Sitting in the dark, with only me and my parents, accompanied by a few dim, lit candles flickering in the dark silence, time seemed to pass by so slowly, with nothing to do. We were trying hard to take in all that had happened in the three days that we had been in Lebanon.
Power stations had been bombed and generator fuel was running low. The generators were turned on at 7:00 am for two hours and 5:00 pm for three hours. We had to dispose of a lot of our food because it was going rotten, and there was no power to cook. So we had been going out for dinner the past two nights. That night we all agreed to go to the restaurant, Blue Elephant, to eat Thai food.
When we arrived at the Blue Elephant, there was a sign on the door that said CLOSED. We did not want to return home straight away, so we decided to look around. As we walked across the road we spotted a large group of people, some standing with video cameras, some with cameras and some with just their eyes, looking out into the pitch black darkness of the sea. It was then that we saw two faded lights fly by like unexploded fireworks. The missiles flew over like a silent meteor shower. All that could be smelt was fear. The two dim lit stars disappeared, but every one knew that they were still present, gliding by like ghosts in the night only to make themselves known when they touched down.
My father and mother were not scared because they had experienced something similar when we lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I, on the other hand, was terrified for my life because I didn’t think that I had lived it to the fullest…yet. I only had nightmares about war, and now, I was living in one. After the two missiles silently faded away, the silence was followed by one big explosion. There was nothing to be seen or heard after one of the many big bangs.
Everyone tried to get a glimpse of the next missiles, but they too were well-hidden within the black sky above. No one could see them, but we all knew that they were heading to their target. It seemed to me that the first missile that was fired failed to explode, but the second one did. When it exploded my body just froze up. I wanted to scream, and I wished that I was anywhere else other than Lebanon.
I disliked every minute of it. Even though I had been through three days and three nights, this was by far the worst, closest and loudest I had ever felt and heard. That was it. The past days I had tried to be calm, but now I would just scream every time a bomb went off. I also loathed Hezbollah and Israel for all the trouble they had both caused, and how many innocent lives they had taken, just to get back at each other. I was speechless until the words, "I want to go home," escaped from my mouth. My eyes filled with tears and my nose started running.
Taking dad's keys I silently crept into the car and wept; everything was just too much. I couldn’t and I wouldn’t accept it. I felt as if no one could protect me, and I was imprisoned with no escape. My parents were still outside straining their eyes to see if they could spot any more "shooting star” look-alikes, but there were none.
When we arrived home, I got dressed into my sleep clothes and crawled into my soft, warm bed. I normally escape from the real world with my dreams, but that night there was something that was stopping me from sleeping. I became frustrated and tried to force myself to sleep. My concentration was broken by an explosion. My heart sank. started pounding in my throat, and I could hear my blood pumping. I closed my eyes and eventually went into an uncomfortable and restless sleep, waking up whenever the smallest burst of noise disturbed me. It became harder and harder to fall asleep. When I woke up, it felt like I had only five minutes of rest, but actually it had been six hours.
The next day we escaped through the Syrian border and flew to South Africa.
Monday, December 18, 2006
A Sorrowful Summer--RD
August 12 was a peaceful morning for all of us for a few hours until: BOOM! I heard a huge explosion, so I rushed to my balcony only to see smoke rising. At first I thought that a helicopter or plane had exploded, but it was actually a bomb that had landed. I asked myself why we had received this bomb, who launched the bomb, and if everyone was ok. I did not know what was going on until I watched the news channel which informed me that an explosion had occurred at the airport.
When I first heard about the war I was very sad, because I knew that many people were going to be killed with Israel’s superior weapons. At first, I thought the war would stay for a few days, but after the first week I was not satisfied. I thought that the war will stay for a year like the previous war.
The explosions became two, three, four, and it eventually became war, and this chaos lasted five weeks. When I watched the bombing on TV with my very own eyes, the damages were serious. I could not describe what I saw. It was madness! Most of the Dahyeh region was destroyed. After the first explosion (in the southern suburbs), my brother and father went to the store and saw smoke was rising from the airport. They told me, “We have never seen such a violent explosion!”
I was shocked at how much damage a bomb could make so I wondered if we were going to be safe. Luckily, the only effect at our home was that the electricity would shut off everyday for four hours. We had to use our emergency power sometimes, so we organized a schedule which all the neighbors agreed to. However, my uncle, aunt, and cousins had to move to Ehden to be safe from the bombs because they lived near Dahyeh. Before they left, my uncle told my dad, “Take your family with you to Oman” because the situation is not good in Lebanon.
Since the airport was bombed, we went to Syria by car and traveled from the airport in Damascus to Oman. Then one day, I heard on the news that Israeli troops were moving in from the South. I thought that Lebanon would actually be invaded again by Israel. Israel invaded Lebanon before in 1982 because of the lack of their natural resources. I felt so sorry for those poor people in the South who were going to suffer, be killed, and even have their homes destroyed. Those unfortunate citizens in the South could probably smell the bombs already threatening their lives, and they could not escape anywhere since Israel blew up the bridges leading to Beirut.
In Oman, I watched the news 24/7 and I saw most of Dahyeh, one of the most bombed locations, destroyed. I could even see the smoke rising. With every bomb that landed, I despised Israel even more. I thought that I might never see my school or old friends again. It would not be the same, if I made new ones without saying goodbye to my school. The Israelis should understand how important the loss of our people is to us. They must somehow see the deaths that they have caused, respect the innocent Lebanese blood, and taste the pain of the displaced families. Israel should understand the pain that they were causing, that was leading to violence, and that violence is never the answer.
Finally, the UN acted and made a cease-fire to which both countries agreed, and the chaos eventually stopped. When I first heard the beautiful words from the news channel, “Israel will stop bombing Lebanon and is expected to move out of the country” from the news channel I was very happy. Then Nesrollah, the leader of Hezbollah, decided to celebrate because Lebanon has claimed victory. I was happy for Lebanon, but there are about 1,500 deaths that had occurred in both countries. Nesrollah said in his speech, “We will not return the two Israeli prisoners until Israel returns the Lebanese prisoners.” After this experience, I’ve learned to always be thankful for my life, and never complain about it because several people have lost their loved ones and homes. In my opinion I don’t think that neither of the countries can claim victory because once again violence is not the answer, and they both suffered tremendously.
When I first heard about the war I was very sad, because I knew that many people were going to be killed with Israel’s superior weapons. At first, I thought the war would stay for a few days, but after the first week I was not satisfied. I thought that the war will stay for a year like the previous war.
