Blog
Mehr Shafiei

How To Deal With Homesickness For Lebanon

Being away from Lebanon for an extended period of time can be tough. Despite all the well-earned complaints about this crazy place, many Lebanese abroad report strong pangs of homesickness for their watan once they cross its borders. To help ease the pain and longing of our readers outside the country, we have come up with some easy and practical ways to beat the homeland blues:

1. Stay connected with the music.

The best way to numb the sharp pain of homesickness is to find ways to keep a strong connection to your place of birth. For example, blast some Fairuz or George Wassouf while sipping Nescafe on a Sunday morning. Ahh, feels like home. Related to music, you can get the apps for almost all Lebanese radio stations. You can be listening to the same tunes as your fellow countrymen even when you are far away.

2. Explore your new location.

You never know if you’re going to fall in love with your new location, it’s only fair to give it a chance!

3. Eat familiar foods.

The greatest thing about having a Lebanese Diaspora is that there is a Lebanese restaurant (usually called ‘Cedars’ or ‘Phoenicia’) in every city in the world. Go there when you are feeling down. The places are usually decorated with every imaginable icon of Lebanese tourism and will help you feel better.

4. Follow Lebanese Bloggers on Instagram.

This way you will have your hand on the pulse of the news and you won’t feel out of the loop at all. Follow @ma32ouul to remember all the craziness of Lebanon, and @livelovelebanon to remember all the beauty.

5. Stream Lebanese TV channels.

Even the small task of listening to Lebanese people talk about Lebanese things will make you feel more at home. And at worst, it will remind you of all the chaos happening and make you happy that you’re gone!

6. Join your local Lebanese Association.

These types of groups are great because they bring you and your co-patriots together and help with adjusting to post-Lebanon life.

7. Read Beirut.com.

Seriously. Our website provides a daily dose of photos and articles from around the country to help you keep the ties between you and the country as strong as they were before you left.

And as one Lebanese taxi driver told me recently: Never be sad to leave Lebanon because it will be here waiting, exactly as you left it.

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