Last Post.

Well, I am home in the United States, so this is the bookend to my summer blog. I got home after a half hour taxi ride to the airport, a four hour flight to Milan, a nine hour flight to New York City, an hour long subway ride, a six hour bus ride to Rochester and a half hour car ride home. It was a long day. I had a great time in Lebanon and it was kind of strange to be home at first. Now I'm looking for a job in New York City and will be moving there in a few weeks. I thought I would just list a few things that will be different now that I am the U.S.

1. I will have to get used to seeing squirrels and not lizards all over the place.

2. I won't see fireworks four or five times a night, every night.

3. Drivers are less crazy.

4. Any trip in New York is longer than any trip in Lebanon because New York state is like 10 times the size of Lebanon.

So, that's about it. I will post more pictures though soon, when I feel like it. Thanks for reading.

Jake.

Second to Last Weekend.

So, last week I hung out with the guys from my Arabic class quite a bit before they all left one by one back to the U.S. (Or in the case of Brian, to the Beqaa Valley). Then on Saturday I went to a dinner party at Dr. Sensenig's house in the mountains. It was a rescheduled 4th of July party actually, so you know. Anyways, I took a cab up with a professor from NDU who, obviously, was going too. Their house is really nice and there was so much good food. I became quite stuffed. Afterwards, we got a ride back to Beirut from another party guest and then got a cab to the University.
Sunday I just relaxed.
This week I've been working on the report, trying to get as much done before I go home. Now I'm making nice charts and graphs for it. I also wrote up a report for Guita about all of the things I've been doing for the last two months. I have to write something for SU too, but my "internship adviser" has yet to email me back, and I mean all summer. Bupkis, so we will see.
This afternoon I walked down the hill with the intention of taking some pictures, which I did. I also ended up at the beach. Wandered on to it is a more apt description. Anyways, I wasn't really dressed for it, but I took off my shoes and socks and put my feet in, so that was nice.
Tomorrow we are having a going away lunch, for me. So, that should be fun.
I might try and go to the Cedar reserve on Friday or Saturday, but I'm not sure yet. Otherwise, I'm packing up and on Saturday at 4:00 in the morning (or Saturday night at 4:00, depends on who you ask), I'm headed to the Beirut Airport where I will fly to Milan, and from Milan to NYC and then I take a bus to Rachacha. I'm going to put up some more pictures on Picasa and also some on Facebook.

Lebanon 2010

Last Week, Second Half.

Nothing terribly exciting happened last Thursday or Friday, to my recollection. But Friday morning Guita gave me two tickets to a concert in Beiteddine. They were/are having a festival there. The tickets were for a performance by the Krakow Chamber Ensemble. So, on Saturday I met Valeria in Beirut and we took a coach bus to Beiteddine. In Beiteddine there is a palace from the 19th century and the concert was in the palace, which was really nice. It was in the courtyard and it was night time, so the stars were out and there were fireworks all around. The ensemble was a quintet with strings and a piano and they played pieces by Chopin. It was a very cultured experience.

Sunday I stayed home and studied for my Arabic finals that were on Monday. I also applied to the New School, in New York City, so I can finish the last two classes I need for my degree.

Monday we had our finals and they went pretty well. (I ended up with A's in the courses). They don't count towards my degree, but it is still good to do well. This week I've hung out with the guys from my Arabic class quite a bit. Wednesday my Arabic class went to a farewell lunch with our professors and everyone, and that was a lot of fun. There was so much food. It was at least four courses. I tried a dish that was chicken livers, which I'd never had before. (Among all the other dishes I had. I went to town.) There was a lot of cheese dishes, but I went for it anyways, because, when will I get my next chance to gorge myself on authentic Lebanese food?

At my internship, I've been working on the second draft of the IOM report. I can't believe I am returning to the U.S. in a week. It's crazy.

That just about does it. Now you are all caught up.

Past Week Or So.

Before the short interlude about Arabic, I left off with last weekend. Zibby was suppose to leave Lebanon last Sunday, but unfortunately (for her) her flight was canceled due to an air traffic controllers strike in Greece and fortunately (for me) she stayed one more day. So we hung out and ate take out courtesy of her traveler's insurance. She left Monday and Tuesday I hung out and had dinner with the guys from my Arabic class. (We hadn't hung out since Zibby got here). Then Wednesday I met up with my friend Valeria, from Italy, whom I met in Morocco. We met in Beirut and walked around Hamra and to the Corniche and then we ate dinner at one of the restaurants near the water. So that was nice to catch up and what not. On my way home I got the bus to the highway interchange where I catch a taxi up to the University. So I waited for a few minutes and not a whole lot of taxis came by. Then I guy stopped and I told him NDU so I got in and we started up the hill. He was from Australia and was here visiting for the summer. He was Lebanese Australian, named Edward. Well anyways, we got to the university and I went to give him the money and he said "No". And I realized, he wasn't a taxi driver. Ha. So I said, "You're not a taxi driver are you?" And he said, "No." So he was just a nice guy on vacation who decided to give me a ride. Yes, I know, you aren't suppose to get in cars with strangers, but honestly I did think he was a taxi driver when I got in. Anyways, that was funny. I've now "hitch-hiked" I guess, several times. The first time was when the soldiers in the oldest car ever I think, I may have been a model T (no, really just an old Renault) brought Zibby and I back from the mountain to our hotel.
So that takes us up to last Wednesday, and I know, you are waiting with baited breath, but I'll write more soon.

PS. Here is the latest article I wrote: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100803/LOCAL17/7290362/1007/SPORTS/Reader-expresses-concerns-about-the-War-in-Iraq

Check it out.

Jake.

A Gift from the Arabs.

Well, my Grammar Professor, Dr. Hourani (same last name as Guita Hourani, LERC's director, no relation), is so funny. He is the one who told us about love. He also told us about the "gift from the Arabs". In Arabic there are feminine and masculine nouns, like French or Spanish. (Thank God, there are only two, unlike German which has feminine, masculine AND neutral nouns). Anyways, it's pretty simple in Arabic, almost always, if it is feminine, you just add what is called a Taa Marbuta, or the Tied T. It looks exactly like an O with an Umlaut, like this: ö. So, says my professor, it is a gift from the Arabs, the small tee. They (the women) can put it (the small tee) in their hair (hair). This is the gift from the Arabs to women.

He also went through the verb conjugations (I think) and it starts with the masculine "He" form of the verbs. And he said, the Arabs don't let women go first, we start with the men.

All of this he said while laughing.

Baalbek.

