Between war and home: why Lebanese abroad keep coming back
Grace Massoud
4/9/2026 5:09:45 PM
Why time and again the Lebanese will be drawn to return to their home country
Nancy Massoud came to Lebanon to celebrate her 30th birthday with her family. The first thing she wanted to do when she landed was to go home and see everyone, her parents, siblings, the cat, birds, and tortoise, give them presents and spend time with them.
Within days, war erupted, plunging the country into turmoil for nearly two weeks. It threw everyone off and disrupted their lives, the expatriates included, coming home for a visit and finding themselves entangled in chaos.
Nancy Massoud has been the Scientific Coordinator in the public health sector in Paris for two and a half years now. She made the move in 2021 to pursue her master’s degree and loved it so much that she decided to stay and work there.
Where the Heart is
“You worry more when you’re far away”. It is easier to withstand the war close to her loved ones than from a distance. “It made me realize what people endured in the 2024 war, when I experienced it from afar. Looking back, it was worse. You follow the news more closely, always on your phone, you know things before they do sometimes, and you’re more anxious than when you’re living with them”, confesses Nancy.
What was meant to be a simple visit turned into navigating a war. Regardless, she made sure to relish every minute. She hit the slopes in Faraya, skiing and making friends with every person she sat next to on the chair lift. “Watching the beautiful Lebanese sea while on the slopes, that’s something else”.
Nancy took long walks with her dad at 5:00 am in the morning, going to his place of work to spend time with him, and practically forced him to do his blood test to keep track of his health. Her treasured rituals in Lebanon are going to coffee shops with her mom, gym with her sister, trying out new foods with another sister, eating frozen yogurt at places she loves, and going to her favorite restaurants.
In Paris, Nancy built a home with friends who became akin to family. Nevertheless, she misses the people she grew up with, her hometown, visiting Harissa, movie nights with her family, and teasing her brother endlessly because he secretly enjoys it. “Sunday lunch is what I miss most, and Sunday outings. There’s a warmth that runs deep in Lebanon”, says Nancy.
Cherished Rituals
Gaelle Mezher came to see her parents early in February, as she couldn’t come for the holidays. The first thing the twenty-nine-year-old felt like doing when the plane landed was go to their house and see her parents. The plan was to simultaneously have a vacation and work from Lebanon. Gaelle left for Paris to get her master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Industry and Medical Technology Management. At present, she is the Scientific and Marketing Manager in the distribution of dental products.
Upon each visit, she has traditions and places she reconnects with. “Being Lebanese and having lived here my whole life, the places that are dearest to my heart are, Saint Charbel, Harissa, and Saint Rafqa. They’re non-negotiable”. By her own admission, her mom’s cooking is king. She makes Waraa Aarish and Koussa weekly, Gaelle’s favorite dishes. “In Lebanon, I only eat homecooked meals”. Even though she tries to cook like her mother, it doesn’t turn out the same.
The thought of coming back and building a life in Lebanon crosses the mind of every expat, but it’s a momentous move. “Leaving for France was like that, uprooting your life. I built a routine, got accustomed to stability and safety, making it more difficult to leave it behind and start from scratch all over again”, admits Gaelle. It would be as difficult as leaving for France was for her. She has grown accustomed to the culture, to how their day passes and to their rhythm.
The best memories from life in Lebanon are the long summer days, when she spent the whole day at the beach, came home, took a bath then went out for a party or dinner with her friends and sisters, far from conflict and the stress associated with it. The Lebanese people love to go out and have a good time; there’s a strong will to live despite it all.
On weekends is when she misses her family most. It’s depressing waking up to an empty apartment if there are no plans. “Rakwet el ahweh with mom and dad, the sobhiyeh with them and my two sisters”.
What is it about Sunday?
“Lebanon to me is family and Sunday lunch gatherings around the table, everyone talking at the same time and getting lost in the flow, the kids running around everywhere with my dog, especially when we’re in our village of Hemleya. Kes el Arak and fenjen el ahwe, that’s what it’s all about”. From Gaelle’s perspective, wars should not be the focus. She moved countries and that threat is still everywhere, seeing as half the world is currently at war.
What needs to be highlighted is Lebanon’s nature, its beauty, and the Lebanese people’s distinct charm. “Everywhere we go we are loved because of our warm nature, our smiles and positive energy regardless of everything we’ve been through and are still going through”, says Gaelle.
With all that is transpiring, people would always come visit Nancy admits, due to Lebanon’s undefinable charm, and the welded connection all Lebanese feel towards it. When she leaves, she will pack Kaak, Unica and Thyme in her suitcase, and the polaroids of her new memories with her family to decorate her Paris office walls. As for Gaelle, she’ll be taking her nephews’ and niece’s drawings to hang on the walls of her studio, a heartwarming memento of home.
