In a touching video on his YouTube channel, a young Lebanese addressed his good friends who left Lebanon where he reminisces the good days spent together.
“I miss you,” Jad Merched Khalil tells his friends, and he goes on addressing each and every one of them, pointing to where they are in the world and what they are doing.
Light and fun words yet one can’t miss the nostalgia in the poetically rhymed sentences.
For the Lebanese who have had to bid farewell to loved ones and for those who have already emigrated, these words touch home, and deeply.
Over the last two years, Lebanon’s economic meltdown has mentally and financially drained the Lebanese, including the youth; university students, and fresh graduates.
The unstable conditions have led many families to flee the country in search of a better life abroad, and many youths to seek their education in more stable countries with promising futures.
Lebanese migrating is not a new phenomenon. It has always existed. However, the rate of migration has skyrocketed alarmingly, with an increase this year of 32.06% from 2020, according to MacroTrends.
The World Bank’s report in December 2020 also indicated that Lebanon’s high skilled labor is increasingly going to seek potential opportunities beyond, creating a critical depletion in human resources.
At the human level, this is coming with a lot of pain for those left behind by their friends or loved ones leaving the country.
Jad Merched Khalil has previously filmed a touching video in which he wondered if he leaves or stays, portraying in his usual light mood the dire situation of Lebanese youth emigrating.
In his new video ‘the good days will come back,’ he doesn’t lose his light mood as he recalls the enjoyable memories he had with his friends and asks about how they have been in each of these countries abroad.
“How’s France, Marianne? How many croissants have you eaten?”
“How’s Basketball going, Roy? Are you showing them what we have in Faraya?”
“Tell us. How’s Belgium?” he asks Celine. “I’m positive you’re eating fries all day, every day.”
“Now if we go to Italy, it’s another story. Karen, Gaelle, and Gaia… I think about you every day.”
“And did you know? Rudolf is going to be a father! Just yesterday you {Rudolf] were playing with me on my 2nd birthday!”
“We all have hundreds of stories to tell, and those leaving are unfortunately a lot.”
Jad ends his video asking his friends to do him a favor, “I want a favor for your brother Jad. Always check on each other. The good old days will come back, God willing.”
Jad Khalil did it once again. He has touched the hearts of the Lebanese with his video inciting a mix of laughter and tears.
Jad has decided to make his coming 22nd birthday matter beyond himself and is dedicating it to the Lebanese Red Cross in a 48-km walk from Faraya to Beirut.
In his usual good humor, he’s inviting everybody to join him and support him. Check it out here.