So, it's been a while but here's a little update: Last weekend, Zibby and I went to Baalbek. On Friday July 23rd, we took the bus to Beirut to the Cola Intersection. Which is kind of like a bus station, but it's really just a parking lot where all the buses hang out and wait for passengers. So we got in a bus and we were off. We drove over the mountains and we got to this town where there was a traffic jam. The bus driver kept asking people if there was another way to go. He turned around and we went up further into the mountains. Until, we got to an incline that the bus couldn't make it up. He tried several times, until all the men had to get out in order to make the bus light enough to climb the hill. I thought we would have to push, but no. (Actually, as I was leaving Rabat (Morocco) last year for the train station our bus broke down and all the men did get out to push to try and jump start the bus. It didn't work and we waited for the next bus to come.) Anyways, that was a little nutty and the driver was a mad man. It was not a fun ride. It also took us 4.5 hours to get there (On the way home it only took 2 hours!). We got to where we had to transfer buses and we did and at that point were in the valley (Baalbek is in the Beqaa Valley).
That area was really different for two reasons: Like I've said before, on the coast it's hills and mountains and in the valley, obviously it's totally flat, which was cool. The second reason why it was different is because it is a more conservative, and I think, Shiite area. I kid you not; every twenty feet on the highway were pictures of Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah (The Grand Ayatollah who died a few weeks ago). There were also lots of pictures of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah; you know, with his fist raised, things like that. And finally, there were Hezbollah flags everywhere. And if you haven't seen the Hezbollah flag, it is yellow with green letters and it says "Hezbollah, (Party of God)". In Arabic the "A" looks like a straight vertical line. And extending from the A in Allah on the flag is a fist holding a Kalashnikov (AK-47). There was also at one point a huge replica of the Dome of the Rock and some posters around it, which I didn't have time to read. But, anytime I see posters or things with the Dome of the Rock, I keep moving because there is no way that they have a positive message. (The Dome of the Rock is in Jerusalem and is the second holiest site for Muslims. So, usually things with the Dome of the Rock on them deal with destroying Israel). I didn't take a lot of pictures of those things, but I wanted to. They recommend you don't.
Ok, so we got there. And we went to the hotel, which Zibby booked ahead of time, and the guy was like, sorry we are full. And Zibby told him she called the other day and booked a room. But he was just like, we are full. So, two tourists who were there told us where another hotel was and we went there and luckily they had rooms. Then we went out to find some dinner and stuffed ourselves on falafel. We got two sodas and four falafel sandwiches for 6 dollars, which was awesome.
Anyways, Saturday morning we went to the Roman ruins and it was really cool. It is, I guess, the best preserved Roman ruins in the world and they are really impressive. (Soon, I'll put up some pictures). We kept running into those same tourists, whom we saw in the hotel the first night, which was kind of funny. So we wandered around and took a lot of pictures. There was also a Hezbollah museum right outside of the ruins, which is interesting that whoever decides those things let them put this thing right near an international site where lots of Europeans and other tourists come. We didn't go in it, Zibby didn't want to, but the guys in my Arabic class went another time and they said it was just like pictures of dead children and stuff. And again, it had like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in gun sights on the outside, so you know. It also said, in English: "If you come back, we'll come back". And I don't know exactly what that means, but I took it to mean if Palestinians return to Palestine/Israel, Hezbollah with send in the troops?
So anyways, there was also this really awesome mosque in Baalbek, and I'll put pictures up of that too. Well, we spent the morning and then we took the bus back to Beirut. On the bus was a very nice woman who lived in the U.S. but had returned to Lebanon to take care of her sick parents. She helped us figure out the best way to get where we were going and all that. There are so many Lebanese, whom you meet, who have lived in Europe and Australia and the U.S. They are everywhere!
Well, we got to Beirut and we went to Hamra, which is kind of a trendy area. If downtown is like a European city, Hamra is like New York City in a way. Lots of stores and restaurants and it's nice. Zibby and I went to a sushi restaurant where they have a conveyor belt and you sit in front of it and just take plates that you want off of it. So that was cool. Then we walked to the Pigeon Rocks and then went back to Zouk Mosbeh.
Phew. Okay, that was last Friday and Saturday and soon I'll update you on this past week.

4 Days: 5 Cities.

Ok, I'm ready to tell you my secret. I, Jake's girlfriend, AM in fact the vice president of the Jake Keyel fan club. It's true. The president?...you can be the judge of who that might be, loyal readers :)

Anyways, I have been having a great time here in Lebanon. Lebanon is a country about the size of Connecticut; but it is JAM packed with: mountains, beaches, caves, islands, cities, some of the most ancient ruins in the world, and much much more. So this week, during the day, as Jake has been improving his Arabic at lightning speed, and managing to work on this cool report for the IOM, I have been trying to see as much as possible! ...and eat as much Lebanese food as possible.

I was a tiny bit nervous to be traveling alone during my mornings/afternoons this week, in a new country, but it has been a good experience for me. First of all, with a lot of help from Jake, I really haven't been getting lost or totally ripped off. Second, Lebanon is a very safe place to be. I don't get hassled, and when I go into a busy public area, there guaranteed to be policemen and security guards to make sure the area is safe. Third: As far as being a woman here, I do not feel out of place. Lebanon is a pretty liberal place in the Middle East...the culture/style of women here is so varied, and really interesting to be around. Ok, and last but not least, I seem to appear very adoptable. Let me explain a little...

...on Monday, as I was walking to see the Jeita Grotto, (Jake described this a little in an earlier post), a family of 4 in a very nice car pulled over and said
"are you going to the Grotto? So are we! Get in!"...so I did (dont worry mom and dad, I have turned down other more sketchy offers for free car rides, this was a good one)! And I proceeded to explore the grotto with this Lebanese expat family who lives in France and is vacationing in Lebanon. They had never been to the grotto either, so it was a fun experience!

...then on Wednesday, I went to the ancient city of Byblos. I mean ancient... "one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited towns", we are talking Mesopotamia ancient. I was perusing a gift-shop, and there was a family there inquiring about the price of key-chains. I heard the father say:
"She's definitely not from here", He promptly turned to me and said "You are not from here, where are you from?"
...we walked together for a while and I learned that they live in Calgary, but are here in Lebanon for a month on vacation. The father grew up in Lebanon right near the border to Israel. We walked and walked, and they and their 3 sons told me so many stories, and gave me a million recommendations about what to see and do, and how to haggle at stores etc. They were very proud to tell me about all the great things to see in Lebanon. They even invited me to join them on a boat ride out in the Mediterrenean. I spent the whole afternoon with them, until I met up with Jake that evening to explore (and of course re-enact battle scenes) in the ancient roman/phonecian ruins...and eat a REALLY tasty seaside dinner :)

I won't go into too much more detail but I did indeed visit 5 cities in 4 days. Monday, as I said, was Jeita, as well as Zouk Mosbeh. Tuesday was Jounieh, where I rode on a cable car up a small mountain to see this beautiful statue at the top. Wednesday was Jbail/Byblos. Thursday was Beirut, where I was treated to a really fun afternoon by my Lebanese friend from Oberlin, and his family, and that makes 5. Jake and I head out shortly for a 6th city: Baalbeck, and not long after that I will come home!

