Author: Bambi

Sophia was just 4-day-old on August 4, 2020, when the Beirut port explosion took place. She is the youngest injured citizen, as you can see in the moving picture at the end of this post.

Can you imagine the ordeal of Sophia’s mom? She was just in her 4th day postpartum when the nightmare happened. This is a time when new mothers need support, not catastrophes.

Can you imagine the pain/fear of Sophia’s dad?

What about her relatives who just celebrated her birth? Now they are worried about her life.

Why should Lebanon’s infants and children still have to go through injuries caused by adults?

Why should these adults once again destroy their beautiful capital?

Why should Beirutis keep suffering from one generation to the other? They went through hell and lost everything in less than 15 seconds… not even 15 years like during civil war.

Even Sisyphus cannot take it anymore, especially without hope for a (real!) change.

We heard today of more resignations of MPs and Ministers (Environment, Justice, Information, etc.). It seems that even the relatively new PM resigned. Will all this make any difference in reality? Hopefully, even if everyone knows who is in charge behind the scenes and… “ALL of them means all of them” (slogan of the people’s revolt against systemic corruption).

Of course, time will tell. However, Bambi is somehow skeptical… Yet, she wants to keep dreaming of a healthy change of the political system, true democracy, peace, prosperity…. and of love!

What’s next for Lebanon? The days ahead may be critical, unless the status quo remains the strongest, despite people’s amazing efforts to challenge it since October 17, 2019.

First, the criminality… here is just one example of all the corrupt acts taking place in Lebanon for over 30 years without any accountability.

Second, here is a message of life and love in the middle of DEEP sorrow. In the tweet below by journalist Roula Douglas, you can see the father of the little Alexandra (in one of Bambi’s earlier posts). He talked about how criminals wanted to kill love, which will keep prevailing in his family despite the tragedy. He said: “Lixou [his 3-year-old daughter killed in the explosion] is not a *martyr*, she is rather a victim”. Bambi had the exact reaction a couple of days ago, telling herself: Enough of this (stupid) label. People did not chose to die. All they wanted to do was to live. So, stop calling them martyrs… Martyrs of what and of/for whom? Bless Alexandra’s (“Lixou”) dad for saying that “his family’s love will keep going, even if the Lebanese leaders’ criminality was against love“. Bambi can only imagine one drop of the pain of “Lixou’s” mom and dad. She and her spouse had three recurrent miscarriages and their hearts still ache… so imagine when your 3-year-old daughter is injured, suffers for days, and dies!

Finally, to end this post with stories of hope. First, here is a video shared by Mr. Antoine Azar (Bambi’s amazing dad!). It shows the priest of his Saint George church at the moment of the explosion. Thank Goodness the priest’s spouse was just lightly injured and they both survived:

https://m.facebook.com/595486308/posts/10157624300071309/?d=n

In the same spirit but with a message of hope, further below you can watch a BBC News story/interview about Saint Dimitrios church in Beirut. Before this, you can see a picture that Bambi took of this church during her last trip to Lebanon on December, 2019. It is less than 1-2 minutes away, walking distance, from her parents’ place. It is in this magnificent church that all her ancestors are buried.

Below, you can see a short video taken by Bambi in December, 2018:

Despite the UNBELIEVABLE deep sorrow, Bambi is fortunate because her immediate and extended family members in Beirut are not having their funeral services in this church right now (contrary to many others :(). All this despite their injuries, damaged houses, workplaces, healthcare centres, and shared grief.

In the middle of all this suffering, as the priest of Saint Dimitrios church said, one must find hope. Indeed, this is the moving BBC News story mentioned above. It is about a man (the priest) searching for hope…

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-53696936/beirut-explosion-video-of-ch

Finally, to those providing hope to families awaiting to find their missing loved ones, thank you whether you are from Lebanon, France, Germany, the Netherlands, England, the USA, etc. To all those helping locally and internationally, including Canada. THANK you. To those who are thanking the rescue teams with drinks and foods (Mary, I am thinking of you), thanks too. Bambi would like to thank every fellow Canadian citizen donating a penny. This is appreciated in any time, imagine during a pandemic. Bambi knows that money does not grow on trees. Too bad that the Lebanese authorities do not have respect for not only their own population but also for all the generous populations of the world. Donations from other governments come from taxpayers, Bambi feels like screaming at them! Enough criminal carelessness and corruption. Enough violence, whether accidental or not. Enough wars. ENOUGH!

