“To think about how the Holy Infant Jesus School in Baabdath for the Sisters of Charity has influenced me, I’m taking a break from my daily routine to go back in time, more than 30 years.

A school run by a handful of nuns who shaped my personality, opened my heart to the goodness of others and taught me to trust in life and the infinite love of the good Lord.

I witnessed the community life that these nuns led, their simplicity, their dedication to the pupils and villagers, and above all their willingness to help in any circumstances.

During my years at the school, I was a member of the Association des Guides du Liban, and I spent more time wandering the corridors and staircases of the school than lounging in my own home, and it was during this period that the presence of sister Yvonne-Marie, sister Pascale and others was crucial to my personal development.

Later, as I went through the different stages of my life, whether at university, at work or as a mother, this meticulously and lovingly crafted baggage made me stand out from the crowd in difficult situations and proved to myself first and then to others that it was within this school, and thanks to this atmosphere of kindness, sharing and love, that I drew the strength to go further.

Today, having reached my golden years, having climbed the ladder in my professional life, I question my major decisions and positions by often consulting ‘my version’ of the past and I trust it to review situations in perspective.

I often find myself telling my children about little incidents, lessons learned and memories that are still so fresh from my best years at school.

To my great delight, they get on, they understand me, they can relate to my memories, having themselves lived in the same charming building, smelled the daisies in front of the red gate, climbed the same stairs, prayed in the same chapel and met the same kind smiles”.

Michèle C.:

A former pupil of the Holy Child Jesus school for the Sisters of Charity from nursery to final year.

She was a member of the Guides du Liban movement. Michèle graduated top of her class at university, where she continued her studies in audio-visual.

She is currently the director and producer of a major theatre in the Emirates. She manages a permanent team of at least 30 people, not counting the actors needed for each production she directs.