Ok, that is all for now!

Love.

So the other day in class my professor gave us some insight into the Arab view of love (his words). He told us about a classic story called "Majnoon Laylah". Or Crazy Laylah, something like that (Majnoon means crazy). Anyways, this poet loves this woman Laylah so much and she is the only woman for him. He loves her so much but she, for some reason, doesn't requite his love. (I can't remember, but maybe because she is his first cousin, and his uncle doesn't think it's a good idea). Well, he goes out into the desert alone and won't take food or water, and then some days later they go and search for him and find him dead in the desert, with his head on a rock. And under his head is the poem he wrote about Laylah. My professor said it was a true story, or at least this was a real poet. But the best part is he told us that there are two kinds of love: This first kind from the story, where the man loves only one woman and she is everything to him. Then there is the second kind of love, and this is how he explained it: The man goes to the girl and asks if she likes him and if not, no worries, he just goes to the next girl and asks, do you like me? And so on and so on.

So, then he told me and David and Brian (the guys in the class), that we had to choose which type of love we wanted.

Prime Minister's Visit

I think that I completely forgot to mention this but a few weeks ago I went and ate dinner with the guys from my class and watched one of the World Cup games. (I think it was when Holland beat Brazil). Anyways, we went back to the university around 7 and there was an unbelievable number of soldiers and police officers there. And I mean crazy amounts. It was the night of NDU's graduation ceremony. Come to find out the graduation speaker was the Prime Minister. So, then it made sense why there was so much security. Soldiers with assault rifles and police in fatigues and secret services guys in suits, metal detectors, the whole deal. So we went to go back to our rooms but a soldier told us to go another way. This other way led directly to the graduation. And when we went to walk back around to our rooms, a secret service guy said, "In one hour you can go that way". So... we watched the graduation ceremony. Which, like all graduation ceremonies, was a barrel of laughs. But picture sitting through one where you only understand a few words like, "This university is... (translation unavailable)." Or "In Lebanon... (file not found)." Anyways, I can say that I saw the Lebanese Prime Minister in person, and I can only assume that his speech was rousing. But finally after about an hour, we could go back to our rooms, and just have to be content imagining how great the rest of the ceremony was.

To Jake's Beloved Readers

Hello Jake Keyel fans,

I am writing to you direct from Jake Keyel's current location: Zouk Mosbeh, to describe his current status:

Jake has just spent the past weekend accompanying his (awesome) girlfriend (,or around these parts "friend",) to the mountains for a delightful weekend trip.

They learned about Lebanese culture:
-saw lots of gell-infused hairstyles...in arabic, a mowhawk is called a "spikey"
-learned there is a large australian/lebanese population
-found out saHtain = bon appetit in arabic :)
-saw that lebanese soldiers might drive an ancient shell of a Renault for work, but they probably own a recent-model BMW at home (and they even give free rides to tired hikers if you catch them at just the right time!)

Sampled Lebanon's traditional foods:
-Manoush ( basically pizza on a pita, but fresh, and the bread is thinner than pita...oh, and you eat it for breakfast! )
-Kneffe (Lebanese cheese cake -- much different than in the US, but very tasty!)
-Tawouk (a chicken dish)

They saw some of Lebanon's most beautiful natural sites:

-explored an ancient grotto full of beautiful stalactites (or stalagmites, whichever, both)
-saw the sad but still existent Cedar Reserve, still standing after many abuses of its former abundance
-hiked to the highest point in Lebanon (although there was no signage, so it may be the second highest). At any rate, they were about twice as high as Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks, at around 10,000 ft. above sea level

a 3 hour bus ride later Jake and that awesome girlfriend were back in Zouk Mosbeh.

Now you might see Jake jogging from arabic class to work, or perhaps catching up on his reading. The girlfriend you ask? Today, she explored the breathtaking and world-famous grotto/cave near Zouk Mosbeh . She spontaneously became friends with a lebanese family also there to see the sights. She claims it was a great first afternoon out on the town on her own....followed promptly by an evening of feeling much less than 100%...however recovery is in sight.

Sincerely,
Vice President of the Jake Keyel Fan Club

Update.

(I forgot to post this last week... More to come about our (Zibby and me) trip to the mountains this weekend).

So, this weekend (the 10th and 11th) was pretty busy. Friday afternoon/evening I just hung out. I'm about halfway through Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens, so that's good. Saturday morning I went into Beirut to go to the National Museum. It is small but it's really nice. There are a lot of nice artifacts from different time periods like frescoes from Roman times (I think) and statues that look Egyptian but were found in ruins here in Lebanon. There was a lot of contact in the old days and so the art was influenced by Egyptian art and what have you. They also have some really nice ancient pottery and my personal favorites glass and gold. I can't explain it, but I love things that are made of glass that are 2000 years old. It's crazy. How did they make vases out of glass that long ago? It's nutty. And I really like old coins and stuff. They have some cool examples of silver and gold coins from different periods. Honestly, some of the artifacts that they have are so intricate, it really is unbelievable that they were made so long ago. Anyways, that was good . Then I went back to NDU and Saturday evening I went with couple of guys to Jbeil again. It was nice at night and we walked around and had dinner and then watched the losers match between Germany and Uruguay.

Sunday I studied a lot of Arabic then we watched the World Cup final on the big screens on campus.

Monday I had some extra work at work so I went in in the morning and then went to class later then went back to work. (I was basically transcribing the film that we showed the previous week.)

On Wednesday I went to a conference about Iraqi refugees in Beirut. I took a cab paid for by work, so that was pretty cool. Very official. But... after the hour ride to Beirut the guy dropped me off at Hotel Rotana. So I asked where is the conference about Iraqis? They told me this room. So I went to it and it was a conference about Iraqis. But the itinerary was totally different than the one I looked at. And this one was about security issues and how the security forces can deal with Iraqi refugees. The conference I was suppose to be at was about Iraqi Refugees and what UNHCR is doing to assist them. So, I realized I was at the wrong hotel and I asked, "Is this Hotel Rotana Hazmieh?" And of course he said "No, this is Hotel Rotana Hamra". Which is a different district in Beirut. So... I got another cab to the actual hotel and then it was all good. It was a really interesting conference and more apropos than the one I was not suppose to be at. But really, what are the odds that both hotels of the same name would be hosting conferences about Iraqis? Both sponsored by Embassies? Another girl who is a researcher with LERC was there too so that was good and we got to chat. (They had some good pastries at the conference too).

