This is my grandma's house in Nablus, Palestine, taken 2022. It's one of my favorite places because my primary school was just across the street from it so I'd come here after school to play with my cousin (who lived nextdoor) for a few hours before getting picked up by my dad after his work to go home. It was my sanctuary. But at that time, it looked completely different.
My grandma had a habit of inviting my extended family for breakfast on the day of Eid, a habit she kept doing even after her husband, my grandfather, had died a decade earlier. She was (and still is) someone who likes to have everything planned out for the feast well in advance.
In 2004, a couple of days before Eid, my grandma had prepared maamoul (cookies stuffed with date paste and nuts), and bought enough veggies and eggs for the 12 people who usually join for breakfast: me, my dad and uncles, cousins and my dad's cousins.
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