The explosions became two, three, four, and it eventually became war, and this chaos lasted five weeks. When I watched the bombing on TV with my very own eyes, the damages were serious. I could not describe what I saw. It was madness! Most of the Dahyeh region was destroyed. After the first explosion (in the southern suburbs), my brother and father went to the store and saw smoke was rising from the airport. They told me, “We have never seen such a violent explosion!”
I was shocked at how much damage a bomb could make so I wondered if we were going to be safe. Luckily, the only effect at our home was that the electricity would shut off everyday for four hours. We had to use our emergency power sometimes, so we organized a schedule which all the neighbors agreed to. However, my uncle, aunt, and cousins had to move to Ehden to be safe from the bombs because they lived near Dahyeh. Before they left, my uncle told my dad, “Take your family with you to Oman” because the situation is not good in Lebanon.
Since the airport was bombed, we went to Syria by car and traveled from the airport in Damascus to Oman. Then one day, I heard on the news that Israeli troops were moving in from the South. I thought that Lebanon would actually be invaded again by Israel. Israel invaded Lebanon before in 1982 because of the lack of their natural resources. I felt so sorry for those poor people in the South who were going to suffer, be killed, and even have their homes destroyed. Those unfortunate citizens in the South could probably smell the bombs already threatening their lives, and they could not escape anywhere since Israel blew up the bridges leading to Beirut.
In Oman, I watched the news 24/7 and I saw most of Dahyeh, one of the most bombed locations, destroyed. I could even see the smoke rising. With every bomb that landed, I despised Israel even more. I thought that I might never see my school or old friends again. It would not be the same, if I made new ones without saying goodbye to my school. The Israelis should understand how important the loss of our people is to us. They must somehow see the deaths that they have caused, respect the innocent Lebanese blood, and taste the pain of the displaced families. Israel should understand the pain that they were causing, that was leading to violence, and that violence is never the answer.
Finally, the UN acted and made a cease-fire to which both countries agreed, and the chaos eventually stopped. When I first heard the beautiful words from the news channel, “Israel will stop bombing Lebanon and is expected to move out of the country” from the news channel I was very happy. Then Nesrollah, the leader of Hezbollah, decided to celebrate because Lebanon has claimed victory. I was happy for Lebanon, but there are about 1,500 deaths that had occurred in both countries. Nesrollah said in his speech, “We will not return the two Israeli prisoners until Israel returns the Lebanese prisoners.” After this experience, I’ve learned to always be thankful for my life, and never complain about it because several people have lost their loved ones and homes. In my opinion I don’t think that neither of the countries can claim victory because once again violence is not the answer, and they both suffered tremendously.
One Summer I Will Never Forget--RA
One summer’s day I was playing on my video games with my friend, until my parents called for me. They showed me the news on the TV that a war has just started. I was shocked! I quickly told my friends the bad news. I thought someone would solve the problem, and that’s what I kept on telling myself over and over “In a week or so everything will end.” We kept on playing the video game to calm ourselves down. For a while we had a bit of fun. Though not long after, my friend’s parents called to see if they could pick him up. I became sad and lonely and even a bit panicky, but this was just the first day.
A week or so later, we had to move to the mountains because it was getting too dangerous back in Beirut. I was also melancholy to leave my home, but I heard my friends were going to the mountains too, and not far from me. “Yella Dub keelshee ooh mshee.” My dad said in Arabic, which translates to: Come on pack, everything and move. Every day my friend visited which made me feel better about the situation, and I brought the X-box console with me for entertainment. All I did though other than play on my video games with my friends was watch the news to know what was going on in my country. At the time it all seemed like it was getting worse. Other times I was reading to keep my cool. This summer I actually did a lot of reading and I liked reading books more than ever before.
Another week later we had to move again. We were heading to Cyprus by boat. I didn’t like moving again, and this time it was even worse. My father had to stay back for business. I felt sad that he couldn’t come with us, but my aunt and cousins did accompany us and I knew he had to stay. In Cyprus it was pretty fun for a while. I went to the beach with my cousins and siblings. I even got more books and read even more! But this time even more challenging ones. I also had a good TV so I could see the news when I felt like it was fine there. Though my parents had to start making plans on what to do if my siblings and I had to go to school and where. That was the problem. At last though we had a solution, to go to Portugal and to go study there.
At Portugal, fortunately the war ended. I was filled with happiness. My father’s arrival also added to the happiness. I read 16 books so far. Though I was sad that I had to go to a new school, but I knew I would make new friends. I kind of liked the school. It was a school filled with nice people, and it offered a good education. I did miss my friends and my old school though. Sometimes I felt sad that I wasn’t back in Lebanon with my friends and in my home and my old school at ACS.
I finally came back to Lebanon. Though some of my friends were not in the country, there were still others that were but its ok. Things were becoming like what they used to be but not quite. Many people and places changed. I can’t tell you if the war was altogether bad because some things changed for the better, even though of course a lot of bad things happened. I used to have a low self esteem, but now I have better confidence about who I am. I personally felt a lot of different emotions during the war. I felt mad, angry, sad, happy and a lot of other feelings. I wonder why people cant just simply negotiate. Must they wage horrible wars all the time? That is one of the most important things I learned this summer.
A week or so later, we had to move to the mountains because it was getting too dangerous back in Beirut. I was also melancholy to leave my home, but I heard my friends were going to the mountains too, and not far from me. “Yella Dub keelshee ooh mshee.” My dad said in Arabic, which translates to: Come on pack, everything and move. Every day my friend visited which made me feel better about the situation, and I brought the X-box console with me for entertainment. All I did though other than play on my video games with my friends was watch the news to know what was going on in my country. At the time it all seemed like it was getting worse. Other times I was reading to keep my cool. This summer I actually did a lot of reading and I liked reading books more than ever before.
Another week later we had to move again. We were heading to Cyprus by boat. I didn’t like moving again, and this time it was even worse. My father had to stay back for business. I felt sad that he couldn’t come with us, but my aunt and cousins did accompany us and I knew he had to stay. In Cyprus it was pretty fun for a while. I went to the beach with my cousins and siblings. I even got more books and read even more! But this time even more challenging ones. I also had a good TV so I could see the news when I felt like it was fine there. Though my parents had to start making plans on what to do if my siblings and I had to go to school and where. That was the problem. At last though we had a solution, to go to Portugal and to go study there.
At Portugal, fortunately the war ended. I was filled with happiness. My father’s arrival also added to the happiness. I read 16 books so far. Though I was sad that I had to go to a new school, but I knew I would make new friends. I kind of liked the school. It was a school filled with nice people, and it offered a good education. I did miss my friends and my old school though. Sometimes I felt sad that I wasn’t back in Lebanon with my friends and in my home and my old school at ACS.