Anyways, I took a taxi home and then I met up with Zibby! (who had arrived at like 3:00 in the morning Wednesday) at the hotel near the campus.

I Don't Remember How Many Weeks It Is (Five I Guess)

Anyways,

Wednesday night I was invited to Guita Hourani's (The director of LERC) house for dinner. Well, me and the rest of the staff. And it was a dinner party. So I rode there in a taxi with Elie. She lives up into the mountains from the university. Her house was really nice and covered with souvenirs which she has picked up from traveling around the world. We got there around 8:30 and we had drinks and then around 9:00 or 9:30 we ate. There was so much good food. So I had some Lebanese wine and some Lebanese food and got the chance to spend some time with my co-workers outside of work, which was nice. There were quite a few people there and I also chatted with an American guy of Lebanese descent who was born in Salt Lake City. There were lots of languages, French and Arabic and English and Spanish too, I believe.

Which: segway/plug for my article: I wrote an article and it was published in the Daily Messenger. It's on the website at:
http://www.mpnnow.com/opinions/letters_to_the_editor/x1609353104/Letter-In-defense-of-a-multicultural-U-S

For anyone who isn't on facebook/didn't see the link I posted there. Anyways, I 100% believe that everyone should learn a second (or third) language. It's actually really embarrassing in a way when you are somewhere and someone is able to speak English and French and Spanish and Arabic and translate for everyone (Basma, my boss/co-worker, speaks all of those languages) and you can't. And, the stereotype is that Americans can't speak anything but English. Lots of people I have met over the years think that. I try to disabuse them of that notion, but unfortunately, like the guy who wrote the article I was responding to, some people proudly uphold that stereotype.

This is his article:
http://www.mpnnow.com/highlight/x1621116648/Guest-essay-Don-t-surrender-to-those-trying-to-undo-America

Anyways, it was a lot of fun and the Germany vs. Spain game was on, so we watched that after dinner. I really wanted Germany to go all the way, but alas, it wasn't to be. Oh, well, maybe in 2014. Then I got home around 11:00 or 11:30 and went to bed.

Also Wednesday afternoon we had an event at LERC. A visiting scholar Dr. Martinez Assad came to show a movie he had made about Lebanese immigrants in Mexican film, so that was interesting. He himself is Mexican of Lebanese descent.

Thursday was good, I worked and had Arabic and relaxed after the busy Tuesday and Wednesday I had. Today my friend Brian from my Arabic classes (who is a PHD candidate at Rutgers) came by LERC to check it out and we gave him a tour and showed him around the museum and what not. Anyways, that brings us up to right now. I wrote another article and as soon as it submit it/if they decide to publish this one too, I'll let you know.
(Did you notice how many times I used a / in this post? It was my motiv for the day I guess.)

Oh and also, did you hear about the women who worked for CNN and got fired for tweeting she respected Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah? (The guy who died the other day.) I won't comment on it online, who knows, I could lose my job too.

Auf jeden Fall (that means anyways in German. Anyways, is my other motiv. It's probably my favorite word so last summer when I heard Günter my host father say auf jeden Fall one time I realized I had discovered how to say it in German. You can also say jedenfalls. Auf jeden Fall literally means: in any case.)

Jeita Grotto and More!

So, on Saturday I went to Jeita Grotto with the guys from my class. We took a taxi there, it's pretty close to the university. There are two parts: An upper Grotto and a lower Grotto. We took a cable car up the upper Grotto, and unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures inside. It is unfortunate, because I kid you not, it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Look it up if you don't believe me: Jeita Grotto. You can find pictures on Google. It was immense. It's a huge Grotto (of course) just covered in stalactites and stalagmites. It almost looks unreal, like the rock formations are soft piles of sand or something. Like a dribble castle. It was also really tall and the walkway climbs up and up and you can look down and see through to the lower Grotto which is full of water. So we walked through that and then walked down to the lower Grotto. On the way there was a statue of Jesus looking very spritely, reclining between two beams. I'll put up a picture of it. Anyways, we were taking pictures and over heard this Lebanese guy say: "In Lebanon Jesus isn't crucified. He naps." Very funny.

So we walked down (there was also a cartoonish "train" that you could take but it was full, and not really a train because it had no tracks.) In the lower Grotto it's full of water, like I said, you take a little boat through it. In case you weren't sure, that made it 10 times cooler.

After that we went back to the university and later watched the Germany Argentina game in which Germany embarrassed the hell out of Argentina. Insha'allah, Germany wins tomorrow night and then will win in the Final on Sunday.

Yesterday I had Arabic and worked and that was good. Arabic is going quickly, so it's a lot of work, but good work. I am really hoping that at some point, insha'allah, I'll be able to communicate in Arabic. It takes a lot of work to be able to actually have a conversation in another language. It took me a long time to get there with German and I still need to get better at it. (If anyone knows of jobs in Germany, let me know.)

Today the university was closed because the Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah died. He was the spiritual head of the Lebanese Shiites (for anyone who doesn't know, Shiites are Muslims. Shia Islam is one of the main branches of Islam, the other being Sunni Islam), and kind of the spiritual leader of Hezbollah (Hezbollah is the Party of God. Perhaps I already mentioned them, but they are the only faction in Lebanon not to disarm as per the 1989 agreement at the end of the civil war. They were the group that kidnapped Israeli soldiers in 2006, precipitating the Israel invasion and subsequent war.) He died of natural causes at 75, just FYI. So today there was a huge funeral in the Shiite suburbs of Beirut. It would have been cool to go, but we didn't. Actually the country observed a day of mourning, so all the universities and what have you were closed. We did go to Beirut today, just to walk around and what not. Tomorrow it's back to work and school. This is my fifth week here, it is flying by. Zibby comes to visit next week and we are planning to see the Ceder reserves and climb the tallest peak in Lebanon. Then the week after that my friend Valeria, whom I met in Morocco last year, who is Italian, might come for her holidays to Lebanon so we might do some sight seeing as well. Busy, busy.

Today we saw a lot of people fishing on the coast in Beirut and it reminded me of something from Morocco: I lived with this family right? The mother, and her three adult children: Sabir, Abul Aziz and I can't remember the daughters name! And the daughters son (baby) Redeh. And Mohammed, another student from the school. Anyways, on the weekends Sabir and Abul Aziz would go fishing on the coast in Rabat. Sabir was the younger son (I think) and Abul Aziz was actually his half brother. And so they would spend all day on Saturday fishing. And no joke, Sabir would catch like 20 fish and Abul Aziz wouldn't catch anything. Isn't that funny (not funny haha)? The half brother didn't catch anything and the full son was very good at fishing? It's like something out of a Grimm's fairytale. Anyways, being here makes me think a lot about Morocco. In some ways they are similar and in some ways they are very different.