Nancy Massoud came to Lebanon to celebrate her 30th birthday with her family. The first thing she wanted to do when she landed was to go home and see everyone, her parents, siblings, the cat, birds, and tortoise, give them presents and spend time with them.
Within days, war erupted, plunging the country into turmoil for nearly two weeks. It threw everyone off and disrupted their lives, the expatriates included, coming home for a visit and finding themselves entangled in chaos.
Nancy Massoud has been the Scientific Coordinator in the public health sector in Paris for two and a half years now. She made the move in 2021 to pursue her master’s degree and loved it so much that she decided to stay and work there.
Where the Heart is
“You worry more when you’re far away”. It is easier to withstand the war close to her loved ones than from a distance. “It made me realize what people endured in the 2024 war, when I experienced it from afar. Looking back, it was worse. You follow the news more closely, always on your phone, you know things before they do sometimes, and you’re more anxious than when you’re living with them”, confesses Nancy.
What was meant to be a simple visit turned into navigating a war. Regardless, she made sure to relish every minute. She hit the slopes in Faraya, skiing and making friends with every person she sat next to on the chair lift. “Watching the beautiful Lebanese sea while on the slopes, that’s something else”.
Nancy took long walks with her dad at 5:00 am in the morning, going to his place of work to spend time with him, and practically forced him to do his blood test to keep track of his health. Her treasured rituals in Lebanon are going to coffee shops with her mom, gym with her sister, trying out new foods with another sister, eating frozen yogurt at places she loves, and going to her favorite restaurants.
In Paris, Nancy built a home with friends who became akin to family. Nevertheless, she misses the people she grew up with, her hometown, visiting Harissa, movie nights with her family, and teasing her brother endlessly because he secretly enjoys it. “Sunday lunch is what I miss most, and Sunday outings. There’s a warmth that runs deep in Lebanon”, says Nancy.
Cherished Rituals
Gaelle Mezher came to see her parents early in February, as she couldn’t come for the holidays. The first thing the twenty-nine-year-old felt like doing when the plane landed was go to their house and see her parents. The plan was to simultaneously have a vacation and work from Lebanon. Gaelle left for Paris to get her master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Industry and Medical Technology Management. At present, she is the Scientific and Marketing Manager in the distribution of dental products.
Upon each visit, she has traditions and places she reconnects with. “Being Lebanese and having lived here my whole life, the places that are dearest to my heart are, Saint Charbel, Harissa, and Saint Rafqa. They’re non-negotiable”. By her own admission, her mom’s cooking is king. She makes Waraa Aarish and Koussa weekly, Gaelle’s favorite dishes. “In Lebanon, I only eat homecooked meals”. Even though she tries to cook like her mother, it doesn’t turn out the same.
The thought of coming back and building a life in Lebanon crosses the mind of every expat, but it’s a momentous move. “Leaving for France was like that, uprooting your life. I built a routine, got accustomed to stability and safety, making it more difficult to leave it behind and start from scratch all over again”, admits Gaelle. It would be as difficult as leaving for France was for her. She has grown accustomed to the culture, to how their day passes and to their rhythm.
The best memories from life in Lebanon are the long summer days, when she spent the whole day at the beach, came home, took a bath then went out for a party or dinner with her friends and sisters, far from conflict and the stress associated with it. The Lebanese people love to go out and have a good time; there’s a strong will to live despite it all.
On weekends is when she misses her family most. It’s depressing waking up to an empty apartment if there are no plans. “Rakwet el ahweh with mom and dad, the sobhiyeh with them and my two sisters”.
What is it about Sunday?
“Lebanon to me is family and Sunday lunch gatherings around the table, everyone talking at the same time and getting lost in the flow, the kids running around everywhere with my dog, especially when we’re in our village of Hemleya. Kes el Arak and fenjen el ahwe, that’s what it’s all about”. From Gaelle’s perspective, wars should not be the focus. She moved countries and that threat is still everywhere, seeing as half the world is currently at war.
What needs to be highlighted is Lebanon’s nature, its beauty, and the Lebanese people’s distinct charm. “Everywhere we go we are loved because of our warm nature, our smiles and positive energy regardless of everything we’ve been through and are still going through”, says Gaelle.
With all that is transpiring, people would always come visit Nancy admits, due to Lebanon’s undefinable charm, and the welded connection all Lebanese feel towards it. When she leaves, she will pack Kaak, Unica and Thyme in her suitcase, and the polaroids of her new memories with her family to decorate her Paris office walls. As for Gaelle, she’ll be taking her nephews’ and niece’s drawings to hang on the walls of her studio, a heartwarming memento of home.