2020-05-20 07:56
Six months into parenthood, I’ve come to realize nothing- and I mean no book, resource, or well-meaning family member- can prepare you for when a newborn screams relentlessly at 2 AM a… Read More
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Beyond Beirut Blog
beyondbeirut.wordpress.com
A blog about a Lebanese girl navigating through life after graduate school and her 24th birthday
2020-04-22 11:46
Stockholm doesn’t have the oppulence of Vienna or the organized chaos of Berlin. It doesn’t feel as old as Prague and nowhere near as expansive as Paris. Because of that, and the… Read More
2020-04-13 05:30
On Mother’s Day this year, I woke up to find my sleep-deprived face with my uneven foundation and slightly askew eyebrows staring back at me. I’d already had a heavy heart: due t… Read More
2020-03-02 10:29
After a rough second half of 2018, I needed something, anything, to stop myself from spiraling and obsessing over the constant thoughts in my head. I needed a project to throw myself into: s… Read More
2020-02-17 05:46
It could have been any regular Sunday in our house: Ahmad and I lying down on our couch, enjoying food just delivered from our favorite, Crepaway, while watching the latest season of The Cro… Read More
2020-02-13 07:42
In September, just as I’d started the third trimester, I thought it would be a good idea to sign us up for a prenatal course. Our familiarity with babies, up until that point, was non… Read More
2020-02-10 16:44
By the end of the eighth month, the only thing missing was to actually deliver. I continued life as usual: work and falling asleep on our living room couch as soon as I’d gotten back w… Read More
2020-02-09 11:33
I remember how hot and heavy my tears felt as they rolled down my cheeks on a Wednesday night in April. Ahmad held me in his arms as I sobbed and sobbed, asking him, asking the universe, &ld&hell…Read More
2018-03-03 19:03
Lately, things have fallen into a welcome routine: work, home, family, occasionally friends, more often than none a run through the streets of my beloved Beirut.
Even the struggles and the l… Read More
2017-10-18 11:00
So there I was, lying on the street, clutching my left knee in pain on a busy intersection on one of Maastricht’s main bridges, trying not to feel flustered or helpless. But that was e… Read More
2017-10-17 11:18
For the second time this year, I found myself crying on an airplane- something I really should stop doing. This time, it wasn’t because a sense of relief had finally washed over me aft… Read More
2017-10-16 09:00
I have to be very honest here: I had been trash-talking Amsterdam for the better part of the past five years. Whenever I was asked to give my opinion on the city, I would always reply that i… Read More
2017-10-15 07:59
“You know what looks really beautiful?” Ahmad yelled across the house.
“What?” I yelled back from the kitchen.
“Amsterdam. I’ve been seeing a lot of pictu… Read More
2017-10-14 08:17
A short while ago, I wrote a post expressing my frustration at how the blogging scene in Lebanon has really taken a turn for the worst, with the so-called influencers dominating the scene wi… Read More
2017-08-24 19:16
Writing can be hard. And writing about relationships can be even harder, as I’ve learned in the past few days when I attempted a piece only to stop mid-sentence and shut off my laptop… Read More
2017-08-21 19:30
It’s funny that I can recall the exact moment I fell in love with Crete and decided it would be a destination I would want to visit again and again and again. But it did not come easil… Read More
2017-08-17 20:40
It’s hard for me to believe that Ahmad and I will be celebrating our second wedding anniversary in a little over a month- where has the time gone?
Sometimes, a picture or a post from t… Read More
2017-08-16 19:51
When we found out we couldn’t legally enter Portugal for our spring trip, Ahmad and I needed to think quickly. To not go on holiday was unthinkable. We’d already began our countd… Read More
2017-08-15 18:43
Read any article about running, and you’re bound to find all the advantages listed within the first paragraph or two. And I’ll admit, they drew me in at first: the health be… Read More
2017-08-12 19:27
One week after I wrote a post celebrating a year of healthy living, I tired on a dress that’s been hanging in my closet for a year- and it fit! It was even loose around my mi… Read More
2017-08-10 19:41
We were in mid-air when I suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion. Tears were streaming down my face uncontrollably that the flight attendant made his way from one end of the plane to the o… Read More
2017-08-09 19:41
She reaches into the cabinet behind her and pulls out two wafer bars, one for me and one for my sister. “There you go,” she says with a smile.
