Halime
From Qaaqaaiyet El Jisr, Nabatiyeh
"I just want to reach home and kiss the doorstep."
Halime was born and raised in Beirut, and she doesn't deny her preference for city life. Yet, she deeply longs for her modest house in the village, with its small garden that her husband plants and tends to. Halime was home-loving and rarely left her house unless necessary, but she was warmly hospitable, welcoming visitors at all hours of the day. With the outbreak of the latest escalation of the Israeli war, Halime was forced to leave her home alongside her husband and 13-year-old daughter. Displacement took a heavy toll on Halime, exhausting her body until she was no longer able to stand or walk without help. It also drove her daughter into fear and isolation, especially given the harsh conditions at the public school serving as their shelter in Beirut. Halime closes her eyes and finds herself back on her balcony, which she had transformed into a cozy, tent-lie room with wooden windows where family and friends gathered, summer and winter alike.