Have I been here too long?

This thought dawned on me as I was walking through the streets of Beirut last night: have I spent so much time in the Middle East that I fail to see the problems? My final exam for one of my classes asked me to address the stability of the region. I was discussing the question with a few of my friends, and we were stumped. Stability? Isn't there stability right now? Well, of course we had stability, we were sitting on the AUB beach with our laptops eating cherries. There's no war in Lebanon and it was rated the most stable country in the Middle East a few months ago. Although there's no government here, it doesn't seem to affect daily life. Sure, the teachers aren't being paid, and eventually there will have to be a cabinet formed, but at the moment life seems idyllic. When we read the news about the Middle East, it seems like the whole place it just a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. And while there definitely is some anxiety (a few nights ago there were especially loud fireworks going off and everyone on my floor poked their head out of the door to see if anyone else thought it was a bomb, and these are Lebanese students, mind you), people manage to sustain normal lives. I also realized that the Lebanese think other parts of the Middle East are dangerous as well. I was telling a few of my Lebanese friends that I planned on going to the West Bank after this (only referred to as Palestine here, no matter if you're talking about the West Bank, Galilee, or Tel Aviv-Jaffa) and they thought I was crazy. Isn't it a war there? Aren't you scared? they asked. I had to explain that, no, it's quite safe where I'm going. And again, I had to explain why exactly I was in the Middle East to begin with. I still don't have a concrete answer, but I have a creeping suspicion that a bit of Orientalism would be in my answer. I almost think it's inevitable. In my case, I think a lot of it runs along the lines of I'm interested in Lebanese culture, so they should be interested in American culture and I will just go ahead and assume that and tell them everything about it. Hopefully I'm not as bad as some people.

The packing commences today. I need to start early so I can still go to the beach every day :)

One Week Left!

Previously, I had mentioned that I had never experienced any anti-American sentiment while in Lebanon. That is still true, although as I reflect back on my semester here there is one thing that stands out. People are always very welcoming, but they can't seem to fathom why an American would come to Lebanon. As my roommate's young cousin asked, "why would you leave the best country in the world to come here?" When I tell people that I'm a visiting student at AUB for the semester, I often get a similar question. It's as though they take their interest in the US for granted, but can't understand why there would be reciprocal interest. I actually have had a hard time answering this question. For sure, 9/11 played a large part in introducing me to the region, as did my parents' discussion of all things political. I suppose the interest is born from our country's rapacious acts throughout the Muslim world. I have an idealistic desire to reshape the course of American diplomacy in the Middle East, and once I tell people this, they seem a bit more understanding. I suppose that is the most simplistic answer to why I came to Lebanon. That, and my love of falafel, hommos, and zaatar.

This may be my last post from Lebanon. I have two more final papers to finish up, and then it's off to the West Bank next Sunday! In the meantime, I plan to hang out at the AUB beach, bronzaging in the true Lebanese fashion.