I finally came back to Lebanon. Though some of my friends were not in the country, there were still others that were but its ok. Things were becoming like what they used to be but not quite. Many people and places changed. I can’t tell you if the war was altogether bad because some things changed for the better, even though of course a lot of bad things happened. I used to have a low self esteem, but now I have better confidence about who I am. I personally felt a lot of different emotions during the war. I felt mad, angry, sad, happy and a lot of other feelings. I wonder why people cant just simply negotiate. Must they wage horrible wars all the time? That is one of the most important things I learned this summer.
An Unforgettable Experience--AD
I was feeling depressed and couldn’t think for a whole hour. This was the way I was feeling on the first day of the war. It all started when my family and I were having a delicious meal, until we heard a deafening noise that shook our doors. The ground shook all around us and we always stayed in the living room, (which was the safest area).Right away, my dad called his brother, and asked what was going on.
Unluckily no one had a clue of what was happening. So right away my dad switched to the news channel. My father told us that the Lebanese chief of ''Hezbollah'' has just kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. "Pack everything important in a small bag" said my mom. We were going to my uncle's house (in Mar-Elias), which was far from the sea. We lived in front of the sea, so we went because the war ship was bombing "Dahyeh".
Sadly, my aunt and her sister’s daughter were here from Canada for a cool relaxing summer. But a war was definitely not what they expected. My aunt’s sister’s daughter which was my age was regretting the moment where she agreed to come to Lebanon. She was crying so hard every night, thinking about her parents and siblings. All of us couldn’t sleep at night, so we gathered up in one room and made a great decision. My dad was working so hard on helping us evacuate the country with them to Canada.
Almost all the "Dahyeh" was destroyed and many people were dying each day. The first couple of days, I was really terrified to watch the news because I didn’t want to see people dying and homes being destroyed, but then it was normal for me to want to know what was happening to my country. No one was feeling good, and my family was deciding to leave the country for health purposes. After living through the war for one week, we finally decided that leaving Lebanon was safe, but on the other hand bad because we would be leaving our relatives and cousins in Lebanon.
I really felt like this war needed to end because it really was reducing our population. The tourism rate also dropped because the tourists were scared. What happened to the Lebanon that was one of the most popular tourist destinations? All my good feelings towards Lebanon had suddenly vanished. I was so terrified because every time we used to hear stories about the previous war, someone would cut-off the person saying the story and say: “don’t freak them out, they never lived a war”.
I learned many things during the war. I learned not to be selfish and to feel for the poor, because if I am going to be selfish and ask for this and that, I have to also remember that youngsters are becoming orphans every day. People were also becoming homeless and they were losing their jobs. People's homes were damaged, which led to people living in schools and sleeping on floors, and over crowding. Most importantly, dirty water which led to outbreaks of cholera.
After the war ended, I went to view some destroyed sites with my uncle, and he told me as he was pointing at a destroyed building "this is what happens every time you hear a loud noise". This really hurt my feelings, but at the same time, I was proud that my country achieved the victory in this war because no matter how much Lebanon was bombed, it couldn't be destroyed.
As a conclusion, I would like to describe my point of view by saying that this war was an unforgettable experience that showed me a lot about the "Hezbollah" soldiers. I also wish that the conflict between Israel & Lebanon ends, because we really were affected and had to pay millions for every time they bombed.
Unluckily no one had a clue of what was happening. So right away my dad switched to the news channel. My father told us that the Lebanese chief of ''Hezbollah'' has just kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. "Pack everything important in a small bag" said my mom. We were going to my uncle's house (in Mar-Elias), which was far from the sea. We lived in front of the sea, so we went because the war ship was bombing "Dahyeh".
Sadly, my aunt and her sister’s daughter were here from Canada for a cool relaxing summer. But a war was definitely not what they expected. My aunt’s sister’s daughter which was my age was regretting the moment where she agreed to come to Lebanon. She was crying so hard every night, thinking about her parents and siblings. All of us couldn’t sleep at night, so we gathered up in one room and made a great decision. My dad was working so hard on helping us evacuate the country with them to Canada.
Almost all the "Dahyeh" was destroyed and many people were dying each day. The first couple of days, I was really terrified to watch the news because I didn’t want to see people dying and homes being destroyed, but then it was normal for me to want to know what was happening to my country. No one was feeling good, and my family was deciding to leave the country for health purposes. After living through the war for one week, we finally decided that leaving Lebanon was safe, but on the other hand bad because we would be leaving our relatives and cousins in Lebanon.
I really felt like this war needed to end because it really was reducing our population. The tourism rate also dropped because the tourists were scared. What happened to the Lebanon that was one of the most popular tourist destinations? All my good feelings towards Lebanon had suddenly vanished. I was so terrified because every time we used to hear stories about the previous war, someone would cut-off the person saying the story and say: “don’t freak them out, they never lived a war”.
I learned many things during the war. I learned not to be selfish and to feel for the poor, because if I am going to be selfish and ask for this and that, I have to also remember that youngsters are becoming orphans every day. People were also becoming homeless and they were losing their jobs. People's homes were damaged, which led to people living in schools and sleeping on floors, and over crowding. Most importantly, dirty water which led to outbreaks of cholera.
After the war ended, I went to view some destroyed sites with my uncle, and he told me as he was pointing at a destroyed building "this is what happens every time you hear a loud noise". This really hurt my feelings, but at the same time, I was proud that my country achieved the victory in this war because no matter how much Lebanon was bombed, it couldn't be destroyed.
As a conclusion, I would like to describe my point of view by saying that this war was an unforgettable experience that showed me a lot about the "Hezbollah" soldiers. I also wish that the conflict between Israel & Lebanon ends, because we really were affected and had to pay millions for every time they bombed.
Me and the War--FS
I was doing what I did normally, like every other person in Lebanon, when my mom turned on the news, and heard that Israel was bombing the south of Lebanon. I asked my mom “Mom is the situation in Lebanon okay or is something bad going to happen?”
My mom answered “Well it’s the first day, so I don’t exactly know if it’s going to be okay or not.” So my family and I stayed in Beirut until Israel said that it was going to bomb Dahieh, and when we heard that, all my family went up to the mountains to Bhamdoun because we have a house there. When I was packing my stuff, I started crying because I was very scared.
After packing my bag, I asked my mom if there was going to be a war. My mom answered me saying “Maybe yes and maybe no, but were going to Bhamdoun because it’s safer up there.”