“Thank you teta,” we re… Read More
2017-08-08 19:30
You may have noticed that I’ve taken extended hiatuses recently. I’ve left this blog without new content for months on end, despite having plenty to share. The main reason? I don… Read More
2017-08-07 19:53
I realize there’s still some adventures to share from September’s trip to Prague. After all, if this blog’s purpose is to document my experiences in adulthood, our tr… Read More
2017-08-06 14:55
If you’ve spoken to me or seen my Instagram feed lately, you probably know that the once unthinkable has now taken over my life. No matter what way you try to phrase it, I’m a ru… Read More
2017-08-05 09:17
It’s hard to believe but it’s true: it’s been almost one year since one ill-fated date night caused me to snap and come to the realization that I needed to do something abo… Read More
2017-05-03 14:15
On the eve of my 20th birthday, I jokingly told a friend who had messaged me with good wishes that this was going to be the “no pressure but you have to hit all the milestones decade… Read More
2017-05-01 19:53
I realize that to a lot of people, going out to have sushi doesn’t require much thought. They get together with their friends and/or significant other and just head to dinner (or order… Read More
2017-04-28 19:29
I have to admit: I was intrigued by the idea of JamaloukiCon. For the better part of the past week, advertisements for this beauty convention kept popping up on all my social media platforms… Read More
2017-04-27 19:44
Every once in a while, an article pops up online that is usually of the kind that makes my blood boil and leaves me infuriated for a while.
In most of these case, if not all, these “bl… Read More
2017-04-25 19:36
I had plenty of topics on my mind for today’s blog post- until at about 10 AM this morning, as I was deleting an unwanted email, my phone suddenly stopped working.
Actually , it went i… Read More
2017-04-24 19:45
In a previous post, I mentioned that attending an opera was one of the items on my bucket list. Though I love music and the performing arts, I am in no shape or form knowledgeable enough, bu… Read More
2017-04-23 21:06
For our very first wedding anniversary, Ahmad and I decided to celebrate in the only way we know how: travel. We had been doubtful it would work out because we had spent quite a lot to go to… Read More
2017-04-21 19:20
I never know where to start when I’m getting back to the blog after a long and unexplained hiatus. Should I begin by telling you why I pulled off yet another disappearing act when just… Read More
2016-12-18 21:16
Sometimes the things we do for fun in Beirut can get pretty repetitive pretty fast. We go try out a new restaurant, or we wander around a mall we’ve visited plenty of times before. Or… Read More
2016-12-15 21:04
We went to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story last night. As is usually the case whenever we go to watch action or sci-fi films, I was the only woman in our group. But I was just as excit… Read More
2016-12-14 12:47
As 2015 was coming to a close, I wrote down a list of resolutions that I hoped to fulfill in the upcoming year- one which seemed so bright and full of endless possibilities. But now that 201… Read More
2016-10-23 12:56
In 2010, I wrote a blog post describing how I felt about beauty pageants. I could not understand why the broadcaster thinks that extravagant soirees where contestants are in swimsu… Read More
2016-10-10 11:17
The kitchen was in desperate need of restocking after we returned from our trip- as I usually plan to use up as much supplies as we can before we travel so that nothing rots or expires in ou… Read More
2016-10-09 17:04
I’ve been trying to write this retrospective post for about two weeks now. This is, in fact, the 26th attempt according to WordPress. Which amazes me as I’ve never had any troubl… Read More
2016-10-03 11:40
Mourning sucks- but not because you’ve lost a loved one. It’s what comes after that is infinitely more difficult. That damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation… Read More
2016-09-13 20:07
This morning, Joe’s Box posted an interesting list of his “bloggers’ confessions” and invited others to follow suit. After spending the whole day brainstorming and re… Read More
2016-09-11 19:45
You may have read in yesterday’s post that I’ve finally taken action towards leading a healthier lifestyle by asking for help from a professional. And sure enough, the Monday mor… Read More
2016-09-10 18:25
I’ve known for a while that I’ve gained weight- and in the process lost some of my confidence, undid the hard work I put in at the gym for the past three years, and the ability t… Read More
2016-09-08 19:00
I have to be honest with you: throughout 2015, I would internalize every conversation, every incident, every meeting with a vendor in hopes that I would later use it as material for the blog… Read More
2016-08-04 19:26
I promised myself I wouldn’t talk about weddings after I posted the quick summary video of our wedding a few months ago. There’s no need to dwell on the past after all.
I e… Read More
2016-08-03 06:10
Tuesdays are cursed-at least for me. Tuesdays always mean missed deadlines, unexpected problems, endless meetings, hastily consumed lunches at the desk while scrambling to finish a task… Read More
2016-08-01 13:02
Getting married has clearly given those surrounding me a free pass to invade my privacy. And nothing is more obvious then how I’ve been on bump watch since I tied the knot.
