Marhaba from Beirut

There are several things one should consider when asked to write a blog about their travels/studying. First, your not going to have access to the internet as much as you think. Second, your not going to have time to sit down and mess around on the computer. Thirdly, your not going to want to deal with the horrible internet and you just dont want to sit on a computer. Alas, I took time out from my busy schedule of 4 hours a day of classroom arabic and then subsequent cafe studying to write.

Im moved into a flat in Hamra Beirut just south of campus, directly in between LAU and AUB. Beirut is gorgeous both in climate, architecture, and people. I think this is the southern California of the middle-east. Fellow students are from all over the world including England, Germany, Slovakia, and an array of kids from the states. We even have one famous student, I will not write his name, but all I can say is Narnia.

Im a little tense, being a security student with all of this Hezbollah unrest. Fireworks were going off two nights ago and I literally sprinted out of bed to see what was exploding. For those who have not been following, the Shia political/social/religious/military/terrorist organization? was indicted for the assassination of former president Rafiki Hariri. Nothing has happened so far, but this region of the world tends to be rather unpredictable.

I have no pictures to upload becauseeeeee, surprise the internet here cant handle the upload. I have however taken pictures of the literally hundreds of cats that sleep/eat/fornicate outside of my apartment at all hours of the night.