#lebanonproblems

[arabicproblems]

I'm studying in Beirut, and two weeks ago, two bombs went off ten minutes away from my university. No one batted an eye. Yesterday, the temperature dropped below 50°F and it drizzled. Class was canceled and the entire city basically shut down.

[arabicproblems]

How I often feel operating in an all-cash society...

But when I have to make change and multiple currencies are in play...

[beiruttola]

Electricity! Or a lack thereof...

Have you ever had the experience of the power going out while riding the elevator? I have! And it happened during one of my first few weeks in Lebanon. It was unsettling to say the least. It was a small elevator and there were three other people sharing the ride. When the power went out, the elevator lurched to a stop and we were thrown into pitch darkness. While the other girls kept on saying, 'Wallah, not again!', I was having a mini freak out. I forgot that elevators were equipped with safety locks and other fancy things to prevent me from falling to my death if the power went out. Also, again? As in, this happens OFTEN?! Luckily, the power came back after a few minutes.  Despite this incident, and any other future incidents, I am incredibly lucky. Where I live in Beirut, I have constant electricity. And water. While I sometimes suffer brief power outages (for about five minutes)  and some water problems (something funky is going on in the bathroom plumbing and it is unsafe to drink/use with cooking). Yet, it is extremely common to have your power shut off for three hours and to have no water for hours to days. So what happens when the power goes out?  Most homes and buildings are equipped with a diesel generator that helps with the electricity deficit. Kind of. This awesome article written by my friend highlights the problems of these generators. It makes sense that these generators have some serious problems.