Life in Beirut

Beirut from the roof of ABTS


Well, we have finished our first full week of Arabic classes. We have had 3 hours of Arabic class each day with about 2 hours of homework, so it has been quite full. Our professor Martin Accad also arrived back to Beirut this week (he had been in the States and was stranded in New York City for a day during some bad weather). So we have also had 2 hours of class with Martin the last three days. These sessions have focused more on an introduction to Arabic culture and thought.


Alethia studying in Arabic class with our teacher Abla.

In the evenings as a break from the Arabic homework, Ryan has been able to play football (soccer) with some of the guys from the seminary. The second night we were here we had been walking by the area where they play and one of the guys asked if I wanted to play. After changing clothes, I came back and played for about an hour. This proved to be extremely valuable for opening up conversation and establishing relationships with the guys. The very next morning they were much warmer to us at breakfast, and by the fourth day they were pulling tables together to eat with us. It is amazing how sports are a universal way of communicating and enjoying one another. I have had the opportunity to play with students from Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

On Wednesday evening around 5:30p here in Beirut, there was a large car bomb down near the sea (Beirut is on the shore of the Mediterranean and, when not being bombed, it’s beautiful) which assassinated a member of Parliament who happened to be anti- Syrian. A number of other innocent people were in the wrong place at the wrong time and also lost their lives. It is quite a frightening time for the people of Beirut in particular, as expressed by Abla, our Arabic teacher the next morning. She was very sad and a bit depressed and says that everyone wonders if there will be a bomb midday and then what? It’s quite disturbing to think about. Here in Mansourieh, it’s easy to feel safe and peaceful, but as we drive around Beirut, we wonder…what if? In this way, we are getting a sense of what people here feel all the time—it’s wearing, it bears down on your soul.

Beirut in particular demonstrates the contradictions of Lebanon…there are bullet marks in building walls all over the city, left over from the 1975-1990 civil war—yet people want to forget about the civil war even with all these reminders. Depending on where you are in the city, people either dress in very European, liberal style, or in traditional Islamic dress. Some places in Beirut are extremely modern and wealthy and just next door are the Palestinian camps or poorer, largely Shiite areas. There is an air of progress and desire for a bright and hopeful future, but at the same time a dark feeling that something will tear this future apart, perhaps even imminently. Inshallah (God willing), we hope not. I could go on…at the seminary we hear that so many Lebanese want to leave because of “the situation” (a euphemism for these ugly times we are living in and the fear that is constant), but if Christians leave, where is the hope for the future? In other words, people here feel called to stay in the dark places, not to run away in the face of extreme difficulties. There is hope in this decision to stay…

Next week, we will be participating in a inter-faith dialogue conference here at the seminary, learning from Christians and Muslims. We anticipate learning a lot about ourselves and having a chance to witness our past studies being acted out in real life! We also will likely be forced to practice our Arabic ;) Quite a few participants have cancelled because of the situation here, but there should still be a good number for next week. We ask for your prayers as we all gather in a spirit of neutrality and hopefulness in the midst of the polarization and fear of “the other” that elsewhere pervades the society.