So we stayed in the mountains during the entire five weeks of the war. When we were in the mountains we stayed at home and did nothing but watch the news. While I was up in the mountains I still felt scared, and I still heard the bombs and smelled their smoke, and I know that because everyone in my family was sick including my neighbor. The bombs that got dropped on Dahieh were so loud that I could hear them in the mountains.
During those 33 days of the war, my mom and my aunt decided that it was enough, and that it was time to travel to Kuwait and that my brothers, cousins and I were going to go to a school in Kuwait. A few days later, my neighbors and my uncle convinced my mom and my aunt not to leave because we were safe up in the mountains. So we stayed.
After that I went to Beirut with my cousins to get more stuff and clothes because we didn’t have enough clothes. And speaking of not enough we didn’t have enough fuel for our cars and the generator because, Israel didn’t let fuel come in to the country. The reason we were also using a generator was because there was also no electricity, and the reason we didn’t have electricity was because
When the war was ending, no one knew it was ending because the day we got the tickets to travel to Kuwait was the day Israel decided to stop bombing Lebanon. So we canceled everything the flights and the taxis. When everything became better, we came back to Beirut, and the Lebanese people were happy that the war ended. This is a war to be remembered, and never to be repeated.
My mom answered “Well it’s the first day, so I don’t exactly know if it’s going to be okay or not.” So my family and I stayed in Beirut until Israel said that it was going to bomb Dahieh, and when we heard that, all my family went up to the mountains to Bhamdoun because we have a house there. When I was packing my stuff, I started crying because I was very scared.
After packing my bag, I asked my mom if there was going to be a war. My mom answered me saying “Maybe yes and maybe no, but were going to Bhamdoun because it’s safer up there.”
So we stayed in the mountains during the entire five weeks of the war. When we were in the mountains we stayed at home and did nothing but watch the news. While I was up in the mountains I still felt scared, and I still heard the bombs and smelled their smoke, and I know that because everyone in my family was sick including my neighbor. The bombs that got dropped on Dahieh were so loud that I could hear them in the mountains.
During those 33 days of the war, my mom and my aunt decided that it was enough, and that it was time to travel to Kuwait and that my brothers, cousins and I were going to go to a school in Kuwait. A few days later, my neighbors and my uncle convinced my mom and my aunt not to leave because we were safe up in the mountains. So we stayed.
After that I went to Beirut with my cousins to get more stuff and clothes because we didn’t have enough clothes. And speaking of not enough we didn’t have enough fuel for our cars and the generator because, Israel didn’t let fuel come in to the country. The reason we were also using a generator was because there was also no electricity, and the reason we didn’t have electricity was because
When the war was ending, no one knew it was ending because the day we got the tickets to travel to Kuwait was the day Israel decided to stop bombing Lebanon. So we canceled everything the flights and the taxis. When everything became better, we came back to Beirut, and the Lebanese people were happy that the war ended. This is a war to be remembered, and never to be repeated.
Summer Detour--JH
The summer of 2006 would have been my first summer in Lebanon. I had just recently moved to this remarkable country and discovered its natural beauty. There is a lot of diversity to be found from Lebanon’s clear aired mountains, to its crowded city life. I decided I needed to take a break from the city to gain some independence from my family, so my family and I made the decision for me to attend basketball camp in the northern mountains. My plan was to go with three of my friends.
We all left prepared for days of adventure feeling filled with exuberance. While on the bus to La Reserve, the camp, many of us were eager to find out what lay ahead. All present in my bus had tugged open their rusty aged windows to feel the breeze, created by the movement of the bus rocketing through grass covered mountains. It felt liberating to escape from the stress of school and the fumes of the cars. The scent of the summer apple trees infiltrated the city smoke and filled my lungs, as I inhaled all that I could at a time. I was sure that the sun had winked and smiled at me.
We then arrived, and I stared in awe at the site. My eyes were locked on the view of the whole mountain. The sky looked water colored. The image seemed to be ripped out of a fairytale. I said to myself, “I can feel the presence of a great summer, and it doesn’t seem like anything could possibly go wrong.” At this moment I was my own person, and I was free to be whatever I wanted. I embraced the moment and felt empowered.
Later on in the day, we began our basketball camp; the sessions would last for 4 to 6 hours each day. After our training, we would have an adventure activity, which would then lead to a social gathering. The days felt as short as minutes.
Several nights into the camp, I received a call from a friend. “Thank god you’re okay! Did you hear all the bombs? Your parents have been trying to reach you. The south is being destroyed by Israel.”
“Calm down Lara. What’s going on? What bombs? What’s wrong?”
Lara then broke the news about the war. I felt her frightened emotions through each word she uttered. Lara had informed me about all the bombings. I told all my friends and asked if anyone knew family or friends they needed to call. We all were immobile and shocked. It felt as though everyone had drifted off into their own thought bubbles. Abruptly, a girl shattered the stillness of the room and dashed to the boys tent to tell them about the situation none of us had known about. The rest of the night we were restless and scared.
The next morning our camp counselors had to explain the situation to all of us. We found out the reason they had not yet told us about the war, was because they were waiting for more information. But to me this seemed like the right time. My immediate response to their speech was to call my parents and find out what our plan was. Through the excitement of the camp, and just the idea of getting a break from the city, I didn’t think about checking for calls until that moment. As I reached for my phone to call my parents, I found 15 missed calls from my mom and dad. This was the indication of how urgent the situation was. I was then told that an evacuation might take place, and I was needed to be retrieved from the camp immediately. All I could hear was a ringing in my ear.
My summer course had taken a detour. All the plans of a great summer had been shredded. This was an unwanted surprise. This all was all a nightmare! Were all my friends going to be safe? How long will this war continue? What was to happen to this country, and all its people, that I had learned to love so much?
We all left prepared for days of adventure feeling filled with exuberance. While on the bus to La Reserve, the camp, many of us were eager to find out what lay ahead. All present in my bus had tugged open their rusty aged windows to feel the breeze, created by the movement of the bus rocketing through grass covered mountains. It felt liberating to escape from the stress of school and the fumes of the cars. The scent of the summer apple trees infiltrated the city smoke and filled my lungs, as I inhaled all that I could at a time. I was sure that the sun had winked and smiled at me.
We then arrived, and I stared in awe at the site. My eyes were locked on the view of the whole mountain. The sky looked water colored. The image seemed to be ripped out of a fairytale. I said to myself, “I can feel the presence of a great summer, and it doesn’t seem like anything could possibly go wrong.” At this moment I was my own person, and I was free to be whatever I wanted. I embraced the moment and felt empowered.
