Flag of Libya
One of the first things students notice in history teacher Usiel Meraz-Cerna’s classroom is the Libyan flag proudly displayed on the wall opposite the door, next to his desk.
The flag, with three horizontal stripes of red, black and green, and a white crescent and star at the center, is used to represent the cause of the revolutionaries in Libya under the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi.
According to Meraz-Cerna, most students may not recognize the flag; however, to him, it represents a very important aspect of his experiences teaching and living abroad. After Meraz-Cerna spent five years teaching in the Bay Area, he and his wife relocated abroad in 2010 to teach at a Libyan international school.
“It was a very interesting experience moving to a country where very few people spoke English,” Meraz-Cerna said. “They only spoke Arabic and some Italian due to the history of Italy in Libya. That was a whole new experience, like living in a totally different world."
Despite the language barrier and new environment, the friendliness of the Libyan people made the stay very comfortable and enjoyable. According to Meraz-Cerna, the Libyan people were very open to meeting foreigners, welcoming, hugging and inviting him for coffee whenever they heard him speaking English while walking down the streets.
“They were just really eager to meet outsiders because they had not been able to for so many years,” Meraz-Cerna said. “People from outside the country could not visit in past years so people were extremely friendly.”
The Arab Spring, a series of revolutions in the Middle East, erupted in the winter of 2010, during Meraz-Cerna’s stay there. In Libya, the people were demonstrating and revolting to overthrow dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and Meraz-Cerna and his wife were forced to hide and eventually evacuate through a US-sanctioned ferry.
“Everything was shut down,” Meraz-Cerna said. “Businesses shut down and the foreign companies started evacuating their workers, so we had to hide in the school while the war was raging around us. It was a scary moment.”
Eventually, through a barrage of storms at sea, Meraz-Cerna made it to the island of Malta, to safety. Even though he left at a time of violence and is still not able to return due to the chaos ensuing in Libya, Meraz-Cerna’s memories of the country are very fond, and he holds admiration for the revolutionaries and demonstrators there.
“I felt strong support for the rebels who were fighting for their freedom and fighting for a reform to not live under dictatorship anymore,” Meraz-Cerna said. “Now, I have this flag of Libya as a kind of a reminder of the revolution because the flag itself is revolutionary.”
