BEIRUT: The famed Lebanese poet and writer Khalil Gibran once described Lebanon as a country that leaves its visitors and inhabitants with vastly different impressions. “You have your own Lebanon and I have my own. Your Lebanon is a political knot, a national dilemma, a place of conflict and deception. My Lebanon is a place of beauty and dreams of enchanting valleys and splendid mountains,” Gibran wrote, describing the country at the beginning of 20th century, long before Lebanon’s more recent bouts of political paralysis.
Inspired by Gibran’s quote, and determined to test the theory that reactions to the country are as varied as its guests, The Daily Star asked randomly chosen visitors to Beirut two simple questions: “Why Lebanon?” and “What is your impression of the country?”
Austin Mackell, a 25-year-old freelance journalist from Australia, first came to Lebanon in 2006 with his school’s exchange program at the Lebanese American University.
As a student of Middle Eastern politics, he had a natural interest in the country, but he said he had a different reason for his second visit in 2009.
“Beirut is the pilgrimage site of journalists and of those who want to become journalists,” Austin said.
“All those who want to work in journalism should at least once feel the spirit of Beirut. The city is a very good base to cover the Middle East since it is in the middle of a conflict region but also in some ways, you feel distant [from conflict] with the comfort that it offers in an exotic environment. My Lebanon is seductive,” he added.
Josh Hersh, 27, from New York, another journalist, also chose Beirut as a base for his journalism career.
“I moved to Beirut in March 2009 with a pretty sudden decision actually,” Josh said.
“I am a New Yorker, but Beirut is a city I have always loved, and had a fascination with. I thought that I would have more opportunities here to write than I would in New York. I had chance to interview Former President Jimmy Carter when he was here for the [June 7] elections, and that is something I could probably not have pulled off back home,” Josh added.
“I see Lebanon as an extremely interesting and integral part of the Middle East, which is only going to grow in importance in world affairs, and Beirut in particular as an ideal access point, not too Western, but also not too removed from the creature comforts I am used to from home,” Josh explained.
Lebanon undoubtedly has a reputation for attracting journalists, but the country is also a magnet for researchers.
Maud Grimstedt, a 26-year-old pedagogy student from Sweden is visiting Lebanon for several purposes.
“I first came in 2007 to visit the [Palestinian] camps in southern Lebanon to do research on children who are mentally affected by conflict,” Grimstedt said, adding that her experience in Lebanon not only brought her the best grade in her class but also offered her an opportunity to discover a world which she would never have a chance to know “in the cold libraries of Stockholm.”
“My Lebanon is a kindergarten shaded by war and conflict,” Maud said, adding that she is captured by the enduring spirit of Beirut and that she is planning to settle down here to do more work for the war-affected children in southern Lebanon.
Beirut’s repuatation as a tourism hub was boosted this year when the city was named number one on The New York Times’ list of “Places to Visit in 2009,” and was designated by the Lonely Planet as one of the “top 10 liveliest cities in the world.”
But visitors are apparently lured to the city by more than just its tourist attractions.
A visitor from Germany, a 29-year-old architect who wished to remain anonymous, offered his own reason for being in Lebanon.
“I fell in love with a Lebanese lady in 2008 and I followed her all the way to Beirut,” he told The Daily Star.
“To me, Lebanon is about love and a bit of work. I think I agree with Gibran’s quote, I leave the image of a war-torn Lebanon to those who want it to see it like this, my Lebanon is solely about peace and love,” he added.