Anyways.

Four Weeks.

It is hard to believe that I have been here for a month already. It has really flown by. To start off with, this weekend I went to Tripoli, which is in the north of the country, about 85 km from Beirut. I took the bus and it was good because they all came by and I waited for the one that said: طرابلس "Trablus" in Arabic, which is the Arabic name for Tripoli. Yet another instance where literacy really paid off.

It was about an hour and 15 minutes to get there and I got off the bus and just walked in the direction of the signs saying "Centre Ville". Another instance where my limited French really paid off. I found a big open square with a clock tower in it, so I figured that must be one of the landmarks. Anyways, I walked in the direction which I thought the "Souq" was in because there was also a sign that said "Ville historique" or something to that effect. So I found the old part of the city with narrow cobblestone streets with no cars. That is where the souq is. I walked through all the shops with food and clothing and brick a brack. I ended up walking out of the old part and stumbling upon this big stone building with no windows. An old building, like a fort. There were tanks and soldiers all around, so I didn't know if I could go in, but it turns out it was the "citadel", another landmark, and it's, I don't know, 500 years old or what ever. It's an old castle. Since it's in the guidebook, I think you can go in and look around, but I didn't. At that point I was feeling a little overwhelmed because I couldn't quite get my bearings. I decided to walk back to the clock tower and figure it out from there.

So... I did. The guide book has maps in it, so I used it to figure out where I was in relation to everything else. I walked around the newer part of the city, which was nice. Just like any city. I then decided to walk towards the big cemetery. And as I was at the front gate an older guy and a young women were walking out. The guy said hello, so I said hello and he said where are you from? England? Ireland? And I said, the United States. People often mistake me for English or Irish by looks, and you know I like that. Anyways, he asked if I was a tourist and all that and he asked if I needed a guide. I said no, thanks and then he said, ok, well let me give you my card. And he did, and lo and behold, he was actually a guide in Tripoli! Not just a guy who wanted me to pay him to show me around. (Which happened constantly in Morocco). Then I said thanks and he told me how to get to some of the landmarks in Tripoli, which was really nice. I followed his directions and got to see some cool Mosques. Then I wandered through the souq again.

As I was walking back in the direction where the buses were, a guy said to me: Parlez vous Francais? And I said no. He said where are you from? Do you speak English? I said yes, I'm from the United States. He then told me he was an English teacher and that he speaks lots of languages. And so we chatted about Lebanese migration. He told me that the Lebanese have friends and family all over the world and that makes it easier to live and work abroad. And he told me about how Lebanon is very multicultural and so forth.

Then, my friends, he told me about his love life. He said that he was in love with French women. That he divorced his Lebanese wife in order to be with this French women, Emmylou, and move to France with her. However, he hadn't declared his love for her yet. So, he said, tomorrow I am going to have her to my home and make a nice meal and tell her that I love her and want to marry her and move to France. And then, he showed me the poem he wrote for her. It was in French so he translated it for me. It went like, you know, your hair shines like the moon, your eyes are beautiful, etc. The most striking line, and the final line of the poem however, went like this: "The Jews crucified Jesus Christ on the cross. And you, have crucified me on the cross of love." (He was a Maronite Christian). Very romantic, n'est pas?

So after that I went to a little place to get something to drink and relax. I had fresh squeezed orange juice and watched the end of the Brazil vs. Portugal game. It was a tie. After that I took a taxi van home and sat in the front seat next to a Lebanese soldier.

Anyways, that was the weekend, and this week I worked and started the Arabic courses. They seem good so far. The teachers are good, and it is nice to be studying it again. The kids in the class are nice too, there's only 7 total. Later I'm going to watch one of the world cup games with a couple guys from my class.

Work is going well and on Wednesday a group of Americans of Lebanese origin came to visit NDU and LERC did a presentation for them, which I got write up for the website. And today I met with Dr. Sensenig about all the information I have been researching.

This weekend I think I'm going to go to the Jeita Grotto, which has the world's largest stalactite. And maybe I'll go to another town in Mount Lebanon.

(I meant to post this last night but I forgot.)

Thursday Night.

So, yesterday after work one of my co-workers Ms. Haddad gave me a little tour of some towns on the coast and then dropped me off in Jounieh. It was a nice tour and it is really beautiful with all the mountains and the sea, and you can always see both of them. And trees. It's great. In any case, Ms. Haddad dropped me off in front of a cable car that runs from Jounieh at the bottom of the mountain to Harissa up on the mountain, about 600 meters elevation, or 2000 feet. So almost twice the height of Bristol Mountain (Which, by the way, according to Wikipedia is 1,200 feet elevation making it actually a mountain, barely. (Wikipedia also says 1,000 is generally considered the lowest elevation to be considered a mountain.)). So, you get in this little four person cable car and it runs up the mountain over the highway and through these apartment buildings and then up to the (almost) top. And then there is a funicular that takes you like 50 feet or something. I just walked after the cable car up to the top. At the top is a huge statue on kind of a spiral pillar, like a ziggurat, for those of us who remember 6th grade ancient history. It's not actually one, but it looks like that with a statue on top. The statue is the Virgin of Lebanon and it's been there since the 19th century. Incidentally there are tons of statues in Lebanon. All over Zouk Mosbeh there are religious statues. So, that was pretty neat and the view was really great. Lebanon has a curvy coast so there are lots of bays I guess and you can see them all jut out into the Mediterranean.

I just created a Picasa account and posted a bunch of pictures there. Some are on Facebook but I'm going to put more on Picasa for those who aren't on Facebook and also I always feel a little weird posting lots of pictures on Facebook, like I'm showing off. So this way, anyone who wants to take a look can, but doesn't have to.

Here is the address:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jkeyel

Then I took the cable car back down, and let me tell you I was a little nervous at first. I love heights but it is still a little nerve-wracking to be suspended by a metal cable (which by the way, looked a tiny bit frayed). But I'm sure it was fine because as we were waiting in line two guys were doing maintenance on one of the cars.

