Western students exceed Lebanese expectations

Despite the political and economic turmoil that Lebanon has endured for years, and which culminated in violence in May, there has been an increase in the number of international students on the AUB campus. One only has to attend a course on Middle Eastern studies to notice the diversity of nationalities, with students coming from the United States and throughout Europe. In addition to their obvious interest in learning more about Middle Eastern culture through studying abroad, most foreign students have very openly embraced and adapted to life in Beirut. When I asked students what was so attractive about Lebanon, I received very similar answers.

Kevin relates his story succinctly: “I came here in 2006 for a short visit, and I loved it. It’s so vibrant. As soon as I graduated from college in the United States, I decided to return to Beirut, so I applied to AUB for my master’s, got accepted, and moved here.” Most international students live close to the university in Hamra, and become familiar with the rhythm of the city within months of arriving. Surprisingly, they do not need help getting around and know places that we Lebanese are not even aware of.
Another student, Francis, told me that he had become a regular at a local pub and that the owner now depends on him to stay updated with the latest music trends. Sarah, also a student, told me that she had been to beaches all along the coast except those in the South, which she is anxious to discover this summer.

Many students enroll in classical Arabic courses and some achieve a high degree of fluency. They develop an undeniably adorable accent in the process and greet fellow students with a heart-warming “Marhaba.” Sometimes I have even found myself in the unique situation of having to ask one of them for help with some technical term, even though I speak Lebanese Arabic and was instructed in classical Arabic at school.
Most students admit that they came to Beirut with prejudices that have since been proven untrue. As James jokingly told me, “There are no crazy Arabs; they were just a figment of my imagination!”
Others say that while they knew before arriving that they would not be living in a place radically different from the one they called home, friends and family had warned against coming to Lebanon. “I’m glad I came,” said Dan, “now I know not to blindly trust what people tell me.”
Looking at these individual perspectives, you see a tale of different cultures living together, learning from each other, and accepting each other. On the international level, however, it’s a different story. Listening to the evening news provides a glimpse of the constant debates and conflicts between the United States and the Middle East, the endless visits and conversations of various political figures, and the constant turmoil of focusing on differences rather than on our similarities. That these two perspectives result in such a different story is, I think, worth pondering.

I ask myself why I found it hard to imagine that international students would come here willingly, and adapt so quickly. Why was I surprised to learn that they knew places in my own country that even I didn’t know about, or that they knew Arabic as well as I did? I think that there is a tendency on both sides to classify someone who is culturally different as “the other,” as someone with whom you have differences that are impossible to overcome. A closer investigation in the field reveals that West and East get along just fine.

I am not advocating anything here, except to suggest that people postpone their judgment until they have gotten to know “the other.” Often they will discover that they are not so different after all. As the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty said: “How can we understand someone else without sacrificing him to our logic or it to him?”
I realize that my argument may be a little naïve, for I am well aware that love is not the only thing that makes the world go round; there are international powers at play, politics of nations and the like, things on which I am no expert. However, in the midst of such conflict, it is a breath of fresh air to see West and East getting along so well, at AUB at least.