First, a few basic facts
Lebanon is a desert country, right, with people living in tents and riding camels?
Is Lebanon a Muslim country? Do you wear a chador?
Are the Lebanese Arabs?
If I visit and people notice I'm a foreigner, will I get my throat slit?
What if I'm American?
I have to speak Arabic to go to Lebanon, don't I?
What is the status of the French language in Lebanon?
What currency is used and what is the rate?
Can you give me an idea of life costs over there?
How much of a tip do we leave in restaurants, hair salons, etc.?
What kind of food is available in Lebanon?
Is the telephone book in Arabic, French, and English? Where do you get telephone books?
Is the postal service reliable for international parcels/letters?
Is it safe to discuss politics?
Is there a telephone number for emergencies (fire, crime, injury, etc.)?
What is the attitude toward infants/small children in public (particularly rowdy, loud toddlers)?
What kind of bugs (if any) can I expect to find in my home?
What can we expect of public toilets in Beirut?
Name: The Lebanese Republic.
Spoken languages: Arabic (in truth Lebanese in daily life, Arabic for writing and official stuff), French, English and Armenian.
Official religion: No state religion but a multiconfessional system with 18 religions represented in Parliament:
Exchange: A free market exchange system.
Currency: Lebanese Pound (the leera or Livre Libanaise), where $1=LL1500
Area: 10,452 km2. Highest point: Qurnet el Sawda (in the Cedars) at 3083m.
Climate: Mediterranean with 300 sunny days a year, 700 to 1200 mm of rainfall a year over four months.
Political system: Parliamentary Democracy.
Population: estimated 4 million, 80% urban. The last census dates from 1932, though.
Structure: divided into 6 Mo7âfazât (Governorates): Beirut, Mount Lebanon (chef-lieu Baabda), North Lebanon (Tripoli), South Lebanon (Saida), Beqaa (Zahle) and Nabatieh, themselves divided into Cazas.
Official holidays: New Year, St Maron (Feb. 9), Good Friday (for both Eastern and Western churches), Easter Monday (idem), Labour Day (May 1), Martyrs Day (May 6), South Liberation Day (May 25), Assumption (Aug. 15), All Saints (Nov. 1), Independence Day (Nov. 22), Christmas, plus the Muslim holidays which shift every year. Week-ends are Saturday and Sunday. Armenians get their own holidays off as well: Christmas (January 6), St Vartan's Day (Feb. 7), and the commemoration of the Genocide (April 24).
Lebanon is a desert country, right, with people living in tents and riding camels?
See for yourself. I may have been capable of responding courteously to this question in the days before the internet, but no longer.
Is Lebanon a Muslim country? Do women have to wear a chador?
No. Lebanon is one of only 2 countries that are officially multiconfessional (the other is India), with 18 religions represented in Parliament but no state religion. Religion is important to a lot of people here, but nobody in Lebanon is forced to adopt any religious dress or custom that they don't want to adopt (at least, not forced by the State. Family can be another matter.) Regarding female dress I'll add that not only do they not have to cover up, they seem remarkably keen on uncovering as much as possible even in the dead of winter.
Lebanon belongs to the Arab World the way France belongs to the European Union (you'll notice the official name is "Lebanese Republic", not "Lebanese Arab Republic". There's a reason for that.) Historically, genetically and ethnically, the so-called Arab nations are all different (though they're trying very hard to forget that, as well as the fact the "Arab identity" was engineered by the British) and the language is the only thing they really have in common, but even that is an illusion as Arabic is not a language but a family of languages that are not always mutually intelligible due to phonetic as well as lexical and grammatical differences – much like the languages of the Chinese family. The true Arabs originate in the Arabian peninsula. All other populations have their roots in different, ancient populations -- Canaanites/Phoenicians for Lebanon, Arameans for Palestine, Berbers for North Africa, etc.
If I visit and people notice I'm a foreigner, will I get my throat slit?
Don't be absurd.