So then I walked through Jounieh and stopped at a fast food place (Lebanese, not Burger King or anything), that I'd seen in the car on the way there. I got Tawouk, which is a pita with french fries, pickles, coleslaw, ketchup, mayo and chicken. Kind of like a Shawarma, but different. It was good. Then I walked through Jounieh and along the coast through Kaslik, which is a little town or place with lots of fancy stores like Zara and Puma and what have you, but very nice. There is also a movie theater, which is good to know. And anyways, I decided I'd just keep walking and walk back instead of getting a taxi or bus. Which worked out well because I saw another patisserie and decided to give it another try. I went in and asked for Knefe, which is a Lebanese thing I hadn't tried yet. Then the girl behind the counter launched into something in Arabic to which I responded anaa la afham, meaning I don't understand. Then she said, What language do you speak? in English, so I said English. Then she explained what the Knefe is, but it's cheese with cream, so I said no thanks, and looked at some other stuff. Then the other girl behind the counter asked if I wanted to try this and that, and I probably tried 5 pieces of 5 different things. So after the samples I was already full! But this time I again ordered more than I was going to. Not because of a miscommunication, but because everything was so good that I couldn't resist. So I got a bunch of different pastries: some with pistachios, some with honey like baklava, and some with almonds. All in all, it was very successful. I now have dessert for a while. This bakery was pretty close to where I get a taxi up to the campus so I walked there, crossing the highway in the human game of Frogger that is getting around Lebanon and got a taxi up to NDU.
The funny thing is in the taxi the guy asked where I was from and I said the United States. Then he went to light a cigarette and then he said: "Do you want one?" I said no, but see, it's not just passengers who share with drivers, drivers offer passengers too. Also, as an aside, not once has a taxi driver tried to charge me more than I should pay.

In other news, I don't know if I mentioned it, but there are fireworks at least 4 times a week. From all directions I hear pop pop, boom boom and then I have to go out on the balcony and try and find where they are. And Wednesday night at like 11:00 p.m., some loud explosions scared the hell out of a half asleep me.

Alright.

Week 3ish.

So, it's been almost a week since the last time I posted. It is hard to believe that I have been in Lebanon for three weeks already. This past weekend I went into Beirut again, to the "downtown". It is super nice. And it no joke looks just like any other quaint European city with narrow cobblestone streets and cafes, complete with soccer ball shaped Hookahs. I guess it's like 15 years old or something, it was built after the civil war, I am supposing. The only difference between downtown Beirut and say, Madrid or Napoli are the police officers with assault rifles and barracks at all of the entrance points. You don't have to go through a security check or anything, I think they are mostly there to keep cars out, it's a car free zone. In any case, again, for those worried about security, I've yet to feel unsafe. It is strange though how perceptions of safety shift. In the United States I don't think I would like it if there were RPD officers milling around everywhere in camo with AR-15's slung over their shoulders. But I think I take it as a sign that things are under control here when I see convoys of army lorries drive by full of young soldiers and tanks parked at various intersections in Beirut.

Work is going well, tomorrow will be the end of my third week. Which is crazy. Next week I am meeting with Dr. Sensenig, a professor here at NDU and the guy for whom I am doing research. He will be writing the reports which I think are going to IOM (the International Organization for Migration). It's funny that work days go by a lot faster when there is actually work to do, as opposed to having nothing to do for weeks on end. Anyways, it is nice to be working on something as an intern that is actually contributing. I luckily have never found myself in a position where they want me to fetch coffee or make copies.

In other news, the US won last night in a real nail biter. Germany won too. So hopefully Germany will embarrass England when they play next and the US will beat Ghana.

Also, on the way back from Beirut I met a guy on the bus and got to chatting. He was a young guy from the north of the country. We saw a traffic accident on the road and he said they happen all the time in Lebanon, and that there are 4 million people in Lebanon and 2 million cars. I think a funny thing is that in some of the buses and van taxis there are front seats next to the driver and people sit in the front and talk with the driver and share cigarettes and stuff. I don't know whether that happens in the US. For one thing you can't smoke on buses in the US.

In other news I sent out four job applications. So, we will see. I've got to keep applying to more.

Anyways...

Week 2.

Well let me start off by relating this anecdote: I went to the fancy pastry shop near the university for the first time today. I've wanted to go but I was a little nervous. Anyways I went in and there were two very nice young guys working behind the counter. So I looked at the wares, and I saw some triangles that looked like turnovers. And I thought they were probably filo dough filled with honey and nuts or something, like baklava. Anyways, I wanted one. They said in English which one do you want? I pointed and they said how many, I thought. I said one and put up one finger then said waHid. Which is one in Arabic. And then he said six is six, in English. Or so I thought. So I thought he meant six of these things for 6,000 l.l. Which is a good deal so I said yes, ok. I go to pay first and he said six plus six twelve. I thought it was a miscommunication and that the price was 12,000 for six, which is still not bad, it is a fancy place so, whatever. He rings it up and it is 18,000, like 13 bucks. So I was like, oh, jeez, this is expensive, maybe I will just not come here again. I pay and I wait for them to get the pastries and lo and behold it's not six and they are not what I thought they were! They are filo dough with honey and then they are filled with cheese, ricotta maybe? And then covered in chopped pistachios. And there are 12, not six! So in reality I ordered like a party platter of pastries. They also came with a 500 ml bottle of sugar syrup. All in all, I ordered way too much, but it was a good deal. Unfortunately I don't even know if I can eat these behemoths because of the cheese. (For those who don't know, I've recently become lactose intolerant, I simply won't tolerate it). I think I'll bring them to work on Monday for the office. They should keep in the fridge right?

Anyways, this week flew by. Work was good. I'm doing some different stuff like making a country profile up with statistics of Iraq and a timeline of events stuff like that. There is Lebanese coffee a lot so that is good too. I also finished the article and a summary of it for the website and I think also a magazine later on, so that is really cool.

Tuesday I got in touch with a girl named Lamis who graduated from Maxwell in the IR program last year (she is Lebanese) and she lives in Beirut. So we met up at the American University in Beirut and she showed me around the campus. It is nice.

It was a long night because on the way there I got off the bus too early and I ended up walking for like an hour and then to get home all the taxis wanted 10,000 to take me to where the bus was, but Lamis and the security guard at AUB said only pay 4,000, so I walked again for another hour through Beirut at night. It was nice actually. I got to see the big Mosque near Martyr's Square all lit up. And I walked through what I think is downtown Beirut and it is all brand new and looks like Europe. So tomorrow or Sunday I'm going during the day to check it out. I might also go to Jounieh since I over shot it last weekend. (I also think I spelled it differently before. The Google map has it that way, but it's Arabic, so I guess it doesn't really matter how it is transliterated. In Arabic it is: جونية
 
Something funny about taxis and/or buses: The driver is usually guy, Lamis said there aren't any female drivers and the Lonely Planet says that too, anyways, you stand on the side of the road. And when a bus or a taxi comes by they honk and if you gesture to them they stop and you say where you want to go, or the direct you are going in, I guess. With the buses they usually shake their head no or say yes and you get in. But the taxis, and I think especially the taxis that are vans, they stop. You go to the window and say Beirut, for example. If he is going that way he opens the door (it's like a mechanical sliding door like a minivan) and he ever so slightly flicks his head in the direction of the door you get in. (You know how cool guys say "Sup? And quickly flick their head up? It's like that only to the side) If he isn't going that way he just drives away. No words usually. 
In any case I think that's about it for right now again.