Later on in the day, we began our basketball camp; the sessions would last for 4 to 6 hours each day. After our training, we would have an adventure activity, which would then lead to a social gathering. The days felt as short as minutes.
Several nights into the camp, I received a call from a friend. “Thank god you’re okay! Did you hear all the bombs? Your parents have been trying to reach you. The south is being destroyed by Israel.”
“Calm down Lara. What’s going on? What bombs? What’s wrong?”
Lara then broke the news about the war. I felt her frightened emotions through each word she uttered. Lara had informed me about all the bombings. I told all my friends and asked if anyone knew family or friends they needed to call. We all were immobile and shocked. It felt as though everyone had drifted off into their own thought bubbles. Abruptly, a girl shattered the stillness of the room and dashed to the boys tent to tell them about the situation none of us had known about. The rest of the night we were restless and scared.
The next morning our camp counselors had to explain the situation to all of us. We found out the reason they had not yet told us about the war, was because they were waiting for more information. But to me this seemed like the right time. My immediate response to their speech was to call my parents and find out what our plan was. Through the excitement of the camp, and just the idea of getting a break from the city, I didn’t think about checking for calls until that moment. As I reached for my phone to call my parents, I found 15 missed calls from my mom and dad. This was the indication of how urgent the situation was. I was then told that an evacuation might take place, and I was needed to be retrieved from the camp immediately. All I could hear was a ringing in my ear.
My summer course had taken a detour. All the plans of a great summer had been shredded. This was an unwanted surprise. This all was all a nightmare! Were all my friends going to be safe? How long will this war continue? What was to happen to this country, and all its people, that I had learned to love so much?
Appreciating What You Have--AA
While enjoying the great summer that I thought I would have, chilling with my friends and family, everything suddenly changed, in just a wink of an eye.
The telephone began to ring; I got up out of my comfy spot on the couch to answer this call, thinking that it would be one of my friends wanting to make a plan for us. Well, unfortunately I was incorrect; it was my mother. She was hyperventilating, and I couldn’t understand why. I also didn’t understand a word she had said…it was all unclear. After a few endless minutes, she arrived hysterically and explained that the Israelis had bombed the Lebanese airport.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t shocked at all. It obviously hadn’t sunk in to my mind yet. I assumed that everything would blow over in only a matter of days. But when those days ended, a picture of war dug into my head, thinking how different everything would be. I tried to deny it, but deep inside I knew that it was going to be bigger than what I had imagined it to be at the start.
I immediately packed my things for a couple of nights in the mountains. I knew that my mother would barge into my room announcing that we would be spending a couple of nights in the mountains, and she did. While sitting in the car, waiting to arrive to Bhamdoun, to my uncle and aunt’s villa, I was amazingly bored. Each minute felt like an entire decade. We finally arrived with a big smile of relief on our faces. It was exciting and fun at first to see everyone, and chat about the things we had missed out on, but soon the fun began to ware out by the second. While spending endless days and nights in the mountains, all I could think about was what would happen in the future. But it was all unclear as if I was looking through a muddy pond and trying to see what’s at the bottom, looking for answers for my endless confused questions. Spending time with my entire family, blank looks all over the room, it definitely wasn’t the perfect vacation for anyone.
There was nothing to do but stare hard at the news on the television screen, trying to erase everything that had happened, with all our power and strength, or at least hoping to hear that something good had happened…but at that moment nothing did. While listening to the news day and night, I realized how every news channel was very biased. For example CNN and BBC News only showed one side of the war, and that was Israel’s side. They would show the amount of people that were killed in Israel, but not in Lebanon. It made everyone I know pull out their hair; it was absolutely, exaggeratedly ridiculous.
Spending nights with the bombs disturbing our dreams wasn’t the perfect “get away” from the war. This snake followed us wherever we went. Whenever something good happened, this sneaky snake would eat it up again in just a bite. In the end, lots of people were fed up from what Hezbollah had done. Lebanon was being tortured and beaten until it was in pieces, after all its growth over the years, and especially after it had been through 17 years of continuous, dreadful war.
Ten days passed and my parents decided to go to Syria in case this war would take longer than expected. My uncle and his family decided to stay in Lebanon, but the rest didn’t want to take the risk and escaped their worst nightmare. The car ride took around four hours, but it went faster than I expected, probably because I was asleep for most of the time. Never did I expect to stay in Syria for three weeks, but we did. I felt extremely homesick while I was there, I couldn’t bear breathing the Syrian air. I desperately wanted to breathe the Lebanese air, walk on the Lebanese ground, and be surrounded by the Lebanese “Jaaw”, in other words the environment. I spent four weeks worried about my country, hesitating to turn on the television, in case there was some bad news, as always. And whenever I did, I would get goosebumps all over my body, looking at people’s blood and belongings scattered on the ground. People’s home collapsed, like an ocean’s horizon.
I soon imagined my house, my home, my life, collapsed. Suddenly, I’d find my eyes overflowing with tears, my heart bouncing in all directions not knowing where to stay still, and my legs shaking like they’ve never did before, hearing the news made me tremble just by the thought of what they might say. I shut my eyes and imagined continuing my previous way of life, having fun, being safe and secure. Soon that day came and breathing the Lebanese air made me cry tears of joy.
After the war had ended, I realized how outstanding my country is, and how much I love it, and most of all, I realized that Lebanon is the perfect country for me to live in, and I wouldn’t enjoy my stay in any other country but Lebanon. I finally appreciated Lebanon. I learned an important lesson from this war, and it is that you should appreciate what you have, before it disappears in just a wink of an eye.
The telephone began to ring; I got up out of my comfy spot on the couch to answer this call, thinking that it would be one of my friends wanting to make a plan for us. Well, unfortunately I was incorrect; it was my mother. She was hyperventilating, and I couldn’t understand why. I also didn’t understand a word she had said…it was all unclear. After a few endless minutes, she arrived hysterically and explained that the Israelis had bombed the Lebanese airport.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t shocked at all. It obviously hadn’t sunk in to my mind yet. I assumed that everything would blow over in only a matter of days. But when those days ended, a picture of war dug into my head, thinking how different everything would be. I tried to deny it, but deep inside I knew that it was going to be bigger than what I had imagined it to be at the start.
