Zeinab Halawi is at the airport in Erbil, Iraq. She is waiting for her next flight to Turkey and then her final flight to Sweden.
After completing her education at the university in Beirut, she started her own dietitian and training clinic. One day, everything changed when the Israeli attacks hit the building where her clinic was located.
I've lost my job and my business that I've built, I can't stay in Beirut. Everything is destroyed, she says.
Over the past few weeks, she has woken up to the sound of bombs at night and the windows in her apartment have been shattered by shockwaves, she explains.
People are dying, families are sleeping in schools, and there's nothing you can do about it. There are no words, it's all so terrible.
Family, friends, and boyfriend
Her mother, grandparents, brother, and boyfriend live in Lebanon, and her father and another brother in Sweden. Leaving Lebanon for Sweden was not an easy decision, but without a job and due to the dangerous situation, she made the decision to leave.
My mom cried and said I should go to the safest place I can, and for me, that's Sweden.
Starting from scratch
Zeinab lived in Sweden as a child and has since visited many times, but only as a tourist.
Last October, the Foreign Ministry issued the strongest form of travel warning to Lebanon, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged all Swedish citizens in Lebanon to leave the country.
Why didn't you leave Lebanon earlier?
No one believed it would get this bad, it's come as a shock to everyone.
Looking ahead, she feels anxious.
I don't know where to start, but I need to get a job so I can afford the basics, she says.
She plans to live with family members in Sweden initially but says she wants to find her own accommodation as soon as possible.
I've been independent for so long and taken care of myself, so I want to continue doing that.
