Writing my history of the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990)

Chapter Three

    War was far from us, we were in Jounieh, killing was very far...down in Beirut Center...22 Km away!
Two worlds apart.

    My daily life was still the same, if it wasn't for this ugly voice on the radio. I kept going to untie Badiaa's house behind the shop, play, eat, nap, and get lots of cuddles, stories and laughs. And when I wasn't behind the shop, fun followed me home. I was the only child in the building, and somehow, the center of attraction. Met a lot of love and care. I had no brothers and sisters, no dad, but a lot of love from neighbors, friends, teachers, nuns at school and strangers. I was in a warm nest. Mom was considered a stranger to take care of, but I was one of them! After all, I was born here, and was growing up a little every day.

    Mom kept her snack for a while. Then one day, she came home and we never stepped into our shop again.

Writing my history of the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990)

Chapter two

Names and titles interlude

    "War" wasn't a common word in the early years of Lebanese wars. It was sometimes called "Ahdess" or "events", sometimes, ""Harb El Aswaq" or "war of the markets", referring to Beirut Down Town battles. In fact, many years of bloodshed later, Lebanese war never carried one name, it has location names, or goal titles, such as:

"Maareq Tal El Zaatar" (battles of Tal El Zaatar Palestinian camp),
"Harb El Jabal" (mountain war between Druzes and Christians),
"82" (year 1982 Israeli siege and bombing of Beirut),
"Hisar Zahlé" (Zahlé siege between Christians and Syrians),
"Damour" (Damour massacre),
"Harb El miyyet Yom" (100 days war),
"Sabra w Chatila" (Sabra and Shatila Palestinian camps massacre),
"Harb Al Tahrir" (liberation war, between Lebanese Christian fraction of the army against Syrian troops),
 "Harb Al Ilghaa" (abolition war),
"Harb Tawhid Al Boundouqiyya" (uniting the guns war),
and these last two names are for the same inter-christian war, but named differently by each side.