Beirut Report II

Day One has gone well so far: we had an introduction to the intensive Arabic course we're all taking, an icebreaker in which I made a fool of myself, a grueling, 2-hour placement test, an oral Arabic interview, and a lunch on the house. The real thing begins tomorrow, and the REAL thing - a pledge signing ceremony in which we agree to speak only Arabic for the next 6 weeks - is the day after that, I think.

The group of students I'm with is really fantastic: mostly Americans, but all people with a real love for the culture and language of the Middle East and a driving urge to learn. In that sense, it's radically different than my experience in Boston collegiate culture, where most people want to get their degree, get good grades, and most importantly have a good time. Anybody who sacrificed their summer and a good amount of cash to study here is definitely in it for the language, and it makes for a great group.

The A.U.B. campus is everything I'd been told, and more: it's set on a steep hillside, and runs about half a mile along the hill overlooking the Mediterranean. The old buildings are tastefully discrete, made of stone, and nestled among exotic trees and flowers. The campus is centered around the oldest building, College Hall, which was destroyed in 1991 by an unknown bomber. It was rebuilt a little bigger by 1999, and is a very attractive introduction to the campus. The beach is a bit of an exageration; the only sand is in the volleyball court; the rest is rock and concrete. However, the water is still very nice, and the sun is too - my pink skin bears witness.

OK, folks - comment on the blog and get your friends to come visit if you want to keep getting news. It's not as easy to get online here as it is at home (I'm in the library right now), and I need to feel the love to stay on the happy side! Peace - now I gotta run to our "Travel Health Issues" briefing.