Lebanese around the world are spending sleepless nights watching the news and trying to contact their parents and friends, feeling helpless as the war rages on in their homeland. Even as we carry out the normal rhythms of daily life, distance increases anxiety. They are separated and the news is disturbing.
Sandra Sobh (46) lives in Dubai and works as a school teacher. She told NBC News that she struggles to lead a normal life, waking up at 3 a.m. and watching the news before getting her children ready for school. At work, she and other Lebanese teachers and employees are obsessed with developments and are constantly texting each other about the situation.
Some of her colleagues have had their parents evacuated, lost family members, or had their homes demolished. Some have lost contact with loved ones and are grappling with the fear and hope of the unknown. “Don’t think you’re in a better situation just because you’re further away,” Sob said.
Georges Hamad, 52, moved to France in 2006 during the month-long war between Israel and Lebanon. “When you’re away, the news is amplified. Even if you’re watching what’s going on, you start imagining the situation,” Hamad said. “I feel guilty. Because they have a normal life and their homeland is being destroyed.”
“Our hearts, our emotions and our spirits are in Lebanon,” he said. “I hope this is the last time and all our suffering ends.”
Some Lebanese expatriates are coping by trying to support their homeland from afar.
Salim Rachad, 49, works at a call center in Canada. He says the Lebanese community is sending donations and trying to help care for the family, but the distance from home leaves them feeling hopeless.
“How would you feel if you were away and couldn’t help?”
