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

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Book Review: Rana Hanna’s Birds in the Rain

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A while ago, I met my dear friend Joumana Rizk over coffee and a quick catch-up. Joumana, who heads Mirros Communications , handed me a manilla envelope with a gift inside. I slipped my hand in and pulled out the newly published novel Birds in the Rain by first-time author Rana Hanna. I promised Joumana I’d read it, and boy was it easy to keep my word. Birds in the Rain by Rana Hanna (published by Bold Story Press, 2025) I inhaled Rana’s book, unable to put it down late-night when I should have been ceding to slumber. Over the course of a few evenings, I followed the narratives of Layla, a young widow grieving her husband’s death as she raises her son Michael. Each chapter is titled by the point of view through which it is narrated, spanning Layla, Michael, Jeddo (Layla’s father and hence Michael’s grandfather), and Marc (a trustworthy friend of Layla who is devoted to her and Michael’s well-being). The book is written in the third-person, except for those chapters narrated by Michael...
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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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Beirutista: Then and Now

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When I launched my blog Beirutista some 14 years ago, in the summer of 2012, I wasn’t exactly certain what the focal point would be. Sure, most of my articles featured candid and thorough reviews of eateries and holes-in-the-wall I’d discovered on my prowls through my new surroundings (I'd settled in Lebanon just the year before). I loved dishing out spotlights of lesser-known food spots or profiles of up-and-coming chefs. I could wax poetic about a cocktail prepared with finesse, or a pizza pie descended from the heavens. And while my taste buds were enjoying a culinary adventure of their own, I was also interested in the artist crafting his or her art. I’m a storyteller. I’ve always been a storyteller, even when I was pursuing a mechanical engineering degree in undergrad and grad school. I doubled down on honors humanities and social sciences to temper my technical studies and add a layer of communicative skills to what I do. You’re only as relatable as your words, written or ora...
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