It may sound odd, but if there's one thing everybody agrees on about Lebanon, it's how safe it is at any time of the day or night. I'd beware service cabs though. A few incidents have happened lately where passengers were driven into dark streets and relieved of their wallet at gunpoint. Just pick a cab whose driver is an old, old man. God knows there are too many of them on the road, and all you need fear is ceaseless rambling. Or get into a car that already has a female passenger (since in one of the theft cases, the male "passenger" was actually an accomplice.)
Americans are treated no differently than others -- at least, I've never heard of any American being bothered or harrassed in any way, even those that ventured into areas I would have thought risky. I'll never forget taking American friends to Baalbek where a friendly Hizbollah shopkeeper spread out partu t-shirts and Nasral'h keychains for them to buy.
I have to speak Arabic to go to Lebanon, don't I?
The short answer is no.
You can actually live and work here without speaking a word of Arabic. It doesn't maximize your experience, but it's doable. This is a place where multilinguism is desirable and practiced, and even if you knew a little Arabic and tried to practice it, people would respond to you in French or English (whether to save you the trouble or show they know your language, or both, I'm never sure). Please do not learn "Modern Standard Arabic" and come here expecting to get along just fine, as some unfortunates have done. We speak Lebanese, erroneously designated as "colloquial Arabic" (I say erroneously because every country in the Arab world has its own "colloquial Arabic" and they're very different). MSA will make you some extremely odd, and nobody will respond to you in it because that language is only used in print, political speeches and to some extent the news. There are people, and I'm not joking, who have not been schooled and refer to MSA as "Mexican" because they only ever hear it in dubbed Mexican soap operas.
So don't bother. Pick up some Lebanese on arrival and
What is the status of the French language in Lebanon?
French has been taught in Lebanon since the early 19th century with the arrival of religious missions from France that founded schools all over Mount Lebanon. During the period of the French mandate, which began in 1920 and ended in 43, the teaching of French became general. The Lebanese spoke French among themselves and gave their children French names. The Constitution of 1923, based on the French Constitution, stipulated that French and Arabic were the two official languages of the country. The new Constitution written in 1943 claims that the official language is Arabic and that the status of French would be examined later, which never happened, but nevertheless the French language is doing quite well. 72% of the students today learn French as their second language, and it is the first foreign language in school. Plus, Lebanon has an active francophone press and continues to produce French-writing authors. The French-speaking cultural scene is extremely active and attracts a large public.
What currency is used and what is the rate?Lebanese Pounds (LP), usually referred to as Livre Libanaise on tags (LL) and Leera in speech, are used interchangeably with US dollars. For all daily dealings, $1 = LL1500. Be warned that we do not bother with small dangling amounts: if something costs LL1,850 the cashier may ask from you 1,750, 1,800, 1,900 or 2,000 depending on the place and how nice they're feeling. If they're supposed to return LL500 and they're short on change, they might give you an item instead, such as gum. Don't be surprised if this happens. If they have no item to give , they may return more money to you – for instance, when I buy my LL1,500 breakfast, if the baker has no change he will always try to give me back a whole LL1,000. My advice, when it's such small sums – don't take the proferred refund. Your largesse will earn you friendships. Besides, the day you're short on 500, they may very well wave your own debt away. This even happened to me in a Starbucks, which I never expected. Don't expect this to happen, but accept graciously if it does.
Can you give me an idea of life costs over there?
Cost of life has increased a lot the past few years, but Lebanon is still much cheaper than Europe, though not as cheap as other developing countries. One can get by on fairly little by shopping and eating smart. Bear in mind the Lebanese themselves like to live large, and traditionally it's considered shameful to discuss money or to appear reluctant to spend it. So your friends are not likely to take you to cheap local food places, so if you specifically want to find out how to save money, don't just go along, investigate. If you're really on a budget, always inquire about outings beforehand. Tagging along a group of party people to find yourself in a posh bar with a cover charge of $50 you'd never bargained for is not fun. Don't hesitate to be un-Lebanese and tell your friends straight out that you have limited means so they know not to put you on the spot.
How much of a tip do we leave in restaurants, hair salons, etc.?
