This is my first post... but you all knew that. What you did not know, however, is that the thought of this blog has been twirling in my head (just like pizza dough) for the past couple of years and tonight, just tonight... it landed on the counter top. I added toppings, heart, and soul. Then I baked it, tonight!
Why tonight? It's strange really, i mean let's face it! If you are a university student this is a night where you are probably pulling your hair trying to study for your finals; if you are a Lebanese or residing in Lebanon you are probably scared, confused or just disgusted by the political situation; if you are a Tunisian you are probably spending the night wondering about tomorrow; if you are a Palestinian, well, you are probably hoping they will let you get to work, and then they will let you go back home. So you see tonight is not really a great night to celebrate the start of anything, let alone a blog with the word Hope in it's title...
But tonight I witnessed and experienced something so simple, yet so touching and inspirational, I felt I found the secret ingredient I was looking for to make this blog happen...
Tonight, if you were between Bliss Street & Ain Al Mrayseh, at the American University of Beirut, on the third floor of the Business School, you would have been part of real Lebanon (vs. the nominal one for those economically minded, or the publicized one for the news stalkers). You would have gathered with 8 Lebanese graduate students and a Lebanese professor on blue and orange couches. Each one of us belonged to a different religious sect, believed in different values, came from, lived or was raised in a different part of Lebanon, if not the world; yet we didn't talk politics. Blocked roads surrounded us; yet we didn't analyze the situation. Distress sang through our cell phones; yet we didn't exchange our political opinions. We all simply ate pizza! We sat there, joked, laughed, shared stories, came up with a new slogan for Domino's and ate Pizza... Every once in a while, we made a call to make sure our friends made it home safely.
The pizza was yummy. It was consumed fast, and our little gathering soon ended. Our professor (god bless his heart) kept note of where we lived and asked those who lived further than Hamra to miss call him when they get home. Tonight, I saw 1 Lebanon, filled with all kinds of Lebanese, loving each other, caring about one another and sharing 3 pizzas. This is the real Lebanon, this my Lebanon and this the Lebanon you can still find at different streets and corners if you look hard enough, beyond the political mambo jumbo of tonight...
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