Extra Time

Spring has arrived in Beirut. The temperature over the last few days has edged into the high twenties, the evenings are balmy and the air in the city streets dusty and warm. Easter weekend has coincided with a bright yellow full moon, which casts a glow over the people of the Christian suburb of Geitawi as they gather in the streets on their way to church. Fustu the cat is leaving a trail of white fur all over my apartment as he sheds his winter coat.

My daily routine now has a regular pattern. As well as studying at language school I have started work as an intern with the Beirut branch of Time Out magazine, writing listings for the website and conducting the odd interview. I go to school in the morning and work in the afternoon. I only began this job a week ago but it is a 3-month placement, which means my stay in Lebanon has now been extended by one month until the end of June. Since deciding to take the internship and stay longer, I have had a lot less free time - homework also takes up a fair proportion of my weekday evenings - which means I'm able to appreciate the 4-day Easter weekend a lot more.

Last weekend I relaxed by spending the day in Tyre (known here as Sour), the southernmost major city in Lebanon, within a half-marathon of the firmly closed Israeli border. Like many other cities around the country, Sour has impressive and well-preserved Roman ruins. The procession of pillars in two parallel rows gives an easy mental image of a boulevard in a Roman city. The modern town has a relaxed atmosphere with a wide corniche running along the shore like a quiet version of the one in Beirut. Oranges and lemons grow in the fields on the outskirts and by the road leading back north towards Saida.

The different areas of Beirut and Lebanon are home to many different types of people, and they all seem friendly, laid-back and open minded, but how they actually feel about eachother under the surface is difficult to gauge. A friend who recently stayed with a family in the countryside was subjected to some fairly extremist Christian opinions which, as a guest, she was forced to listen to. A taxi driver who took us across town a couple of weeks ago began to insult any woman he drove past who happened to be wearing a headscarf. However open intolerance like this seems seems quite rare to me and not different from the wide spectrum of opinions you can find anywhere in the world.

All the Lebanese friends I have here are male with one exception, my flatmate's girlfriend. Men are a lot more free to go out and do what they want. My female friends, all foreign, have all had at least one experience of harassment from local men. I recently shared a taxi with a friend. The driver was silent until we reached my apartment when I got out of the car. As soon as I left he began to touch her and harass her. This is cowardly behaviour and happens regularly, but is by no means the worst example. Two different friends been confronted by men who have proceeded to masturbate in front of them on the street, one in broad daylight. Men of all ages and social statuses seem to think all Western women are fair game. Although I can't say for sure, I presume they treat Lebanese women with more respect. Regardless, this is by far the most negative aspect of Lebanon I have experienced. At best it is a cultural misunderstanding, at worst utterly reprehensible behaviour and in either case unacceptable.