I live 3 hours drive south of Beirut, yet for the longest time it has been so far away. I remember when I was about 6 years old I would sit in the driver’s seat of my grandpa’s tractor, and I would ask my cousins who would hang to the side handles where would they like to go. Sarah would always say she wants to go to England for some reason, Spain, India, Brazil but never we did mention Damascus or Beirut.. Because even at that age we already knew that it was easier to cross the globe than to step to the latter cities. Another covert effect of the occupation.
My grandpa doesn’t have a birthday because he doesn’t remember actually when he was born, he forgot lots of things but he never forgot his adventures and work. Once my dad told me that Sede(Grandpa in Arabic) has been to Beirut and Damascus too! If i lived in a parallel universe where it’s okay to tell my dad that no way you’re lying I would’ve done that, but obviously I didn’t. Nevertheless, whether I believed it or not was irrelevant since Sede has been really to Beirut! they walked with their donkeys to Beirut! I still (at the age of 19) find this amazing. He told us once about Lebanon, their famous Cedar trees, Beirut and Sur…
Another side effect of the occupation is the fact that I haven’t met any Lebanese until I lived in the US. Lebanon is an hour away from my house but it took me 14 hours flight to New York City to meet the first Lebanese. I was amazed by the beautiful accent and I would stare at my friends and ask them to keep talking and arguing because it was cool. Then I got the chance to live next to a Lebanese student; he lived in Africa but spent his summers in Lebanon and studied in the US. The more he told me the stories of Lebnan and the story of the South, the dark history… despite me reading the history of Lebanon but it was different when you hear a real personal story of Beirut. Of the corruption. Of the nepotism, bribes, the wave of globalization and the pretentious fucking government.
Today I’m not in the Us neither I’m in Lebanon but I’m keeping myself updated with what is going on there through social media and it just restores my faith in hope, in the wind of change, in the true rebellious soul of our generation. The youth movement organized by the youth for Lebanon took over the streets in [mostly] peaceful manner to ask for their rights and for the social equality. They challenged the government and the parties, stood in the face of the water hose and ran under the tear gas, and slipped under live ammunition!
The distance between Beirut and my house didn’t change, but that’s only true in a physical way for Beirut now seems closer than ever.from Palestine to Lebanon, lots of love and hope for a better future.
AICHA BINT YUSIF 