If you have additional questions of your own, please send them to me.

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 feel like being. If they're supposed to return LL500 and they're short on change, they might give you an item instead (in my supermarket they give me a biscuit, in my bookshop envelopes) or not return the change at all (unless you insist, but haggling over tiny sums is seen as petty). On the other hand, if you're short on 500 or less, they may tell you it doesn't matter. I have had experiences where what I bought was so tiny (LL1,000's worth of beads, an apple...) they didn't let me pay for it. Don't expect this to happen, but don't be bewildered if it does.

Can you give me an idea of life costs over there?

Internet: Broadband is generally $100/256kbps or $175/512kbps.
Cell phone services: Obtaining a number is about 70$. After that, for a standard subscription it's something like 40$/month plus speaking time, and I'm afraid the per-minute rate is not cheap. Otherwise, you can buy a prepaid card that's 70$ for 180 units (minutes) that last up to 2 months. In this case an sms card is purchased separately, with 100 sms for 10$.
Transportation: Public transportation is wonderfully cheap: LL500 for a bus ticket, LL1,000 for a standard "service" cab ride (2,000 if you ask for a longer route). A service can be turned into a taxi that'll take you anywhere for 5,000 to 10,000, depending on the distance. Only problem: service drivers routinely try to swindle foreigners, so it's useful to find out what a route should cost beforehand, so you can hold your ground when they ask you for more than it's worth.
Groceries, utilities etc: It heavily depends on what kind of products you prefer. On the high-end you can consider about 300$/month, but shopping smart can divide that by half at least.
Cinema and shows: Movie tickets are 5$. Other shows vary a lot, but even in the biggest productions there is always one section (the worst seats, but hey) that is very affordable.
Eating out: Again, you can eat smart. Fashionable places are always overpriced, but Lebanon is full of local places and small eateries where you can have a fantastic meal for a very reasonable price. For quick snacks, street "saj" and "furn" make manakeesh with a wide variety of fillings for LL1,000 to 3,000.

How much of a tip do we leave in restaurants, hair salons, etc.?

I usually leave LL1,000 to 3,000 depending on the size of the bill.

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.

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, our postal service is very stuck-up compared to other countries'. At the time of writing, you cannot send anything other than paper without filling a form and paying an extra 1000 LP (less than a dollar), and before you can send CDs or tapes you have to go through the General Security to have them viewed and stamped. It's retarded, I know. But, eventually you get the hang of it.

Are community based Arabic classes for foreigners easily available?

Yes, though they can be frustrating because they don't prepare you very well to the daily language. We don't speak Arabic on the street, but what is called "colloquial Arabic" (a misnomer as there is a different "colloquial arabic" for every country of the region) or "Lebanese dialect". Learning Lebanese is a frustrating process because people have a tendency to reply in French or English even if you're making an effort to address them in Lebanese. I'm sure you can find what you need, though, be it for daily speech or literary arabic.

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 current sentiment toward foreigners, particularly Americans? Have things changed (deteriorated) in the last two years?

Not at all. Foreigners are often better treated than locals. 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.

What form does anti-American sentiment (if any) take?

Expect complaints about the US government, as well as much making fun of America -- however, I would be very surprised if anyone said it to your face, because that would be rude. Just be aware of one thing: we're accustomed to joking with each other pretty roughly. Sometimes it borders on insult but we here are aware it's in good fun, and it's even a way of showing friendliness (something like "I feel comfortable enough with you to know you won't be offended by my heavy humor"). It's completely permissible to poke fun at someone's religion or nationality, and people will often say things like "You look so ugly today!" in order to mean exactly the opposite. If you're American, one of your newly-made friends may very well pop up one day with something like "Ah well, Americans never have a hard time solving problems anyway, you just bomb it back to the Stone Age and there's no more problem" and not mean any offense or criticism, just friendly teasing. Feel free to jab them right back, good-humouredly. They'll love it.

What is the attitude toward infants/small children in public (particularly rowdy, loud toddlers)?

We're closer to Americans in our open praise and acknowledgement of children's presence, and adults tend to be rowdy and laid-back as well. 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 evading your attention and doing something risky, they will step in to warn you. Thus as I was walking with friends and their little girl along an old paved street, an old woman suddenly grabbed the child's hand fearing she would trip and fall.

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. 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. Speaking of toilets: do not dispose of anything in your WC. It will quickly clog. All bathroom waste should go into a waste basket.

Article © Joumana Medlej