10% of the bill is customary. Check if service charge was already billed, though. It's not compulsory, but kind, to tip delivery men – LP 2,000 for someone who delivered food, up to $10 for someone who delivered and carried your furniture into your house. Parking valets expect and will require a tip, which is more like a fixed fee that may vary (it's often posted where you give them your car). Don't tip people who did you a favor. Lebanese are very hospitable and will frequently go out of their way to help someone, whether local or visitor. It's very offensive to give them money for something they did out of kindness. And if you were unlucky enough to run into someone who helped you out in the hopes of getting money out of you, tipping will only encourage this unwanted behavior. If it's not a service, don't tip and don't be cowed into tipping. The worst they can do is think badly of you.
What kind of food is available in Lebanon?
Everything. We have our own cuisine of course that is extremely varied, but we have restaurants for all kinds. Right now the fad is sushi and other Asian foods, but we have a solid tradition of French and Italian cuisines as well as American grill. There's at least one restaurant around for each of the known world cuisines.
Is the telephone book in Arabic, French, and English? Where do you get telephone books?
There are three separate prints for each of the languages, and it is available freely. Ours were delivered to our door at the beginning of the year, but I expect they should be available from Ogero, the phone company.
Is the postal service reliable for international parcels/letters?
It's much more reliable sending out than receiving, but I suspect the fault is often on the other side. I send and receive an enormous amount of letters and packages. When I'm worried about the contents perhaps getting lost, I send it with the recommended service, which is unexpensive, and guaranteed to arrive. Some of the things sent to me were lost, but I'm pretty sure if the senders on the other side took the same precaution they would have reached me.
That said, the postal service suffers form the unspeakable paranoia of the General Security. Nothing other than paper can be sent without filling a form, having your ID photocopied, and paying an extra 1000 for the stamp. CDs can't be mailed without having been viewed and approved by the General Security. Note also that of late a lot of the incoming mail seems to be opened on arrival. Make sure nobody sends you anything that could be interpreted as sensitive material. It may be that they just send it back or confiscate it, but if they're given a reason to think you might be a spy, it can get unpleasant.
Is it safe to discuss politics?
That depends on your definition of "safe". We do enjoy freedom of speech: you can discuss anything and insult anyone, and nobody will "disappear" you. As long as you don't publish an article that insults religion, you're fine. But in terms of the heated discussions that political subjects inevitably arouse, and of the defensiveness they elicit, you do not know your peril.
Is there a telephone number for emergencies (fire, crime, injury, etc.)?
Yes:
Civil defence 125
Ogero (phone company) 139
Fire department 175
Police 112
Information 120
Red cross 140
What is the attitude toward infants/small children in public (particularly rowdy, loud toddlers)?
Well, adults tend to be rowdy and laid-back as well... Lebanese love children and fawning on kids reaches unmatched proportions. Unlike in the US though, where I believe people do not let their children interact with strangers, such an interaction is commonplace and permissible here (to various degrees depending on the parents' temperament). It is also quite ok to let kids run around because nobody would harm them. If you're the happy parents of a toddler, expect your child to be hugged and kissed a lot – and if you're walking around and bystanders feel the child is wandering away from your attention, they will step in to warn you. It's perfectly normal for a stranger to grab a child's hand or lift him/her if they feel the child needed help and the parents were too distant, so don't freak out.
What kind of bugs (if any) can I expect to find in my home?
Flies, roaches, maybe ants, and occasionally small spiders. Mosquitoes in summer, but Vape is very efficient against them. Sometimes we get butterflies, moths or the odd wasp even in Beirut. Living in the mountains brings in a much wider assortment of creatures, like big hairy spiders and scorpions, but seldom inside the home. Eitherway though, bugs are not a nuisance in Lebanon, you'll hardly feel them.
What can we expect of public toilets in Beirut?
No public toilets I'm afraid! Or at least, not noticeable yet. But most places will let you use their bathroom if in need, and if you're in a restaurant enjoy, because they tend to be very fancily designed. Speaking of toilets: do not dispose of anything in your WC. It will quickly clog. All bathroom waste should go into a waste basket.
| © Joumana Medlej |