Bambi would like to thank her sister Roula for sharing this artistic video.

It shows Beirut, with its port explosion… The latter is its tragic reality and an integral part of the unfolding story in front of our hopeless eyes.

“Li Beirut” is a famous song by Fairuz and here is a quick translation:

“A greeting from my heart to Beirut.

Kisses to the sea and to the houses.

To a rock, which is like an old sailor’s face.

She is made from the people’s soul and from wine.

She is made from their sweat, from bread, and jasmine.

So how does her taste become? A taste of fire and smoke.

Beirut has a glory of ashes.

My city has turned out her lamp.

By a child’s blood, who was over her hand.

She shut her door and became alone in the sky.

Alone with the night.

You are mine, you are mine.

Oh hug me, you are mine.

You are my flag, tomorrow’s stone.

And a travel’s waves.

My people’s wounds have flourished.

And mothers’ tears.

You are mine, you are mine.

Oh hug me” .

Two or three days ago, Bambi posted the picture of a nurse carrying three newborns. She found that picture in the Lebanese local media. Well, there is an inspiring story behind that moving picture. At the end of this post, if you are interested, you can watch a short interview with this INSPIRING nurse by ITV.

The Saint George Health Centre where this neonatal nurse works (or used to work :(?) is closed now for at least a year (same for another hospital not very far from it). Can you imagine? All this the middle of the covid-19 pandemic.

Of note, the residential neighbourhood of this excellent teaching hospital (like the Toronto’s University Health Network, so to speak) has been badly damaged. It is a MAJOR loss to Beirut and Lebanon’s citizens, including Bambi’s parents, relatives, and childhood friends.

This area is located within 1 km from the site of the explosion. Some houses have been totally destroyed. Others remain without doors, windows, glasses, etc.

Remember, there is hyperinflation in Lebanon. Citizens still cannot have access to their savings at the banks. The Lebanese government is bankrupt and they did not have a Lebanese CERB (“Canadian Emergency Response Benefit“) in the pandemic, to begin with. They were already dealing with an unprecedented financial crisis, which triggered a massive protest on October17, 2019. To come back to the Beirut port explosion, many citizens were injured. Some critically. Some are still having surgeries (one of the victims, who is 17-year-old, had three surgeries thus far). Some sadly died from their injuries.

Indeed, today, Bambi was sad to hear about more friends of her siblings who lost their lives. Condolences to Roula and Gladson who paid their tribute to their friend Samir today. How sad also for Ms. Hedwig Watlmans-Molier who passed away. She is the spouse of the Dutch Ambassador to Lebanon (Bambi wrote a little note in the book of condolence of the Dutch Embassy in Beirut).

Given all these losses and all the senseless destruction, you can imagine the mixed feelings of fear (during the explosion), shock, disbelief, sadness, sorrow, hopelessness, and OF COURSE anger of citizens toward their corrupt and incompetent political leaders.

Lebanon’s tragedy is a living example of how deep a country can go when there is no accountability. On one hand, you have the corruption of the political elite and on the other you have an organized militia (stronger than the official state, with its own ideological vision and deadly mindset for Lebanon). The two are lovers. They continue to sleep together. They are totally disconnected from the majority of the population, which finds itself once again caught between these two dangerous lovers.

This is the sad reality of tiny bankrupt Lebanon, regardless of the cause of the Beirut port catastrophe. Yes there is also a geopolitical harsh reality… but first, and foremost, one must look at oneself in the mirror before blaming others. Even if others have any responsibility, directly or indirectly, enough is MORE than enough. People’s bodies and lives should be a RED line for you!