A protrudin… Read More
2016-07-28 19:40
I couldn’t focus on work today so I found myself reading some old posts on this very blog- posts from around the time our wedding planning had hit its stride and our marriage was getti… Read More
2016-07-25 19:51
Last week, Ahmad returned from his parents’ home armed with enough shish barak and vermicelli rice to feed a family of four over a few days. He was also visibly upset. The dish of meat… Read More
2016-07-21 18:58
You’re in love. You’re happy that you found your soulmate. You want to spend the rest of your lives together. And that’s just fantastic- and I really mean that. The world n… Read More
2016-07-21 18:58
You’re in love. You’re happy that you found your soulmate. You want to spend the rest of your lives together. And that’s just fantastic- and I really mean that. The world n… Read More
2016-07-19 19:32
One of my favorite activities in the summertime is to grab a book, my headphones, and head to the beach for some much needed quiet time and relaxation.
It’s been my go-to summertime ac… Read More
2016-07-18 20:07
My sister calls it the “Monday song,” so it’s become an integral part of my Monday mornings to listen to 21 Pilot’s hit Stressed Out. She’s totally right: it&rs&hell…Read More
2016-07-17 18:44
You know, I’m really proud of myself right now. Because after a long day of attending to the house and social obligations, I made myself get into the kitchen and prepare at least two d… Read More
2016-07-16 19:58
It’s late on a Saturday night and I’m sitting in the comfort of our home, playing a really cool board game with our friends called Takenoko, where we’re trying to cu… Read More
2016-07-15 19:04
As anyone will tell you, finding time for your hobbies gets increasingly more difficult as the responsibilities increase. And I’m finding it especially true when it comes to picking up… Read More
2016-07-14 15:05
Every time a foreign publication publishes a travel account or recommendation about Lebanon, my timeline is flooded with people sharing the article, possibly in awe that a non-Lebanese came… Read More
2016-07-13 19:00
About twenty days ago, when I was feeling at my worst yet again, I wrote the below in an attempt to help myself understand why I wasn’t okay yet again, and what are the issues that I n… Read More
2016-07-12 18:30
I don’t drive.
And in a city like Beirut, where public transport is abysmal and cars abound, this means that I have to be dependent on other people to get from one point to another. &n&hell…Read More
2016-07-11 11:11
I think the best way to describe penning this post is to compare it to writing a letter (or rather an email to keep with modern times) to a friend after we haven’t been in touch for a… Read More
2016-06-03 19:56
After so many broken promises and false hope, I am happy to say that our wedding video has finally been delivered, ending months full of frustration and waiting.
With that, I can safely say… Read More
2016-06-01 19:27
Dwelling on the past is not something I enjoy doing- and in that vein, I decided to stop talking about the wedding and leave it at as the happy memory it should be. I refuse to be the kind o… Read More
2016-05-27 18:42
In our household we could run out of oil, rice, or meat, but we will never run out of coffee. It is such a staple that we have bought it in several different forms and have at least thr… Read More
2016-05-25 18:47
When the wedding ends, a whole chapter closes with it. It still amazes me how a whole chapter spanning several months and full of anticipation and planning comes to an… Read More
2016-05-09 11:50
As I wiped the ink off my left thumb this morning, I couldn’t help but feel like I, along with many like-minded voters, had been punched in the gut. Although it wasn’t entirely u… Read More
2016-04-26 19:20
You know how they say that time flies? Well, our holiday was about a month ago, and yet I’m still writing about it. Maybe that’s because a part of me wishes we were still there… Read More
2016-04-24 18:37
I am not a fan of heights. But I don’t like staying in the comfort zone and missing out on fun experiences, especially not when I made a promise to myself to do as many enriching activ… Read More
2016-04-21 20:41
I don’t have to stand on a scale to know: my clothes don’t fit as they used to before. My face is fuller. I feel winded when I climb a few flights of stairs. My protruding mid-se… Read More
2016-04-20 19:22
At a recent family gathering, one of my aunts asked me a funny question that stuck with me for some time. That question was “have you gotten used to being called Madame?”
Despite… Read More
2016-04-18 19:33
This is a continuation of our recent adventures in Sri Lanka.Like I’ve previously stated, this country is rich in culture, attractions, and nature, so limiting the highlights to a sing… Read More
2016-04-14 11:10
The past few weeks have been full of milestones for Ahmad and I, most notably that we have been together for three years and married for six months. And even though I am still struck by disb… Read More
2016-04-12 05:50
In the lead up to our long-awaited vacation, I wasn’t doing much of a good job in the kitchen or with meal planning. Basically, I was coming up with ideas on the go, depending on what… Read More
2016-04-11 05:30
To call Sri Lanka amazing would be an understatement. There’s so much that we saw and experienced as we made our way across the island, and yet much was left for several new trips… Read More
2016-04-05 12:20
The honking horns. The cars passing by blasting loud trashy music. People shouting. Motorcycles whizzing by, each one louder than the next.
