Should you bring kids to Lebanon?
Of course, it has been wonderful to have my best friend of 16 years visit Beirut. We have had several friends visit and we have enjoyed it every time. Many have expressed interest in visiting since our being here presents something like a once in a lifetime opportunity for an adventure. Who thought they’d ever visit Lebanon?! People in my generation grew up watching the civil war on the news. If you’re in my age group, you may have a bad impression of Lebanon. If you’re younger than my generation, you may have just never given this country any thought. But it’s a cool idea to cross this place off your list. There has been an increase in interest in visiting the Middle East. We all want to present ourselves as open minded and ready to try new things.
So over the years, some of our friends with children, having heard me sing Lebanon’s praises for how safe it is, have asked if it would be a good place to bring their kids. We are always sad but quick to reply: “No way!!”
There is one thing in Lebanon that is very unsafe... well, I suppose it’s a combination of two things: the traffic and the infrastructure. The only thing that’s going to kill you in Lebanon on a normal day is getting run over by a car or tripping and falling into a manhole or some such thing. I don’t enjoy being in a car here. If I can walk somewhere, I always walk.
Driving in Beirut is a constant game of playing chicken. Things are improving all the time but, until now, traffic signs and signals are more like a polite suggestion than the law. I'm sure people do get pulled over from time to time for violations. It goes something like this: imagine you want to make a left turn but oncoming traffic will never end and others behind you are honking for you to go as they also want to turn left here. What do you do? In Beirut, you just GO! No matter how fast the oncoming car is coming. It has brakes and so do you! When the two cars are an inch from each other, you will both make a screeching stop and then one of you will politely wave to the other "no, I insist, you go first" (Everything is done politely here - after 20 years of civil war, people are done with fighting and manners count) I have been in Lebanon for three and a half years and have never seen one car accident, so I guess it works. I'm not even scared in the car anymore and for those that know me well, I am usually a very nervous passenger. Further, it’s only recently that I have seen car seats for kids being used. Most often, the car is jam packed with kids on laps and sometimes the kid in the front passenger side is standing and hugging the dashboard as his dad zooms by. My favourite so far is the dad, son and mom driving on a moped on the highway and only the mom wore something on her head but it wasn't a helmet, it was a hijab. I pray for their safety!
Drivers in Lebanon are not looking out for pedestrians.
Road and sidewalk repairs are not a priority in Lebanon. This isn’t the litigious society that we are used to back home. There is not much motivation to repair things that need fixing. In any neighbourhood, you see exposed electrical wires free for anyone to touch. Whether these are live or not is anyone’s guess. If a brick is missing on a sidewalk, it stays missing. Roadways and sidewalks aren’t always well lit. Even if they were, there is not always electricity. This is often referred to as “the hell of Lebanon”. As an adult individual, one gets used to these things and adjusts their habits so that they stay aware as they walk through the city. It’s enough for one person. I can’t imagine watching conditions for myself and having to make sure my eight year old is also watching carefully. I know any mom could do it, but it wouldn’t make for an enjoyable vacation. We love you. We love your kids. We’ll come visit you soon where you live.
*Hey guys, my blog is pretty new and I’m just trying it out as a hobby. I have signed up with Amazon Affiliates to see if eventually I could monetize these writings and, because of that, you’ll see there’s a link in today’s blog to some items that might help keep you and your family safe when you're moving around. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. In the interest of full transparency to any readers I may have, my total earnings to date have been $0.00.
Drivers in Lebanon are not looking out for pedestrians.
Road and sidewalk repairs are not a priority in Lebanon. This isn’t the litigious society that we are used to back home. There is not much motivation to repair things that need fixing. In any neighbourhood, you see exposed electrical wires free for anyone to touch. Whether these are live or not is anyone’s guess. If a brick is missing on a sidewalk, it stays missing. Roadways and sidewalks aren’t always well lit. Even if they were, there is not always electricity. This is often referred to as “the hell of Lebanon”. As an adult individual, one gets used to these things and adjusts their habits so that they stay aware as they walk through the city. It’s enough for one person. I can’t imagine watching conditions for myself and having to make sure my eight year old is also watching carefully. I know any mom could do it, but it wouldn’t make for an enjoyable vacation. We love you. We love your kids. We’ll come visit you soon where you live.
*Hey guys, my blog is pretty new and I’m just trying it out as a hobby. I have signed up with Amazon Affiliates to see if eventually I could monetize these writings and, because of that, you’ll see there’s a link in today’s blog to some items that might help keep you and your family safe when you're moving around. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. In the interest of full transparency to any readers I may have, my total earnings to date have been $0.00.
Comments
Post a Comment