Each of the three central figures in my life—my grandmother, father, and mother—played a unique role in shaping who I am today. Through their distinct philosophies and lifestyles, which I observed intimately, they laid down three separate yet converging paths for me, enriching my life with resilience, ambition, and ethical grounding.
The magnitude of their influence only became apparent to me recently. My grandmother was the cornerstone of my self-assurance; my father fostered my artistic inclinations; and my mother, whose approach to life I initially resisted, laid the foundation for the morals and character traits that define me today.
I was born and raised in Aleppo, living in my paternal grandfather’s house during my early childhood years. My family dynamics shifted when my mother started displaying symptoms of mental illness after the birth of my younger brother. She, along with my brother, moved to her family’s home for recuperation and medical treatment. During this time, I lived with my grandmother until I reached the age of six.
My father is a multi-faceted individual—a skilled fine artist with formal training, whose primary occupation was in real estate. His potent personality occasionally crosses into arrogance and self-absorption, traits possibly nurtured by his affluent background and a pampered youth, nonetheless, he always made sure to provide for me and my four siblings, often going above and beyond his means to do so. While he might skip on buying us new clothes for Eid (holidays) due to his financial capacity, he never compromised or went cheap on our education, ranging from private tutors to specialized courses that aided our academic advancement, he consistently prioritized our educational needs. In that respect, he was an ever-present force in our lives.
Caution: The subsequent narrative contains wartime details that may disturb some readers.
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