Of living by proxy or the state of the Lebanese woman

The Global Gender Gap Report 2014 has been published, ranking Lebanon at 135 out of 142 countries. The study shows that women's educational attainment is high, however women have yet to enter the political world and obtain the right to speak and make a difference.
How can a paternalistic society move forward when highly educated women cannot participate in drafting and implementing legislation?
Should we wait for our country men to protect us and give us our rights?
Who decides if I can give the citizenship to my unborn children?
Who decides if I am protected against abuse?
Who decides what the definition of abuse is?
To live by proxy. Or the state of the Lebanese woman.

Of change

The one constant you can always rely on.
Everybody leaves one day...

Of Art and 7ake

In love with the Art 7ake shop!

Of Beirut or Fate

Somewhere it's been written.
Somewhere it's been decided.
I was born in war.
War is my fate.
I have never known Beirut without war.
I have never known Beirut without injustice.
I have never known Beirut without fear.
I have never known...
Will I die in my country?
Will I die in war?
Will I ever know?

I look at Beirut. She looks back. Envious.
Envious of freedom. Of opportunities. Of what if.
Envious of unspeakable possibilities.
And all I want is to go back.
To her chaos and ugliness.
To her carelessness.
To realize an unrealistic dream.
To give back the love she deserves.

Is love most romantic when it's unfulfilled?
Do I love you because you don't truly exist?
Will you fade away when I come closer?
Are you truly Beirut?
Or the concealed unattainable in my psyche?
Are you a dream? An illusion?
Hope? Is that you?

Ello or work in progress

got my Ello invite a couple of days ago.
Still not sure what to do with it.
Somewhat excited to work it out as it goes.

Of Amal or Hope

Yasmine is an inspiring young woman who is raising awareness about a very important cause in Lebanon. Domestic Violence.

Domestic violence is still taboo in Lebanon and even worse it is seen as permissible. The woman gets beaten up, she goes to her parents' house, they tell her to go back to her husband and the vicious cycle continues. Partly to spare the family from a "Fadiha" or scandal, partly because well what do you do? where do you go from here? How do you empower yourself?

You are somebody's daughter and now somebody's wife. But you never had the chance to be somebody yourself. Most often than not you do not have a steady source of income and even if you do, you probably have young kids to protect. And it goes on and on in a dizzying spiral.

I am not giving this subject enough justice. But solutions come with education, awareness, pressure to change and make new legislation, and social support and resources to women in need.

We all know it's there, we all know a Leila or Amal or Claude or Roula or Manal.

Help spread the word in an effort to stop domestic violence in Lebanon. Learn more about Kafa, a prominent non profit organization about women rights in Lebanon. And support Yasmine, a young and wonderful woman who I had the chance to meet in Boston and who is taking a chance to make this world a better place.
To fund "Amal" Yasmine's new project, please click here

Of Acorn and Perseverance

An ongoing tradition is to collect souvenirs from museum shops wherever I go.

The acorn which only appears on a fully mature oak represents the symbol of patience and perseverance in order to attain one's goals.

Growing Home

The Air Force Memorial

These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we fucked up the end game.
- Charlie Wilson

Of Escapism...

I yearn to come back.
I yearn to escape.
I yearn to abandon my name.
I yearn to renounce that brand social media has invented.
I yearn to speak and not be judged.
I yearn to be anonymous again.