Happy, Working, Married, Woman.

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 “blurbs” are written by men who believe women cannot or should not be allowed to do something: like…

On Grieving

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 you find yourself in. Two weeks ago, a dear uncle of mine passed away after a year long battle with cancer. From his diagnosis to his death,…

This is Getting Ridiculous

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 even unfollowed all the accounts that I used to look at for inspiration because I don’t need them anymore. Time to make…

The Wedding Photographer Saga

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 of person who constantly uploads pictures or wants to remain in bride-mode indefinitely. I feel that…

Adventures in Turkish Coffee Making

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 three devices to producing the drink in varieties that would rival your local coffee shop.It would be hard…

For a Better Beirut: My First Voting Experience

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 unexpected, the news that Beirut Madinati didn’t win the Beirut municipal election and that the participation rates were abysmal was still a…

Madame

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 having been married for some time now, the answer to that question is that I really haven’t. To this day, if someone…

Small Talk, The Lebanese Way

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 location or the subject at hand, the conversation shifts to a single topic like that theory that any internet…

When A Group of Strangers Travels Together

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 next few days. If anything, I hoped it would lead to new friendships (as I am always looking…

The Maid’s Room

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 directly in my line of vision. It’s an extension of the kitchen that originally had two entrances until we…