These are the unmistakable sounds that one is in t… Read More
2016-03-31 17:03
Our trip to Sri Lanka has taken us over 1200 kilometers so far, as we hop from one location to another, exploring what every area has to offer. In the past few days we have gone from an emer… Read More
2016-03-29 18:18
Anyone who has ever engaged in small talk with a Lebanese person will know that it is an interesting sequence of events that always concludes in the same way.
No matter the age group or the… Read More
2016-03-27 17:39
Over the past few days in Sri Lanka, I’ve done things I have never done before: climb 1236 steps to reach an ancient fortress and go on a safari.
I’ve also effectively learned th… Read More
2016-03-25 13:31
In the lead up to our trip to Sri Lanka, I had been telling Ahmad that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad that we would be travelling as part of a group, doing everything together for the nex… Read More
2016-03-25 13:18
Flying for long periods of time or for long distances isn’t usually a favorite activity of mine. But exceptions must be made, especially if the intent of the trip is to discover somepl… Read More
2016-03-24 09:44
One of the features I enjoy the most in our apartment is that I have a place to put my washing machine, cleaning material, and all the stocks of supplies we might need without them being dir… Read More
2016-03-22 11:47
I will be the first to tell you that I love celebrating mothers’ day. My mother is an incredible woman who I look up to and will always be my best friend. And in the past few years, I… Read More
2016-03-19 20:07
I find researching a trip just as exciting as going there. Maybe it’s because I hate surprises and don’t like having a plan, but I truly do enjoy reading guidebooks, browsing the… Read More
2016-03-18 14:22
Every time I come back from a shopping spree, I feel punched in the gut, with my self-esteem always going down to the lowest of lows. I cannot really understand how some people love going to… Read More
2016-03-16 19:42
“You have to try him. You have to know if he’s the right one for you. You should come up with different scenarios and see how he really reacts: if he gets jealous, if he cares, i… Read More
2016-03-15 19:57
There’s nothing I want more than to be successful at work- to feel like I’m making a difference, that the effort I put in day and day out is actually leading to something. I&rsqu&hell…Read More
2016-03-14 18:46
In the past, I may have been too quick to label someone as my best friend- I guess because I didn’t have much friends growing up and anyone with whom I seemed to click and trust with m… Read More
2016-03-12 19:56
Getting to Abdelli seemed easy enough- according to the tiny piece of paper Ahmad had printed out and handed to me to use for navigation as we made our way to the North. It did not, however… Read More
2016-03-11 06:46
We’ve been meaning to try Souk El Akel for a while but the opportunity never really presented itself until yesterday when I came home and had no idea what to make with the ground beef… Read More
2016-03-10 07:39
Snow is not exactly my best friend. For someone who is born right in the middle of winter, I cannot stand the cold and the charm of everything covered in white wears off really, really fast… Read More
2016-03-09 07:05
We all have that one item that stares right back at us when we open our closets in the morning, wondering what item of clothing best represents how we feel on that particular day.
It is… Read More
2016-03-08 12:30
Today, as you may know, is International Women’s Day. It is a day where social media is full of inspiring messages, mostly coming from women, on how we females continue to overco… Read More
2016-03-07 14:45
Before going any further with this post, I want to say that I have been extremely fortunate to be surrounded by some very incredible women whom I am lucky to call my best friends. They are t… Read More
2016-03-04 18:13
“So are you hiding something?” asked one coworker a few days ago upon finding out that I had gotten married (a couple of months too late if I may add).
“No,” I r… Read More
2016-03-03 12:17
I credit Zumba for getting me off my lazy ass and into a gym. Before taking on the fitness activity that combines aerobics with Latin dance, I used to be the person who spent gym c… Read More
2016-03-02 13:26
I was supposed to take the weekend off. But a weekend turned into a week, a week into two, and two into a month.
I told myself I deserved a break after doing this writing “thing”… Read More
2016-02-03 21:08
Putting myself through a yearly challenge meant that I came out of it with over 400 posts. If you’ve read all of them, I’m really amazed because even I didn’t read everythi… Read More
2016-02-02 18:28
It’s February the second. Which means that I’ve completed the blogging challenge I set out to do myself. If you asked me when I first started out, I wouldn’t have been so s… Read More
2016-02-01 20:40
January was hand-down the longest and most tiring month that I remember going through. Not even all the wedding planning and moving could compare to just how energy-draining the month was. A… Read More
2016-01-31 21:18
While I’ve never been big on birthdays, today marks the start of the second half of my twenties. It shouldn’t be that momentous but somehow it feels like it. The celebratio… Read More
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