It has been thirty years since I left my home country Lebanon in 1977 at the age of 13. Yet my childhood memories in the village of Kelhat, North Lebanon are still as vivid as if it was only yesterday that I left. The carelessness of us children, running through the fields, playing hide and seek while we breathed in the scent of Oregano. During summer time, Oregano leaves grew everywhere in the village and accompanied the most beautiful memories of my life.

As an adult now, I grow oregano plants in my garden. I bend over it, take the scent in and, spontaneously, the memories start to flow through my mind and my soul. I see visions of my childhood and people that were there at the time. People that I still see today and others that I have not seen for thirty years. But they are still in my memory and will always be there. May be one day we all meet again in Lebanon and relive our memories together. But meanwhile, I’ll continue taking in the Scent of Oregano Leaves.