‏Spring in Lebanon

“Spring is beautiful everywhere,” wrote Khalil Gibran, “but it is more than beautiful in Lebanon.”

Gibran captures the intensity of feeling in Lebanon. If something is good, it’s very good in Lebanon. And, if something is bad, it will be very bad in Lebanon. You can see the most beautiful people, taste the tastiest food, hear the loudest laughs and also see the worst crisis and the most fear and the most division. Lebanese have an attitude of living fully and completely and experiencing life in the fullest sense of what it means to live. And we know that also includes feeling the difficult things. A friend wrote to me and said “Lebanon has a soul. He makes you love him. “

On the outside, there seems nothing unlovable about Lebanon. But it’s under the surface where things are not stable. And many people say that the country is in the worst state it’s ever been in.

Lights flicker on and off, and people in cafes and bars carry on, not even noticing what happened. “We don’t even notice it any more” my friend told me. “But that was the change of electricity from the generator and the government supplied electricity. “ Yes, in this country which has everything, most places do not have electricity for much of the day. And the people don’t know why. “It is because of our politicians” my friend said.

It’s worth mentioning that people cannot take out loans, you can’t use any type of card for pay and people cannot afford petrol for their cars, and now cannot afford to feed their families.

In the Ashrafiyah neighborhood in Beirut, life continues while in the background you can see the eerie melted silos from the August 4, 2020 blast in Beirut. Graffiti signs read “ Iran out” “Beirut is screaming” and “our space is destroyed but we are not”.

But, to get away from it all, it only takes a short 45 minute drive down the coast to reach cities like Byblos and Batroun. Both cities are full of history, touch the sea, and have open and welcoming atmospheres. You feel like you are in a very liberal place. It’s a very open culture.

And touching these cities are the beautiful mountains. And in these mountains, wild fruit trees like lemons, figs, oranges, pomegranates and a local fruit called achidiniyah grow. It’s wild and lush and beautiful nature. I truly believe that Lebanon was touched by the hand of God. It is a blessed land.

My stay was cut short, for I had much more to do and see. But for many years I have dreamed of visiting the land of Fairuz, of Beirut, of Khalil Gibran. I got that chance. Lebanon is now a part of me.