Arrival in Beirut

Well, after months of waiting I'm finally here in Beirut after flying into Rafik Hariri international airport at 4am local time last night. This is the beginning of my summer volunteering with Unipal, where a group of us will be working in the Southern Lebanese Palestinian refugee camps for four weeks.

But first we have a few days to orientate here in Beirut and, quite frankly, I'm still trying to connect with the fact that I'm here, sitting in the chic Hamra District after 2 hours of sleep in a 'Pension' - a cheap hostel with 5 beds to a room without bed clothes. Shower was interesting and don't yet understand how to use a hose to wash after going to the loo... Horns of the traffic outside started in earnest at about 6, but I still feel strangely refreshed to finally be here.

The first thing that really hit me, driving from the airport last night, was the dilapidation of the buildings, many still inhabited, most scarred from the 15 year civil war and the Israeli attack in summer 06. I can't wait to actually meet some more people from here and try to build some bridges - I can't hope to understand this place in a million years, no matter how many books I read - but building bridges will be key for me.

Apparently one of the NGOs I'll be working with in the camps specialises in conflict resolution!!! It will be great to share ideas with fellow professionals out here and I can't wait to get started. But, for now, I'm going to get back to experiencing this place before writing any more.