The Next Post.

So, this weekend was good. We had the workshop on Saturday about survey techniques and interview skills. The first part was an overview of Iraqi migration for the last 30 or 40 years and then the presenter gave some general info about survey techniques, how to act, how to be respectful and stuff like that. For example, he talked about interviews he has done with Palestinian refugees where he will go into someone's home and everyone is sitting on the floor and they sit him in the middle of the room on the only chair. Which is a funny thing to think about. But that, you know, you would want to refuse and sit on the floor too, as not to be in a position of power over anyone. So that was interesting and then after a break for food and coffee they did simulation interviews. The first one was in Arabic with the presenter and an Iraqi student. I can't say that I completely got, but I understood some stuff. Where are you from? Which city in Iraq? Which district? When did you come to Lebanon? Stuff like that. But like I said, everyone speaks in a dialect, so the interviewer was speaking his dialect, which is Syrian maybe? And the student was speaking Iraqi Arabic. I did pick up that the word for 'yes' is 'eh'. (Like Canadians). Which is funny because in standard Arabic it is 'na'am'. So, completely different. The workshop was good and I got to talk to some of the students there and to the presenter who is a scholar who does a lot of research on refugees and migration.
Again, they must have read my mind, because I got to take home the leftovers, so I have been eating those for the last three days and I still have a lot. Score.

The presenter, Dr. Dorai, told me that the most beautiful part of Lebanon is the very south where the 'security zone' (aka where the Israelis occupied for 20 years) is. He said that was the only good thing about the occupation that this area wasn't developed so it is pristine and wild and what not. I would really love to go down there. He said I should just go with someone who knows the area. (The Israelis aren't occupying anymore for anyone who doesn't know). But, he said, the only thing you have to worry about is the Israelis attacking again. Then he laughed. And then I laughed. Isn't that exactly what I told everyone who was worried about safety here? That the biggest concern would be that.

In any case then on Sunday I decided I would go to a town called 'Juniyah', which is up the coast from Beirut I think like 15 or 20km. So I walked down the hill and caught the bus. No problem. So we went and  I saw signs for Juniyah come and go and I missed my opportunity to get off. I don't know whether I said, but like in Morocco, there aren't really bus stops you just stand on the side of the road and wait for a bus to come and then you just tell the driver where to let you off when you want to get off. Anyways, so I thought, well, I'll just ride until I see somewhere that looks interesting and I'll get off. So we drive and drive and we get farther and farther from where I came from. But then I saw signs for 'Jbeil' which is another town I wanted to check out so I figured, I'll just ride till then and then get off. And voila! I did. No problem. And, I didn't know how much it would cost so I gave the driver 10,000 l.l. around 6 bucks and I got 8,000 back. So it only cost 1.66 to take a 40km bus ride! Which I think is pretty darn good. It's not cheap here, I would say groceries things like that are roughly the same price as in the U.S. but that is super cheap.

So I got out near Jbeil and walked into the town and it was really nice. I put a few pictures up on Facebook of it. It has like an old town section which is all cobblestone and what have you so that was really nice and when Zibby comes we are going to go back. There are tons of restaurants and sidewalk cafes things like that. There is also a 'souq', or a market with the typical wares, chessboards, hookahs, postcards, Madonnas. I think it is a mostly Christian town, so there were a lot of crosses and icons for sale. It was really different than being in a souq in Morocco. Not one person asked me into their shop, or followed me around trying to take me into their 'brother's' or their 'uncle's' shop. Which is very nice. Much more pleasant.
There's also a ruined castle from Roman times maybe? I didn't read any of the info, I just went in and walked around and took pictures. It was really nice because it was right on the water and the mountains are in the background. Also one of my co-workers said you can take a boat around too, so, something else Zibby and I might do. Around the town, not the castle, there's no moat.

After that I took the bus back and then a cab back to the University. I had a very nice cab driver who wanted to know where I was from and there was a women and her little son in the front seat. As an aside, I also saw a man driving a vespa type scooter onto the highway, as I was walking up the on ramp, and he had his wife on the back and she was holding a baby in her arms. I thought it was quite the sight and in the U.S. they would be ridiculed as negligent parents ala Brittney Spears' baby on her lap incident, and honestly it's not super safe, but I think some people in the U.S. are so super uptight about things like that. As if you are the worst parent in the world if you do not properly secure your child in the correct car seat. We used to ride around in the back of the pick-up. Anyways... Today I had my internship again and that was good. I worked more on the bibliography I have been working on and the report I am doing for the workshop on Saturday. I also had more Lebanese coffee, which is like Turkish coffee. Very good.

On another note the World Cup is in full swing and they show the games on a big screen on campus which is cool. They also show all the games on several cable channels that I get in my room so I watched two today and there is one on right now. Ghana beat Serbia today. And The Netherlands beat Denmark, and that was a good game. The U.S. tied England which is amazing. But, in any case, I am rooting for Germany who trounced Australia the other day.

Well that's about it.

Jake.

First Week Of My Intership.

It's Friday evening and the work week is done... well, not exactly. The Center is having an event tomorrow so I only get half a weekend this week. That's ok, I guess. Everyone likes to work 6 days a week. The event is a training on survey techniques and research methods, so it should actually be interesting/informative. And... I get to write up a summary of the event and they will post it on their website, which is cool.

The work is going well I think, it's the first time that I've done a research position but I do a lot of reading and finding information and writing bibliographies; things like that so far. I think it is good experience and I already put it on my resume so, you know. I think I might do the summer Arabic program here, but it doesn't start until the beginning of July. Which is good because it's intensive, but I would like to learn some for the next three weeks, I feel very strange now because I go into stores and say a word or two in Arabic and that works because the person doesn't speak English or I say it in English and they speak perfect English! I want to try more Arabic but I don't know with whom it is easier to just speak English. Maybe this is wrong, but I assume the people with higher education levels are more likely to speak English. But how to you know who has more education? In any case... that's about it, my week was kind of uneventful. Hopefully I will meet some more people soon (though, I don't know where) so I'll have more interactions to talk about.

