angelastella
Introduction
I joined expat.com on 05 February 2011.
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angelastellaposted on the thread Working in Beirut
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angelastellaposted on the thread Hi to every one
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angelastellaposted on the thread Working in Beirut
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angelastellaposted on the thread Working in Beirut
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angelastellacreated the thread Working in Beirut forum on the Beirut forum
Expat experience
Since my boyfriend lives in Beirut, I'm planning to move there if we won't find any possibility in Italy (these are hard times). I want to live there with him, we already have an accommodation, but the problem is that his work is not so remunerative for both and I'm still seeking something for me. So, we have to wait a little bit. When we will start working and collecting money, we'll try to realize our common dream, that is work for ourselves: we'll have a small farm, where we'll produce almost everything, both vegetable and animal products (more vegetable, btw) and we'll sell to the local market...then, who knows, maybe our farm will become bigger and we'll start exporting abroad... This is our aim: living together with a common project of life. We'll not succeed all times, we'll need patience and experience, but we are ready to learn, to build something together and, why not, even to fail sometimes.
I've been twice in Lebanon. Beirut for me is simply amazing. It's a very modern city, with an incredible vitality, where you can find 18 different religious groups, where people speak minimum 3 languages (english, french and arabic), where they accept every kind of money (dollar, euro, lebanese lira)... where the sea and the mountains are so close that during spring time, in some beautiful days, you can ski in the morning and swimming in the afternoon, and all the people are very gentle. Some parts of Beirut are very elegant, there are streets full of pubs, nightlife is amazing, especially during summer... you never get bored! And you can find malls with every kind of food inside... Lebanese food is so tasty, not too much spiced but very various and complete... Outside Beirut the countryside is quiet and the nature is so wild and beautiful... the cedars woods are few but so characteristic, and if you reach the mountains you can enjoy wonderful views of sunsets on the Mediterranean sea. There's a lot to say about what I liked... but I think each one should go to discover this paradise...
Ok, there are also some things I disliked. First of all electricity: Lebanon produces electricity by burning petrol, and this is something crazy according to me. They have the water of the rivers, the wind on the mountains, so an environmentally sustainable electricity production could be possible... during the day, in some areas of Beirut electricity goes for 3 hours. This means no elevator, no refrigerator, no internet connection, nothing. Think well... this could be a positive point, in some cases... Another thing that I disliked the first time I've been there is the army at each corner of the streets. Really at each corner. If you are not used, you will think something dangerous is going to happen soon... they say it's the opposite, because thanks to the presence of the Police, peace is kept in the city. I think peace should be kept without armed people! The third crazy thing is the traffic and in general the situation on the streets. I've seen unbelievable situations: cars traveling on the main road in the opposite direction to the run... chickens on the streets... open air butchers, without refrigerators for the meat... this mainly happens outside Beirut. In the city, the traffic jam is a constant. During the day and the night. Basically it's a metropolis, with pros and cons...
