{"id":2723,"date":"2020-03-15T14:43:35","date_gmt":"2020-03-15T17:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/?p=2723"},"modified":"2020-03-15T15:06:08","modified_gmt":"2020-03-15T18:06:08","slug":"hit-by-crises-twice-ms-nayla-awad-describes-what-it-is-like-to-live-in-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/2020\/03\/15\/hit-by-crises-twice-ms-nayla-awad-describes-what-it-is-like-to-live-in-lebanon\/","title":{"rendered":"Hit by crises twice: Ms. Nayla Awad describes what it is like to live in Lebanon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bambi recently had a conversation with her childhood friend, Ms. Awad (or Nayla) about the situation in Lebanon. It was a deep chat. This is why Bambi asked if she could share on her personal website. Thank you Nayla for having accepted. Bambi appreciates your kind generosity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First of all, Nayla has always had a natural talent\nfor seeing matters with lucidity; a quality that not too many people possess in\nlife. Indeed, many folks deceive themselves or prevent themselves from seeing reality\n(especially when it is hard) by either lying to themselves or to others. Not\nNayla whose honesty is precisely what Bambi has always appreciated in her good\nfriend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This being said, Bambi kindly called today to see how is the situation in NB, Canada. When Bambi asked her about Lebanon, sadly already hit by a crisis before this one, here were the words of her friend: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first, with the financial crisis [that started\nsuddenly on October 17, 2019], we felt stuck in this country. All of a sudden,\nwe could no longer have access to our money at the bank. That has been unfair\nto people. Then, with the coronavirus pandemic, we felt stuck even further, as\nliterally we cannot (or should not) travel anymore nowadays\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nayla then added the following: \u201cPlus, even if we say,\nlet\u2019s go to Canada for a better life. To immigrate, we need to take with us our\nsavings to be able to live for at least a year, if we are not able to find a job\nat first. Well, we still cannot do that as you know because we still do not\nhave access to our own money at the bank\u201d [this is in reference of the limited access\nto funds, US$50-$100 per week, that citizens can take out of the bank].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, basically, people are feeling increasingly stuck,\neven if we know that in the end pandemics will end (hopefully with the least mortality\npossible). We also want to remain as optimistic as possible about the financial\ncrisis\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To come back to the coronavirus crisis, Nayla said: \u201csome people cannot self-isolate because they earn a living on a daily basis. The other day, I bumped into a cab driver and he literally told me these words: I need to feed by my family; this is why I am still on the roads, despite the coronavirus\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLebanon is bankrupt and cannot afford to go through\nwhat Italy has experienced. No money to buy much needed equipment. We have no\nchoice but to be wise and try to stop the transmission of the virus\u201d\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She then added: \u201cWhat can we do? This pandemic is what is happening now in the world and we just cope with it from the best of our capacity. I just hope that everyone will be safe and that we will not lose anyone to this virus, whether it is someone close or not, we like or not, etc.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, social isolation is tough on some people\u201d, Nayla\nadded, giving the example of some people who were already feeling down by the\ncrisis\u201d. She then gave the great example of Italians singing on their balcony\nto deal with social isolation stemming from preventive measures against the\npandemic of COVID-19.  To use her own\nwords again, \u201cthere is nothing more charming and cute than that\u201d [Bambi agrees\nwith her friend]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude this post, here are Nayla\u2019s final wise words and below is a video from Italy showing quarantined Italians singing together from their balconies: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe we can learn from Italians. We should talk to each other, and we can do this across balconies, be kind to one another, in those times of social isolation\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well said, Nayla. Thank you again. Please be safe, you and your family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n