Interesting things:

1. I remembered that when we went to lunch last Friday, Chinese as you remember, I was in the car with two guys from the Center, and the one guy asked me if I had been to the Middle East before. And I kind of went, umm... So he said, "If you've been to Israel, don't say..." So I said "Ok, in that case, I haven't been to Israel, but I have been to...." The guy is Lebanese I think, but he grew up in either South America or Connecticut, I was told both. I think he was kidding, half. Honestly, if I lived in a country whose southern neighbor had bombed it continuously for a month in 2006, destroying the airport and roads and bridges and killing over 1,000 people, I wouldn't necessarily have warm feelings about it either. I would really like he hear what people have to say about it. It's too soon for me to ask yet, but I want to. Since I was in Israel during the war, I'd like to know what the experience was for people here.

2. The director of the Center came into my office the other day and asked how it was going, how I liked it dot dot dot. And I said, "yeah I like it, it's going well, it's very beautiful in Lebanon." And she said "Well, as you can see I am fishing for compliments," and we laughed and then she said, "what do you think of it here? Is it what you expected?" I was in the war, but don't worry, I only kill people who attack me." Ha! Again, I don't know what percent of that was a joke but I think most of it. She laughed when she said it, so it was obviously a joke, but I don't know, maybe she did participate, not in the 2006 war, but maybe the 1975-1990 civil war. She would have been pretty young then, but who knows? It was funny and made me curious.

3. The guy I share an office with, whose name I heard once and can't remember, and now it's been a week so it's that awkward we've known each other long enough that I should know his name. Well anyways, he asked if I'd had Lebanese coffee yet. I hadn't. And I said "Is there anything special about Lebanese coffee?" And he said, "Hashish. It is mixed with Hashish." Then he said, "No, I'm just joking." But I really believed him for a split second! I wasn't expecting a deadpan joke like that. And as you all well know, I have been accused of having the same voice for both sarcasm and serious talk, but even I was fooled.

Also, I applied for a job at Human Rights Watch yesterday. It would be sweet if I got it.

Ok, that's it.

Jake.

Weekend 1

So it's been a few days. Here's what I have been up to: Saturday I walked down the mountain a. to see if I could and b. to see if I could find my way to Beirut. I walked down and it took me about half an hour and along the way was some pretty cool stuff, like doll that looks like Santa dressed as a Middle Easterner that just stands there and dances on the side of the road. I got to the bottom to what I thought was the highway, where I could catch a bus to Beirut, but I chickened out. I wasn't sure if it was the right place so I just took a rest and then got a cab back up to the University. So in Beirut there are taxis and taxi service. Taxis are taxis and they are expensive. Taxi Service is a shared taxi that goes along a route like a bus. However, unlike Rabat, which also had this, there is no way to tell which is which. In Rabat old white Mercedes are shared taxis and every other cab is just a taxi. Here the taxis and buses all have red license plates but the taxis are old Mercedes, new Mercedes, vans, Renaults, anything. And... taxis and buses here drive by and just honk. So you hear them honk and if you want to get it you just wave and they will stop and wait. Anyways, I asked if it was a shared taxi and he said, "What ever you like" and I said "ok". And he said "Where are you going?" "NDU" I said, then again I said "Is this taxi service?" "How ever you like." So I got in and said "How much?" "As you like." Which isn't really that helpful to hear. I pulled out 1000 L.L. and he said it's 2000 L.L. (which is like $1.33). That's how much a shared taxi is, he said. Which is true. But I don't know why he didn't just say that to begin with! I have taken taxis in a lot of places and I will tell you, I hate it when they don't have meters. I really don't like haggling with taxi drivers. I much prefer buses. It is always a set price and no one tries to rip you off.

Nothing else really that interesting happened Saturday. I finished a book I think, though. I've been reading a lot. Mostly detective novels. I finished Knots and Crosses. The first Inspector Rebus novel. Oh, I also got a SIM card for my cell phone Saturday, so if anyone wants to call that for any reason just let me know and I can send you the number.

Since it was a false start on Saturday, I decided I would try and go to Beirut again yesterday. This time I asked the security guard at the campus gate, who by the way, said he lived in St. Paul for a while and spoke urban slang English perfectly. He also said his name was Tony. So, I don't know, I'll probably talk to him again when I see him. He told me basically the same thing as everyone else so I decided I would walk down again and see if I ended up in the right place. It turned out that on Saturday I had been in the right spot! I had to walk down the on ramp to the highway, I followed some other guys, and there was a bus at the bottom going to Beirut. I got to Beirut and just wandered around and ended up at Martyr's Square, which has a big mosque and is one of the spots to see. Unfortunately everything was closed because it was Sunday, at least in the predominately Christian sections, which is where I mostly was I think. Just like the rest of the country Beirut itself has areas that are Christian, or Shia, or Sunni... etc. The Shiite area is in south Beirut and at some point I think I will try and check it out, since I was told it was ok. I would actually like to see some Hezbollah flags. Don't worry, though, I'll just check it out in broad daylight and quick. But really though, it was interesting in Beirut because unlike some other cities, Cairo, Rabat, Fez, no one bothered me. No one tried to get me to buy anything or tried to give me a tour expecting money. Nothing. I must either a. not stick out quite as much here because it's so cosmopolitan or b. the culture is different in that way. I liked it. One guy did say I think "Parlez vous francais?" But I wasn't sure. I looked at him like I didn't hear but he just went back to waiting for the bus. Oh well. There are a lot of South Asians in Lebanon I guess, so I saw a lot of people who could be Sri Lankan or Indian or Pakistani. I was told there is a sizable Sri Lankan community. Anyways, I walked around a lot and walked through an area that was definitely Christian and had at least one Armenian church. I found my way back to the bus and made it back to NDU without a problem. When I got back I had my first Shawarma of the summer. Let me tell you, it was so good. Pickles, chicken, french fries, tahina sauce, and salad in a pita. Perfection.

Then today I had work again. I did research again all day today. Reading articles and pulling out the relevant information. Tomorrow we are going to take a look at it and hopefully do some other stuff. It is good experience and its way better than making copies and stuff because I am actually working on something. But, hopefully I will have a varied routine. I also need to figure out where/when I'll be doing Arabic while I'm here.

Finally some other interesting things:

1. I learned that maids are not aloud to go to the beach. Crazy right? Neither are Syrians I guess. Why? I don't really know. Racism?
2. There is no absentee voting. Because most of the Lebanese living outside of Lebanon are Christian, so it would upset the delicate sectarian balance the country has after the civil war.
3. Along with Brazilian flags there are German flags, everywhere. Again, I don't know why. World Cup?

Alright, that's it for now.

Jake.