Those years were spent in Bureij Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, where my family has lived since the Nakba. I was considered an “illegal” student by the Israeli occupation despite being on the other side of my own country. I was eager to inform British people about the horrors of the Israeli occupation, but through friendship and dialogue rather than confrontation. Looking back, I realise how much the Israeli occupation interfered with my education, my movement, my speech, my relationships — with the very air I breathed morning and night. Saher Safi is a Palestinian from Gaza, specialising in sustainability and the circular economy, currently based in London.