Saturday, January 19, 2008

...But we still feel safe in Beirut

Standing on the corner at 6:45 am waiting for the UN van to pick me up. The van will fill with one Japanese, one Malaysian, a Brit, a couple of Palestinians, 2 Aussies of Lebanese extraction, and 1 American: moi. We weave through neighborhoods and arrive half an hour later at the UNRWA compound, where we go through bomb check before entering. Yes, car bomb check--it is quite routine in these parts. Yet I feel safer here than almost anywhere I can think of. I walk alone anytime of day or night without fear, without the subconscious judging of approaching males for attack potential or clutching my purse as I enter a crowd. I can assume that strangers will treat me courteously and fairly, and likely go out of their way to help. Passengers on the bus pass money down the aisle from person to person to pay their fare, and the driver passes change back to them. It gets there.

Besides, I get to see Christmas lights wound around palm trunks (even now, a month after Christmas), enjoy glimpses of the Mediterranean, eat all the humus, babaghanouj, and stuffed grape leaves I want, drink Arabic coffee with cardamom, and get called Madame…

Still no president, true. The election has been postponed something think 14 times now. I’ve heard two theories on the car bombings: that its the Syrians, in an effort to destabilize the country, and that its the Israelis, ditto…. Yet there is lots of construction, symbol of faith in the future. Older buildings of 4 or 5 stories and lots of charm are being torn down in favor of 10 -12 and more storey towers, not all predictable and square (sometimes I think this is where the world’s architects come to be fanciful). Business carries on, and schools and shops and streets are full. People just want to live. Beirut is a comfortable city, and safer than most.

+
Can walk at night--no fear
Fab food
Glimpses of Mediterranean
Being called “Madame”
Dears afar who worry
-
A few stray bombs across town
Daily power outages
Kitchen sink with uphill drain
Really hot summers
Dears afar who worry

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Tom

I truly enjoyed reading your blog. It was so interesting. My wife and I are thinking of applying for a position at ACS. Actually, I am a teacher and she is not, but will be accompanying me. We have tried to search for salary information, but to no avail. I am a US graduate with 9 years of experience. Could you give me some idea of salary scale. I appreciate it. Also, do all the teachers live in the same building? Is it within walking distance to school? I have set it up so you can email follow up comments directly to my personal email. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Bob Steadman