes, I did share this post with many people, and I got so many comments! :D Thanks again. :)
Being a final year chemistry student,this letter is much relatable. I am glad that you didn't study only for the purpose of getting good grades but have developed a deeper understanding of the subject and its applications. Very few students actually relate it the way you do. This world need more thoughtful students like you.
ReplyDeleteI even shared this letter with my class mates at university.
I visit your blog often just to read this letter so that my subject seems more meaningful.
The way you have developed an insight for the subject, I am sure you won't face any difficulty in future no matter what field you choose.
May Allah bless you always:)
Thank you for such a lovely comment! I do appreciate it that you shared this blog posts with others too. I'm glad it helped you make more sense of your own subject, even though I've studied it just at O level, and you're studying it at college. Thanks! :)
DeleteGreat! This was a lovely piece to read :) I feel the same way about Physics <3 it's not boring at all if you see it the way you see chemistry .. everywhere I go I see the laws of Physics play out in front of me. When my kid throws a ball and it bounces back up with a different velocity each time it hits the ground. When the newspaper man throws up the newspaper to a balcony on the second floor with just the right angle. I see it when kids mix two colors of paint and get the third color. I see the beauty of Physics when I see a rainbow - white light being refracted by water droplets in the sky, or when I see the spoon looking bent when it's half immersed in the water in a glass. I see it when I see a child swinging on a swing. And a boat floating on water despite being heavy! I see it when I see a plane flying streamlined just like God has streamlined the birds' bodies. I see it when I just press a switch and the light turns on.
ReplyDeleteI love physics just as much as you love Chemistry :)
Best wishes to you and all your endeavors... ameen.
Saman Khalid
Thank you! Yes, it definitely is up to each one of us. There is beauty in each and every subject, only if we can take a moment to appreciate it. :) You're absolutely right about Physics - there are so many examples of it in real life. You've described it brilliantly, by the way. :-) I guess I found it a bit challenging in some topics, and so I lost interest in the subject, but you're right that if I look at it this way, I might be able to appreciate it more, just the way I can appreciate Chemistry. Thanks a lot for the comment. :)
DeleteAray wah ( love of chemistry ).... i never think some one write such type of letter to chemistry .... Really chemistry is that much intresting , Then I must read chemistry one more time ....
ReplyDeleteIt is! :D Maybe you can... :) Thanks for the comment!
DeleteThis is one of its kind of letter to chemistry. I wish if every student can study chemistry the way you have done it. I just love the way you have relate it to out daily life. A very much eye opening for the things we take for granted.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot!
DeleteAmazing article posting here. Great work i appreciate your work. Such a nice blog.
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This letter is Amazing, you made me love chemistry
ReplyDelete