If you're an Arab who lives in a city away from your hometown, you know that going back home for a visit can be quite the experience.
After all, this homecoming is like no other, especially if you've avoided it for so long.
From the inappropriate to the heart-warming, here are a few things that are bound to happen when you're back in town:
1. You’re asked to greet every single one of your relatives
Aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, literally every single family member and beyond.
2. You're offered every type of local food
And no one takes no for an answer.
3. If you’re a single woman, get ready to be asked a few inappropriate questions
So maybe try practicing some hit backs. Example:
Q: When are we going to see you in a wedding dress?
A: Never.
4. You feel like an outsider
Because everyone now refers to you as "ibn/bent el madina."
5. You visit your grandparents and get a few lectures
Every.Single.Time.
6. You remember your childhood days
Because the new little ones are around all the time.
7. You get back to all those traditions
Because what's better than relaxing on your balcony swing or taking strolls in all those gardens? Nothing.
8. You get invited to huge family gatherings
You're not home if your entire extended family doesn't gather for a traditional Arab feast.
9. Everyone invades your privacy
If you think you'll get a minute alone, think again.
10. Your family guilt trips you into staying... for good
But it rarely ever works out.