Going to Beirut "Paris of the Middle East"

It has been a while since I wrote on my blog. As I am going to Beirut next Wednesday I thought I should start writing again and introduce you to the daily life in Lebanon. You are probably wondering: Why on earth are you going to Beirut? Or even asking about the location of Beirut. Well.. Beirut is the capital of Lebanon, located in the Middle East on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon has plenty to offer if you are interested in history and archeology. More than 7,000 years old, the urban centers of Byblos and Tyre are among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and definitely worth a visit!

Beirut is named: the city of Joy, and is considered the Jewel and Pearl of the Mediterranean and Paris of the Middle East. It is not only the Capital of Lebanon, but also it is a capital of culture, music, art, fashion, entertainment, tourism, banking and financial market (the first school of law in the world was established there during the Roman Empire ruling)....

This summer I will live three months in this city, in district Achrafieh and neighborhood Mar Mikhaël near to the port of Beirut. I read this is a fashionable area with cafes, restaurants, art galleries, bakeries and shops, full of art and creativity. I will live in a small traditional appartment with my classmate Mäeva from France, so I can practice my French and hopefully also learn some Arabic as my other roommate is from Lebanon.

But why am I going there? Well, I will do the research mobility of my Master at the Saint-Joseph University. This is a French speaking catholic research university founded in 1875. Within this three months I will gather as much data for my Master thesis, by observation and conducting interviews. The topic of my thesis is linked to the integration of Syrian refugees in Lebanese society, with a focus on children. Hereby I will look at the role of education in this particular matter and how to limit the social distance between groups.

So in my last days in the Netherlands I am busy with packing, arranging documents and saying goodbye to my friends and family. I am really looking forward to this new country and its culture. I hope to learn a lot and experience Lebanon, where there are 18 official religions, 60% Islamic and 35 % Christian.

I cannot wait to taste the street food and try the local hummus, maftoul, tabouleh or a piece of sticky baklava. What has Lebanon more to offer? Stunning nature, fabulous beaches and beautiful mountains! I hope I can try some of the hiking trails of Mount Lebanon and explore the nature-side of this country as I will be a lot in the city.

Last but not least.. the weather! A whole sunny summer with 30 degrees Celcius just sounds amazing. As a Dutchie it is nice to be guaranteed to have nice weather for a few months.

Well, this is all the info for now. I will try to post once a while my adventures, updates and experiences in Lebanon :) If you have any questions about Beirut or Lebanon let me know!

#Beirut #thesis #research