I immediately packed my things for a couple of nights in the mountains. I knew that my mother would barge into my room announcing that we would be spending a couple of nights in the mountains, and she did. While sitting in the car, waiting to arrive to Bhamdoun, to my uncle and aunt’s villa, I was amazingly bored. Each minute felt like an entire decade. We finally arrived with a big smile of relief on our faces. It was exciting and fun at first to see everyone, and chat about the things we had missed out on, but soon the fun began to ware out by the second. While spending endless days and nights in the mountains, all I could think about was what would happen in the future. But it was all unclear as if I was looking through a muddy pond and trying to see what’s at the bottom, looking for answers for my endless confused questions. Spending time with my entire family, blank looks all over the room, it definitely wasn’t the perfect vacation for anyone.
There was nothing to do but stare hard at the news on the television screen, trying to erase everything that had happened, with all our power and strength, or at least hoping to hear that something good had happened…but at that moment nothing did. While listening to the news day and night, I realized how every news channel was very biased. For example CNN and BBC News only showed one side of the war, and that was Israel’s side. They would show the amount of people that were killed in Israel, but not in Lebanon. It made everyone I know pull out their hair; it was absolutely, exaggeratedly ridiculous.
Spending nights with the bombs disturbing our dreams wasn’t the perfect “get away” from the war. This snake followed us wherever we went. Whenever something good happened, this sneaky snake would eat it up again in just a bite. In the end, lots of people were fed up from what Hezbollah had done. Lebanon was being tortured and beaten until it was in pieces, after all its growth over the years, and especially after it had been through 17 years of continuous, dreadful war.
Ten days passed and my parents decided to go to Syria in case this war would take longer than expected. My uncle and his family decided to stay in Lebanon, but the rest didn’t want to take the risk and escaped their worst nightmare. The car ride took around four hours, but it went faster than I expected, probably because I was asleep for most of the time. Never did I expect to stay in Syria for three weeks, but we did. I felt extremely homesick while I was there, I couldn’t bear breathing the Syrian air. I desperately wanted to breathe the Lebanese air, walk on the Lebanese ground, and be surrounded by the Lebanese “Jaaw”, in other words the environment. I spent four weeks worried about my country, hesitating to turn on the television, in case there was some bad news, as always. And whenever I did, I would get goosebumps all over my body, looking at people’s blood and belongings scattered on the ground. People’s home collapsed, like an ocean’s horizon.
I soon imagined my house, my home, my life, collapsed. Suddenly, I’d find my eyes overflowing with tears, my heart bouncing in all directions not knowing where to stay still, and my legs shaking like they’ve never did before, hearing the news made me tremble just by the thought of what they might say. I shut my eyes and imagined continuing my previous way of life, having fun, being safe and secure. Soon that day came and breathing the Lebanese air made me cry tears of joy.
After the war had ended, I realized how outstanding my country is, and how much I love it, and most of all, I realized that Lebanon is the perfect country for me to live in, and I wouldn’t enjoy my stay in any other country but Lebanon. I finally appreciated Lebanon. I learned an important lesson from this war, and it is that you should appreciate what you have, before it disappears in just a wink of an eye.
The Nightmare Begins--MS
Howling in the dark, I woke up to a loud noise which I then realized was a bomb. It was the loudest and closest bomb I ever heard! I ran to my mom screaming, “Shu am be seir? (What is happening?)” She informed me that a war was breaking out between Israel and Lebanon because Hassan Nasrallah had kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. I asked my mom what they had bombed. She said that they bombed the South and many bridges, and they are announcing it on TV. I felt really puzzled! Fear took me over. It was a risk staying in the country, for anyone could have gotten hurt. On the other hand, my country was almost falling apart, and I couldn’t just leave my life, my memories, my friends, and most importantly, my family! They lived all their lives here in Lebanon and they didn’t want to leave to another country.
Israeli attacks struck randomly all through out Lebanon, and one of these attempts was on a near-by bridge in Sawfar. My building shook and the windows shattered. It was quite close, for I saw black smoke rising in the distance. The sky was filled with dazzling black, as a stormy day in mid January.
I asked my mom, “Ha yfajro hon? (Are they going to bomb here?)”.
My mom answered, “Nshala laa! (Hopefully not)”
We all went to the hallway because it was the safest place in the whole house. After a couple of minutes, we heard another bomb that was very close, even closer than the first one. The sound was so loud like an angry lion in the forest. The threatening sounds of the bombs echoed through out the country. I hollered as I covered my head, for I didn’t want to face what was happening, and I wanted everything to end on the spot! I went out on my balcony to see military aircrafts swoosh over the region.
The sky was dark, covering the sun as if it was too shy to show. I was nervous because my mom said that we had to go to Beirut to get our passports and to get some money because we might leave the country. She told me to stay with her because if she gets trapped, she wouldn’t have to worry about me. On our way, we could hear the aircraft as if it were on top of us. I could see my mom nervous and angry, but I didn’t say a word and hoped that we would go and come back just fine. We arrived home at last. I ran out of the car and up to my house. I got my clothes and some money I had and helped my mom get the passports.
I asked, “Mom, are we really going to travel?”
“Ma baaref! Yalla seaadine dob! (I don’t know! Come on help me pack!)". After we finished packing up, we went back up to the mountains. When we got there, I noticed that the wind in Sawfar was taking all its anger out!
This experience was very valuable to me. It was the first time I discovered the true meaning of fear. I learned that the war had a big affect on people’s mental health. Some people couldn’t stand being afraid of bombs and had the thought that they might die any second. Families tried fleeing the South, but most roads were bombed. Some people didn’t have cars and even if they did, the amount of gasoline was minimal through out the country and not everyone could afford it for such high prices. People lost great amounts of money. Most importantly, some people lost their kids and members of their family. At last the war is over, and we survived and came out safely. I hope everyone’s lives will go back to normal. It is an incident that taught me how to deal with such tribulations that might occur anytime and anywhere.
Israeli attacks struck randomly all through out Lebanon, and one of these attempts was on a near-by bridge in Sawfar. My building shook and the windows shattered. It was quite close, for I saw black smoke rising in the distance. The sky was filled with dazzling black, as a stormy day in mid January.
I asked my mom, “Ha yfajro hon? (Are they going to bomb here?)”.
My mom answered, “Nshala laa! (Hopefully not)”
We all went to the hallway because it was the safest place in the whole house. After a couple of minutes, we heard another bomb that was very close, even closer than the first one. The sound was so loud like an angry lion in the forest. The threatening sounds of the bombs echoed through out the country. I hollered as I covered my head, for I didn’t want to face what was happening, and I wanted everything to end on the spot! I went out on my balcony to see military aircrafts swoosh over the region.
