Browsing: War

But we, the people of Syria, will carry the weight of our history with us, forever, we will tell the generations to come. For we know it is not in the hands of diplomats or politicians, it is in our hearts. In the way we talk, laugh, cry.

El-ghorba translates to ‘estrangement’ in English, but to adopt this modern definition would be to overlook the word’s nuanced background: nostalgia that is intermingled with trauma and hopeless optimism.

For no reason at all, she thought about her youth. She remembered when couples slow-danced at the local hall and when it was so cold you could barely feel your feet and when parents took their children for ice cream near the water. For no reason at all, she thought about great big cargo ships and waves and tears.