Six Months after I've been to Beirut, I seem to have failed to accomplish the prophecy made upon me by almost every individual I've met so far, The famous "You'll adapt" Prophecy. Every time that I've tried pointing out something that I thought was really wrong, I get looked at weirdly like If I fell from another solar system.
So I sadly would like to inform you that I wont be able to make it, I refuse to adapt to wrong doing and just cause "thats the way things happen round here" is not reason enough.
I want to still get angry at every idiot that blinds me with the "cool projectors" he installed on his Jeep, car or pickup truck while driving at night. I've been around and I've had deers, cats and the like jump in front of my car while driving at night, but only in lebanon do you have PEOPLE crossing the road in the middle of the night like if they're on a slow motion picnic! God damn it!
And no I do not want to adapt to people whois first uttered words when they first meet you are "where are you from" before they even have introduced themselves.
AND I certainly don't want to get convinced that syrian construction workers are animals and they should be treated as such. And I will keep treating them well and paying them them well and try to memorize their names.
I don't want to get used to people mixing three languages thinking its cool saying stuff like " lek , lets go la3end le Boulanger"...
I don't want to talk about politics at work, and I certainly don't want to bribe the consultant engineer.
On another note, pretty sunny weather in Beirut today so why don't we go skying in the morning and then swimming in the afternoon. yes RIGHT!
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5 comments:
Nowhere is perfect. I can find a million things in common between England and Lebanon.
I think you feel this way because you've returned to Lebanon with an already preconceived idea of how it's going to be.
I don't know. Although things are much better here in Lon-land, I miss so many things in Lebanon. I guess I am a true Lebanese no matter where I go.
But you are right. I mean there are things that need urgent attention such as discrimination towards the Syrians and other nations (the Lebanese think they are above all cultures and races), bribery, politicizing everything even 9 year old kids, not queuing and not respecting the fact that someone was standing in line before you, and so on...
But I guess nothing's perfect and it's all about trying to make an experience as positive as possible especially in your case (you're stuck in Lebanon for some while, no?).
I think when you are emotionally attached to your country you tend to ignore "w ghod el nazar" those bad habits and regulations we never follow.
and it's wrong. it's wrong to adapt. just live in what you believe. dont over compare with other countries. there is always the good and bad. anywhere!
it's where you feel you belong the most. it's where you feel your home is.
I'm discovering that my home is here. beirut. and i would never adapt. but i will always try to make a difference. maybe by writing here you are making one!
:)
Im not trying to be sexist or have any sort of double standard vibe. But for women it can be much harder to adapt than men at times. With cousins, aunts, and neighbors, gossping about every move that you make. From the way you eat, blink, dress, go to the bathroom, or even breathe.
For a guy if he dosent like whatever is going on, he can just get his keys and go out for a drive if he likes.
I got questioned if I wanted to take a little trip to the mini market across the street.
But all is well, in the name of nationalism we do things we never thought we would do.
@ Viola
Thanks for passing by :D. You've seemed to disappear for a while.
To be honest, I am not emotionally attached to Lebanon at all. I've lived the last 10 years abroad and I feel that overseas was my homeland and I still do. Thats why I compare, because I feel I am comparing to what I am used to living and to what I believe is right. The way I personally perceive it , Lebanon is not home, its an opportunity.
@sweetscentofbeirut
Yes the local culture is very sexist. And thats wrong like a lot of other things and I don't see people doing anything about it. How can they fix it, when most of them think that there is nothing wrong about it? ....
I was born here, and i never got out of Lebanon yet, and i still can't get used to that!
people do not care about changing it, even if it annoys them as well, they say this is how things are, life is life!
not the case for everyone though, some people fight back, and refuse to let it be.
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