PinnedMember-onlyThey do not like that you wonderedThe wee hours of the morning. Another morning, another sunrise, where my father would find me crouched on the balcony, shivering in a mix of terror and curiosity. I was 10 and 11 and 12. Dealing with regular early teenage matters like two new chestnuts on my chest, and a…Palestine6 min readPalestine6 min read
Dec 4, 2020Member-onlyWhat is tragedy?Today, four months since the explosion in Lebanon, I ask you what is tragedy. Is tragedy waking up to find your city demolished to the ground, with hundreds of dead, many missing, some friends, some neighbors, some family? The city you have cried in, danced in, kissed in, loved in…Lebanon2 min readLebanon2 min read
Sep 1, 2020Member-onlyThe second passportA Lebanese tradition When the war with Israel broke in 2006, I recall watching on TV big ships transporting Lebanese folks, away from the Mediterranean who look like me, some of them my age, some my classmates, away from death and into hope and life. I wondered what is wrong…Lebanon3 min readLebanon3 min read
Aug 9, 2020Member-onlyHer name is Raja and she is my best friendRaja is the friend that is the last to leave the party. The one who convinces you to stay out till sunrise with her. …Friendship2 min readFriendship2 min read
Aug 6, 2020Member-onlyThe phone callEvery Lebanese knows about the phone call. And it goes two ways. — The first, looks like this. You are sitting at home with your best friend and his cousin, your aunt is over too, she is looking for a dress to borrow from your mother’s closet. You hear a loud noise, the glass around you shatters. You are in shock. You look…Lebanon4 min readLebanon4 min read
May 28, 2020A letter to a young therapist.You woke up one morning, with the same pain chirping in your chest. You had no name for it because you had never spoken of it. Until you met her. She heard your pain without needing to speak it, or explain it, or illustrate it. She sat there unafraid in…Therapy4 min readTherapy4 min read
Nov 10, 201910 reasons why every Lebanese meghterib should visit Lebanon nowI just returned from a one week trip to Lebanon to take part of the thawra, and find ways to help and support by being on the ground. I can say that being there changed me in ways I did not think were possible. …Lebanon5 min readLebanon5 min read
Nov 4, 2019Member-onlyLebanon breaks up with her abusive boyfriendAfter years of telling her friends she wants to leave him, and silently going back to him, Lebanon suddenly woke up one day, without telling anyone and asked her boyfriend of almost 30 years to fuck off. …Relationships2 min readRelationships2 min read
Oct 24, 2019Lebnen, I am coming homeA love letter from an immigrant to her country Habibi Lebnen, I am sorry. I am sorry for that time I left you with a ghassa in my heart, tears in my eyes, and holes in my pocket I promised you to return the next year and the year after and…Poetry2 min readPoetry2 min read
Published inHuman Parts·Aug 16, 2019Member-onlyMy Body Held Onto My Trauma. EMDR Helped Me Let Go.The Lebanese Civil War ended when I was a kid, but the pain lasted far longer — I can still vividly recall the look on my high school history teacher’s face when I raised my hand and asked why the Lebanese history books stopped at 1975. …Mental Health5 min readMental Health5 min read