What Makes Sarah Alive?

On Exeter's streets, meeting residents who have made the city their home for years often offers wonderful insights into community and resilience. In this feature, we connect with Sarah, who moved to town from Lebanon a decade ago. To talk about connection, passion, and what makes her feel alive.

For Sarah, vitality is rooted deeply in her relationships and living with passion:

"Friends and family, people that surround me for sure... the people I care for and living with passion and stuff like that."

Reflecting on her ten years in Exeter, Sarah highlights the warmth and support found within the local independent business community:

"I'm Lebanese so literally coming to this town, I've been living here for 10 years now and genuinely like the amount of love and community that we have here, especially within independent businesses is actually quite fantastic."

Opening up about overcoming life's obstacles, including concerns for family back home, Sarah shares how her journey has shaped her strength:

"Been through a lot of obstacles and maybe one now is like worrying about family back in Lebanon and what's going on at the moment... having a strong foundation genuinely does help and trying to stay level-headed, help people as much as possible, think about others... So I wouldn't take back the struggles I've been through, became the person I am today because of them."

Closing our conversation, Sarah shares a powerful message for the world:

"World peace and just love one another, look after each other... life is so short and be appreciative of what you have around you. Take a step back when something feels too much and kind of see the bigger picture."