I haven't been up to too much recently, just hanging around Beirut and taking classes. I did go to the farmer's market last Saturday and it was quite enjoyable. No pictures though because I'm always afraid of standing out as a tourist. I'll try to go again on Saturday.
Dorm life at AUB is very different than in the US. For one thing, dorms are single sex and they are very strict about it. For example, my friend was helping me move all my suitcases in a couple weeks ago and was walking towards the elevator when this lady came charging after us and made him drop my bags immediately and go outside. Also, there is no meal plan here. AUB has a dining hall, but the food isn't great and it closes at 5h00 on the weekdays and isn't even open on the weekend! I've been experimenting with cooking, and I supplement that with a few meals out during the week. So far nothing traumatic has happened, but I did melt a plastic bag on my frying pan.
The perspective in my Political Science classes is really fascinating. Never did I think I'd hear a professor say "it goes without saying that Israel does not want peace" or other such candid utterances. Some of the things I hear are just ridiculous, but then I begin to think that maybe they only sound ridiculous because I have been hearing a very one-sided account of history in my academic career. It's hard to tell, and I'm always wary of outlandish statements. My Palestinian-Israeli politics professor is particularly funny since every time we discuss a Hebrew word, like Likud or Kadima, he says something like "and of course those words all come from Arabic." I am not an expert on linguistics, but I didn't think one language necessarily inspired the other, so him taking credit for that word seems a little iffy. But please correct me if I'm wrong. Finally, I've always thought it natural to think from West to East. But here, the professors and Lebanese students talk from East to West. So when a professor asks you where the Ottoman empire stretched from, the appropriate response is Saudi Arabic to Algeria/Tunisia, not the other way around, as myself and the other American and European students mistakenly said.
I watched the Academy Awards last night in my common room with a bunch of girls from my dorm. It was amazing that they knew more about the actors on stage than I did. I barely know anything about Lebanese/Arab stars except the music of Amr Diab and Nancy Ajram (both of which you should check out). Also, this was weird (and just proves my ignorance and stereotyping) but I was talking to these two girls about the band Florence + the Machine and saying how much I love them, and one responded, "I feel like their concert would be such an out of body experience, but you have to be, you know, totally high to go. That would make it incredible." Uhhhh. I just kind of laughed and continued to eat my dinner.
The Ambassadors (people who have to help lost international students like myself) showed a movie on Lebanon last week called "Caramel." It's on Netflix watch instantly, so definitely check it out. It shows the side of Lebanon that we don't get in the West: the normal, easy-going, modern life that actually exists here.
Finally, on Saturday I went to Jeita Grotto. I couldn't take pictures, but it was one of the most fantastic places I've ever been. Jeita Grotto is a series of caves in the mountains of Lebanon that are HUGE!! I felt like I was underwater. Here's a link to some photos: Jeita Grotto.
That's all for now! This weekend I'm planning a trip to Seida, a really neat coastal town with a castle!
Dorm life at AUB is very different than in the US. For one thing, dorms are single sex and they are very strict about it. For example, my friend was helping me move all my suitcases in a couple weeks ago and was walking towards the elevator when this lady came charging after us and made him drop my bags immediately and go outside. Also, there is no meal plan here. AUB has a dining hall, but the food isn't great and it closes at 5h00 on the weekdays and isn't even open on the weekend! I've been experimenting with cooking, and I supplement that with a few meals out during the week. So far nothing traumatic has happened, but I did melt a plastic bag on my frying pan.
The perspective in my Political Science classes is really fascinating. Never did I think I'd hear a professor say "it goes without saying that Israel does not want peace" or other such candid utterances. Some of the things I hear are just ridiculous, but then I begin to think that maybe they only sound ridiculous because I have been hearing a very one-sided account of history in my academic career. It's hard to tell, and I'm always wary of outlandish statements. My Palestinian-Israeli politics professor is particularly funny since every time we discuss a Hebrew word, like Likud or Kadima, he says something like "and of course those words all come from Arabic." I am not an expert on linguistics, but I didn't think one language necessarily inspired the other, so him taking credit for that word seems a little iffy. But please correct me if I'm wrong. Finally, I've always thought it natural to think from West to East. But here, the professors and Lebanese students talk from East to West. So when a professor asks you where the Ottoman empire stretched from, the appropriate response is Saudi Arabic to Algeria/Tunisia, not the other way around, as myself and the other American and European students mistakenly said.
I watched the Academy Awards last night in my common room with a bunch of girls from my dorm. It was amazing that they knew more about the actors on stage than I did. I barely know anything about Lebanese/Arab stars except the music of Amr Diab and Nancy Ajram (both of which you should check out). Also, this was weird (and just proves my ignorance and stereotyping) but I was talking to these two girls about the band Florence + the Machine and saying how much I love them, and one responded, "I feel like their concert would be such an out of body experience, but you have to be, you know, totally high to go. That would make it incredible." Uhhhh. I just kind of laughed and continued to eat my dinner.
The Ambassadors (people who have to help lost international students like myself) showed a movie on Lebanon last week called "Caramel." It's on Netflix watch instantly, so definitely check it out. It shows the side of Lebanon that we don't get in the West: the normal, easy-going, modern life that actually exists here.
Finally, on Saturday I went to Jeita Grotto. I couldn't take pictures, but it was one of the most fantastic places I've ever been. Jeita Grotto is a series of caves in the mountains of Lebanon that are HUGE!! I felt like I was underwater. Here's a link to some photos: Jeita Grotto.
That's all for now! This weekend I'm planning a trip to Seida, a really neat coastal town with a castle!
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