The BBC interviewed a 78-year-old Beirut citizen who played the piano to pay tribute to the victims of of the explosion.

To borrow the descriptive words of Bambi’s sister Ms. Roula Douglas, “this explosion felt like the 15 years of civil war condensed in a few seconds“.

The tragic irony is that in the covid-19 pandemic, all these people affected, like you and Bambi, were supposed to be safe in their “sheltered homes”. You can imagine the suffering of each affected family (grief, injuries, and destroyed home, hospital, business or restaurant/café/pub, etc.). It is as if all the shelters of wars have been destroyed all at once (Bambi’s aunt died in a shelter. The latter is supposed to be the safest place in armed conflicts).

On the contrary, some parents lost their young ones. Other parents died in front of their kids’ eyes in their homes or in their cars. Some were injured. Other traumatized. Bambi’s heart goes to everyone, especially to all her relatives including cousins who lost many colleagues (especially thinking of you Christiane), friends who lost relatives (Michel and your surviving kids :(, all the Azars in Montreal, Rania and Rabih, Nayla, Bambi shares your pain).

For all of you and for those amazing angels of young people coming together to help Beirut citizens (e.g., cleaning streets from glasses, offering to help in homes and stores, etc.), Bambi signed this petition, circulated by Journalist Roula Azar-Douglas. It asks the UN Security Council to Support Lebanon with an independent and transparent investigation. She invites you to do so, if you wish: http://chng.it/tynzcPmN

See below the video of those youth who came to help Bambi’s dad in his store. They warmed his heart and brought tears to his eyes! Bless their hearts! As Ms. Roula Douglas wrote on her social media: “These young men came from the West part of the capital, the “other region” as it was called during civil war. They volunteered to help clean the debris and help the citizens“.

A nightmare or a horror movie took place in Beirut on August 4, 2020.

Over 154 dead, over 5000+ injured, and over 300,000 homeless all of a sudden, following the two explosions at the port (https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/06/middleeast/beirut-explosion-anger-intl-hnk/index.html).

These numbers could dramatically rise with the rescue outcomes. Despite this, there was a happy story yesterday. They found a missing man alive in the sea (injured yet alive, after 30 hours!).

Anyhow before starting this post, here is a picture of France’s President Macron being hugged in Beirut by a youth…

Thank you France, Canada, and all the world… especially in the middle of a pandemic affecting everyone’s economy (Bambi cannot name all the countries…), for standing up with the Lebanese people! Bambi would also take this opportunity to thank ALL those who showed their solidarity and care for her family. She is speechless. Thank you for the calls, SMS, emails, prayers, love, and compassion.

This being said, here is the story of life and death…

First, at the same time of the SURREALISTIC twin explosions, a newborn (baby Georges!) came to life, as per the BBC video below. You can see him in the arms of his dad. Their picture was taken by his mother, Ms. Christelle (or Emanuelle) Sawaya. “Mabrouk” (= Congratulations) to this courageous young family! The video was taped by his dad.

That was the beautiful part of the story (life).

Sadly, at the exact same time at the same devastated Saint George Hospital, death was awaiting 15 people who lost their lives on the spot (4 nurses and 11 patients. These figures could be higher today, perhaps 20 in total). You can see a sad video of the destruction of the hospital further below (it is sad to watch, you have been warned).

The Saint George Hospital (Saint George is known as the protector of Beirut) was like the second home of Bambi, so to speak, during civil war. At one point, as a volunteer in the ER, morgue, dialysis, she slept there for weeks (she was stuck due to heavy combats and shelling) , even if running home would have taken her a few seconds… OK perhaps a full minute to catch her breath. She used to also jump there (between rounds of shelling) to bring water home (a large container) or… simply to take a shower (once after 18 days in a row!). Less dramatically, this is where all her family came to the world, baby after baby (including herself). This is where her parents usually get their medical care. Even from far away, she has always felt proud of the great news of excellence of this teaching hospital (a living monument for medicine and science in Beirut). This hospital is also the daily workplace of at least 5 or 6 of her cousins. Thank God, they are all safe and sound (despite one’s minor injury at home).

