Coming Home to Reflect

This arena of a country where other countries like to battle out their problems, is so hopeful, so welcoming, and so proud to be Lebanese. Spending the past few weeks in Lebanon, specifically Beirut, I was not ready to leave (the thought of another 27hour flight ahead of me wasn't helping either). For a country of conflict in the Middle East, it is so beautiful; the people, the food, the ruins, the snow, and the sea. Now I know why everyone calls it "the Paris of the Middle East". Everything that makes up this small country, about two-thirds the size of Connecticut, continues to show how proud they are to be Lebanese and how much hope they have even though they continue to endure the worst. You should travel to Lebanon as a political act because for a country of conflict, they will never give on their pride to better their country and themselves. When I go back, because I know I will go back, I hope that the area for Middle Eastern countries to fix their problems is not longer Lebanon, so they can thrive even more than they are doing so today.

I dedicate this blog to my beloved family who lives through the conflict everyday and continues to thrive, supporting their culture while having pride and hope for their country.