The sky was dark, covering the sun as if it was too shy to show. I was nervous because my mom said that we had to go to Beirut to get our passports and to get some money because we might leave the country. She told me to stay with her because if she gets trapped, she wouldn’t have to worry about me. On our way, we could hear the aircraft as if it were on top of us. I could see my mom nervous and angry, but I didn’t say a word and hoped that we would go and come back just fine. We arrived home at last. I ran out of the car and up to my house. I got my clothes and some money I had and helped my mom get the passports.
I asked, “Mom, are we really going to travel?”
“Ma baaref! Yalla seaadine dob! (I don’t know! Come on help me pack!)". After we finished packing up, we went back up to the mountains. When we got there, I noticed that the wind in Sawfar was taking all its anger out!
This experience was very valuable to me. It was the first time I discovered the true meaning of fear. I learned that the war had a big affect on people’s mental health. Some people couldn’t stand being afraid of bombs and had the thought that they might die any second. Families tried fleeing the South, but most roads were bombed. Some people didn’t have cars and even if they did, the amount of gasoline was minimal through out the country and not everyone could afford it for such high prices. People lost great amounts of money. Most importantly, some people lost their kids and members of their family. At last the war is over, and we survived and came out safely. I hope everyone’s lives will go back to normal. It is an incident that taught me how to deal with such tribulations that might occur anytime and anywhere.
The Beginning of a Long Summer--SH
My family and I were strolling down the Champs-Elysées looking at all the crowds that poured into Paris to watch the final game in the world cup. The weather in Paris was perfect for a short walk in the city, not too windy or too sunny. Everybody expected France to win and Paris was preparing for the big celebration. It was just like the fourth of July. The colors red, white and blue were everywhere. Unfortunately, France lost the finals and Paris had a grim face on this sunny summer day. The Champs Elysees were not that fun in an ambiance of disappointment and we decided to head back to the hotel, and leave to London.
We packed our bags and loaded them into the car and went to the train station heading back for London which we left few days ago to attend the world cup finals among French supporters. On our way to the train station my father received a phone call from one of his business partners. They talked for a while before my father hung up the phone and announced the news, "Feto Hezbollah 3ala Israel 2o 2atalo sab3a commandos, 2o khatafou tneen (Hezbollah entered Israel and killed seven Israeli commandos and kidnapped two)". As usual, we didn't think much of the situation, and took it very lightly because operations like these were frequent in Lebanon.
We arrived at the station and unloaded our luggage onto three carts. We checked into the lounge and waited for our train to take us under the English Channel to London. It has not been 30 minutes before we had forgotten about the news. I was too caught up playing on my PSP (Play Station Portable) to think about anything. Our train finally arrived. We loaded our bags onto the train and we were off to London. We were all beat when we arrived, and on top of that we couldn't get adjoining rooms, so me and my sister had to sleep the room in front of our parents' room. We finally got into our hotel rooms and we slept immediately. Our plane was to leave at 9:00 in morning on Thursday June the 15th which was the next day. I closed my eyes and couldn't remember anything till the next morning.
The phone rang; I expected it the call to be a wake up call from my mother telling me to get ready for our flight. I answered the phone still trying to open my eyes completely.
"2allo (hello)".
"2allo Souhail (hello Souhail)?"
"2e (yeah)".
"Come to my room for breakfast".
"Eh, Ok".
I looked at my watch. It was 12:30. Confused, I asked my mother, "Mom?"
"Eh habibi (yes honey)".
"Aren't we late for our flight?"
She paused a little, and during that short pause I got a bad feeling, I knew something was wrong, I knew my mom too well. She finally answered, "Just come to my room".
"Ok mom".
I put down the phone and woke up my sister, who was still sleeping. I looked out the window. The sky was very gloomy, and it was really cold. I got dressed and walked over to my parents' room. The door was open so I walked in.
I saw my parents staring at the T.V., I continued further into the room so I could get a clear look at the T.V., and when I did I was mortified. I froze, and a rush of fear and confusion hit me. We all just sat there watching the T.V. as our country was being bombed. I was so confused. I kept hoping it was a different country, but when I read the subtitles it said Beirut, Hariri International Airport. The images on the screen of T.V. looked like it was the war in Iraq all over again. I started to feel sick, and my stomach began to ache.
After staring for ten minutes, I finally got the drive to ask what was going on. My mother explained how Israel was responding to Hezbollah's operation. The airport was shut down because the runways were bombed, so we were stuck in London. From that moment, I knew this was only the beginning of a long summer. Before that day I used to think cars were really "cool", and I always imagined Lebanon at war, and I would be hero and save Lebanon. But from that horrible summer I learned an important lesson, "be careful for what you wish for".
We packed our bags and loaded them into the car and went to the train station heading back for London which we left few days ago to attend the world cup finals among French supporters. On our way to the train station my father received a phone call from one of his business partners. They talked for a while before my father hung up the phone and announced the news, "Feto Hezbollah 3ala Israel 2o 2atalo sab3a commandos, 2o khatafou tneen (Hezbollah entered Israel and killed seven Israeli commandos and kidnapped two)". As usual, we didn't think much of the situation, and took it very lightly because operations like these were frequent in Lebanon.
We arrived at the station and unloaded our luggage onto three carts. We checked into the lounge and waited for our train to take us under the English Channel to London. It has not been 30 minutes before we had forgotten about the news. I was too caught up playing on my PSP (Play Station Portable) to think about anything. Our train finally arrived. We loaded our bags onto the train and we were off to London. We were all beat when we arrived, and on top of that we couldn't get adjoining rooms, so me and my sister had to sleep the room in front of our parents' room. We finally got into our hotel rooms and we slept immediately. Our plane was to leave at 9:00 in morning on Thursday June the 15th which was the next day. I closed my eyes and couldn't remember anything till the next morning.
The phone rang; I expected it the call to be a wake up call from my mother telling me to get ready for our flight. I answered the phone still trying to open my eyes completely.
"2allo (hello)".
"2allo Souhail (hello Souhail)?"
"2e (yeah)".
"Come to my room for breakfast".
"Eh, Ok".
I looked at my watch. It was 12:30. Confused, I asked my mother, "Mom?"
"Eh habibi (yes honey)".
"Aren't we late for our flight?"
She paused a little, and during that short pause I got a bad feeling, I knew something was wrong, I knew my mom too well. She finally answered, "Just come to my room".
"Ok mom".
I put down the phone and woke up my sister, who was still sleeping. I looked out the window. The sky was very gloomy, and it was really cold. I got dressed and walked over to my parents' room. The door was open so I walked in.
