Is it still considered bad luck if you're entering a church?

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Thanksgiving Reflections: What It’s Like Being an American Expat in Lebanon

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I moved to Lebanon in early 2011, which means I’ve lived in the Land of the Cedars for well over a decade now. Before settling here, I’d always wondered how I’d fit in with the broader Lebanese public in day-to-day activities. Sure, I’d spent countless summers in our second home, perched in the eastern suburbs just outside of Beirut. But everyone knows that vacationing as an expat is closely akin to being a tourist in the motherland. It’s hardly a taste of “real life.” So, what are the highlights of transitioning from diaspora to local? Can locals easily weed you out, even if you’re fluent in conversational Arabic? Is there any advantage to being an expat around these parts? Let’s tackle these questions together. Beirut Waterfront I grew up in southern California speaking the Lebanese dialect at home. My mother mandated it, much to our chagrin at the time. She even taught us to read and write modern standard Arabic, so you could categorize me to some extent as a native speaker. How...
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So you didn’t make it to Lebanon this summer… It’s not the end of the world.

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Unpopular opinion: skip summer in Lebanon. Come in the autumn, habibi, when the swell of expats has departed, when airfare is reasonable, and when the weather is mild. Nobody has vouched for the beauty and splendor of Lebanon as determinedly as I have. Let’s be honest here: how many born-and-bred-abroad Lebanese diaspora do you know who ditched their first-world livelihoods to carve out an existence in our precarious motherland? I’m guessing a very few. In fact, for those of you new here, the entire premise of my blog Beirutista, established in 2012, is to project the unique and enticing nuances of Lebanon to the world. So while I’m proud to be one of Lebanon’s most genuine and heartfelt proponents, I can’t say I’m not weary with the Ministry of Tourism’s ubiquitous campaign to lure expats back to the homeland this summer. We’ve seen it on every major Instagram page mildly affiliated with Lebanon, haven’t we? “No matter what happens, see you in Lebanon.” Or how about the sponsored caro...
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Guidelines for Protecting Our Children

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If there’s anything that annoys me most, it’s the absence of stepping up and advocating for children. Ever since I became a mother, my awareness of the fragility and defenselessness of kids in general has heightened exponentially. I cannot stand by and see adults being careless or reckless around children. I will not stand by silently if I see children’s needs and rights being violated. And hence this written piece, which I hope will circulate in good faith to enlighten all those who read it.   Car Safety Children ages 12 and under belong in the backseat. This means no child seated up front in the passenger seat. And certainly no child nestled in the lap of the driver or the front passenger. I can’t believe I have to say this, but if you value your child’s life, seat him/her in the back. If your vehicle was to be involved in a collision, and your underage child was seated upfront, his/her body would not be able to withstand the impact of the deployed airbags. It could cause p...
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