Bambi cried like baby George when she saw the video below (destruction beyond imagination… of course, we can also see traces of blood, reminding us of those who lost their lives or got injured). Remember, baby George saw the light at the same time the lights went off at this heavily damaged hospital. A few seconds/minutes after, the whole place was in a state of evacuation. This is the worst code that health centres can have. Imagine having to evacuate all the patients to other hospitals (some may have been on machines or under surgery, etc.). The latter were also badly damaged (one not too far) or literally overwhelmed. Yet, the medical team kept providing care to injured people in its parking lot. WOW!

Next to this hospital, there is a beautiful church (Saint George), along with its senior residence. It seems that this relatively recently renovated byzantine church got damaged too (Greek nuns came to paint its magnificent icons on the ceiling and on the walls. Same for other churches further away, which were also recently painted by those same talented senior nuns (Byzantine art is their specialty; Bambi had the chance to witness their devoted work when visiting Beirut once). Bambi’s heart goes to her cousin Elham and her spouse (priest) and to her parents. Their church means so much to them…

Most importantly, Bambi’s heart goes to those who lost loved ones, those under the rubble, injured, homeless (300, 000+!) or without cars. To all those who lost their (OUR!) beautiful Beirut!!! Bambi is with you in spirit. She is upset and sad beyond words… Enough of corruption, incompetence, and criminality!

Bambi’s parents miraculously survived, along with Michka! What a blessing, given the level of damage in their apartment (+ her dad’s store)! In the middle of her tears looking at pictures, she could not help not to smile to two details: their Canadian flag (next to the Lebanese flag) remained untouched, despite the destruction on the balcony and in the apartment. They also have a painting of the Swan pond of Sackville (NB)’s Mount Allison University in their dining room. Contrary to the rest, it was not destroyed/broken.

Bambi’s parents could have been easily among those 300 dead people. Thank Goodness they were not present in their destroyed room at the time! Somehow they survived and we are grateful to God (they also could have been without a roof too). Bambi feels sad that they have to deal with all this. Them and all the relatives and friends of their age (the financial crisis and the pandemic were more than enough).

Last but not least, it is heart-breaking that MANY kids have been injured and are surely traumatized, like their parents. Indeed, Bambi’s sister (whose spouse and daughter got injured :() shared moving stories of people’s cry for help (many were carrying their injured kids covered with blood). Bambi’s heart goes to you Rania who lost some friends :(. Bambi thanks God once again that Rabih survived… May he heal smoothly. Same for Stéphanie (“habibi”!)!

To conclude this post, may baby George, and all Lebanon’s children, grow, thrive, and see better days!

Like many of your loved ones abroad, Bambi is joining her prayer for your prompt recovery Maya (+ your mom’s and aunt’s recovery too). We are all with you across the miles. We love you!

Here is a famous and joyful French song to you from Bambi. It is about friendship. Following it, you can read your cousin Carla’s message. Bambi chose this song because both you and Carla are her DEAREST friends in Beirut and Montreal. Plus, your mother Maya and Bambi’s mom have been friends since childhood.

Although we are VERY far away, the distance between the hearts matters more than any mere geographical distance. Well, Bambi did not need a pandemic to understand this life reality. She has been experiencing it for over 30 years now.

Talking about hearts, you can guess that ours are broken for Lebanon, to use Carla’s clever words. As she wrote today, “my heart is broken in 10,452 pieces“. Why that many little pieces? Well, as you know, it is because it is the area of Lebanon’s in km2. (to put things into perspective, this total area corresponds to less than twice the size of the province of PEI. It is almost 150 times smaller than the province of Québec).

When she sees the SURREALISTIC images from Beirut, Bambi realizes how lucky she is to be able to share a song with you :). Hang on Maya… may your recovery be the smoothest possible!

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