I saw my parents staring at the T.V., I continued further into the room so I could get a clear look at the T.V., and when I did I was mortified. I froze, and a rush of fear and confusion hit me. We all just sat there watching the T.V. as our country was being bombed. I was so confused. I kept hoping it was a different country, but when I read the subtitles it said Beirut, Hariri International Airport. The images on the screen of T.V. looked like it was the war in Iraq all over again. I started to feel sick, and my stomach began to ache.
After staring for ten minutes, I finally got the drive to ask what was going on. My mother explained how Israel was responding to Hezbollah's operation. The airport was shut down because the runways were bombed, so we were stuck in London. From that moment, I knew this was only the beginning of a long summer. Before that day I used to think cars were really "cool", and I always imagined Lebanon at war, and I would be hero and save Lebanon. But from that horrible summer I learned an important lesson, "be careful for what you wish for".
Missing My Family--LH
On July 12, 2006, I woke up ready to spend the day with my friends. After having lunch, I called up some friends and asked them if they wanted to do something. All of them said they weren’t allowed to leave the house. I got so bored because my mom and brother were each doing there own thing, so I decided to go online and chat with my cousin in America. As we were chatting, I started to nag about having to stay home that day. Then all of a sudden she replied, “Are you dumb, you don’t know what's going on in the COUNTRY YOU ARE LIVING IN!" I replied to her with a simple “No”. She replied, “There is a big problem that may lead to war!” That explained the actions of my friends. I straight way shut down the computer and went to watch the news.
All I saw on LBC and Future were big headings that said, “This is the end of the world. Hezbollah and Israel are combating.” All I could think of was my dad and my brother. They were both out of the country. I was petrified at the thought that I would never see them again. I dashed to my mom and other brother in the next room to tell them what was happening.
A few days later, the news got worse, and I started worrying more and more. Israel was bombing the airport. I looked out my window because the airport was near by and saw smoke and fire. I opened the window. The sounds of the bombs were similar to the sounds when you cannon-ball in to a pool. Pieces of rock scattered everywhere like when one is splashing water, and it starts flying in all directions. The smell of the smoke in the air made me shiver. Skies of Lebanon began to darken. A few minutes later, I heard planes on top of my building. Suddenly the building shook. I personally thought there was an earthquake. We all started crying because my dad wasn’t with us, so we didn’t know how to act. My brother and I then started to ask my mom if they would bomb our street. My mom sensed that we were scared, so we spent the night at a hotel.
When we arrived at the hotel, it was packed with people. We went to our room and went to bed. I finally felt a bit safer. Time pasted until it was four in the morning. The building shook. We all swiftly woke up. We heard bombs and planes right next to us. We even heard people screaming especially children. I felt anxious again. We turned on the television and heard the news. They were hitting the street right beside us. The bombs were so loud and so near that some glass broke. Fortunately, no one was near the glass. After an hour, the war planes left, and we went back to bed.
The next morning we woke up at 7:00 am and packed up hastily, because we were worried that the bombing would continue. Luckily, we arrived home in time before they hit our hotel's street. I thanked God so much that day. Then we heard another bomb. I thought that this would never end; like a run-on sentence. Israel hit Dahieh. Dahieh (southern suburbs of Beirut) wasn’t far from our house. You can see it at the far end from my window. I started to miss my dad and brother more and more.
We couldn't take it any more, so we decided to leave the country, passing through Syria and stopping in Jordan. On the day of our departure we were on the road by 9am. We were going to the border crossing Tripoli. When we arrived to Tripoli, I saw broken down buildings with people surrounding them. At that moment I realized that Lebanon was weeping, because death and danger crept in all of a sudden. The trip to Jordan took about 10 hours.
We spent three days in Jordan, and then flew to Bahrain where all my family members met. Staying in Bahrain for about 2 months wasn’t that exciting, but at least I was safe with my family. One day while listening to the news, we heard that the airport reopened and that the war was over. We were so happy we even went out for dinner. Three days later we were on the plane coming back to Lebanon. I am so happy that the war ended, but I am feeling sad, because many people lost their families and friends. The country is still a bit depressed, but grey skies are going clear up.
All I saw on LBC and Future were big headings that said, “This is the end of the world. Hezbollah and Israel are combating.” All I could think of was my dad and my brother. They were both out of the country. I was petrified at the thought that I would never see them again. I dashed to my mom and other brother in the next room to tell them what was happening.
A few days later, the news got worse, and I started worrying more and more. Israel was bombing the airport. I looked out my window because the airport was near by and saw smoke and fire. I opened the window. The sounds of the bombs were similar to the sounds when you cannon-ball in to a pool. Pieces of rock scattered everywhere like when one is splashing water, and it starts flying in all directions. The smell of the smoke in the air made me shiver. Skies of Lebanon began to darken. A few minutes later, I heard planes on top of my building. Suddenly the building shook. I personally thought there was an earthquake. We all started crying because my dad wasn’t with us, so we didn’t know how to act. My brother and I then started to ask my mom if they would bomb our street. My mom sensed that we were scared, so we spent the night at a hotel.
When we arrived at the hotel, it was packed with people. We went to our room and went to bed. I finally felt a bit safer. Time pasted until it was four in the morning. The building shook. We all swiftly woke up. We heard bombs and planes right next to us. We even heard people screaming especially children. I felt anxious again. We turned on the television and heard the news. They were hitting the street right beside us. The bombs were so loud and so near that some glass broke. Fortunately, no one was near the glass. After an hour, the war planes left, and we went back to bed.
The next morning we woke up at 7:00 am and packed up hastily, because we were worried that the bombing would continue. Luckily, we arrived home in time before they hit our hotel's street. I thanked God so much that day. Then we heard another bomb. I thought that this would never end; like a run-on sentence. Israel hit Dahieh. Dahieh (southern suburbs of Beirut) wasn’t far from our house. You can see it at the far end from my window. I started to miss my dad and brother more and more.
We couldn't take it any more, so we decided to leave the country, passing through Syria and stopping in Jordan. On the day of our departure we were on the road by 9am. We were going to the border crossing Tripoli. When we arrived to Tripoli, I saw broken down buildings with people surrounding them. At that moment I realized that Lebanon was weeping, because death and danger crept in all of a sudden. The trip to Jordan took about 10 hours.
We spent three days in Jordan, and then flew to Bahrain where all my family members met. Staying in Bahrain for about 2 months wasn’t that exciting, but at least I was safe with my family. One day while listening to the news, we heard that the airport reopened and that the war was over. We were so happy we even went out for dinner. Three days later we were on the plane coming back to Lebanon. I am so happy that the war ended, but I am feeling sad, because many people lost their families and friends. The country is still a bit depressed, but grey skies are going clear up.
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