14 Things You Know If One Of Your Lebanese Parents Works Abroad

Having a parent who works abroad sucks HARD, especially if you are all attached to each other like many Lebanese are. Here are some things you’ll understand if you have a parent who works abroad!

1. You get to eat ALL the food when they visit home

Let the cooking commence! As soon as your hardworking mom or dad are back in Lebanon, their partner starts cooking up a storm and buying all their favorite groceries. “Jebet rched w zaytoun, bi hebbon baykon”, “Lyom el ghada steak w pasta” and desserts of course.

2. The food situation doesn’t last long.

Before long, you’re back to eating the worst basics and hearing complaints on the family WhatsApp group.

3. You scream despite being able to hear them normally over FaceTime.

This is an integral part of Arab FaceTime culture. Oh, and half of the conversation consists of cursing the internet and the quality of the call.

4. The whole family drops your mother or father at the airport the first few times.

When it was still new, it was considered a sacred tradition to drop the parent the first few times they left, but now you all argue over who will be ordering their Uber or cab.

5. The Lebanon-based parent used to organize welcome back surprise parties and dinners the first few times.

It was all about welcome back 3azimeh the first few time your parent came back Lebanon. After a while, if you all pick him or her up from the airport, they consider themselves lucky.

6. Sundays are back.

Your favorite family Sundays get-togethers are back. This means no more depressive stay-in-bed Sunday when you can’t even communicate with your parents because it is considered a Monday (if they work in an Arab country).

7. Zyaras are back on track.

Word is when the family is complete again, it means that necessary zyaras are back back back again.

8. Serious conversations and occasional tantrums are back.

Even if your parent is on a vacay here, they’ll still insist on evaluating your life and criticizing your choices and decisions as you are all enjoying a dinner or a beach day, because they have to make use of the time they have with you.

9. It is the perfect opportunity to be spoiled again.

“Khallina nrouh naamol shopping ana w yeke, chou na2sik baba/mama”

10. Even if it has been almost ten years, the goodbyes are always the hardest.

🙁

11. You make it a point to cancel some of your plans to spend more time to your mother or father.

Your friends complain about you cancelling plans again but they will have to deal with it because family time is sacred.

12. You are back to being a kid to the eyes of your parents.

You are not a fully-functioning adult with two jobs and a masters anymore, you are basically a kid again in the eyes of your parent who refuse to process that you have grown up.

13. It is a lot of tourism.

Your parents are back that means Harissa, Jbeil and Beqaa trips are back because of course they miss all the Lebanese landmarks.

14. You parents are back to being lovebirds whilst they are together.

That means all the cheesy affectionate moments are back and you and your sibling are making puking sounds.