a week in Lebanon

The week of traveling in August in Lebanon was absolutely amazing. I've traveled to several countries in the Middle East already and I really can't get enough. Maybe it's the great food, rich culture, the fact that everybody you meet has a story to tell, or seeing for myself that things aren't always as depicted by Western news. My mom says that I was from the Middle East in another life, and I absolutely agree.

This trip, I was extremely fortunate to be accompanied by three great friends. One, P, was studying Arabic at AUB, the American University of Beirut and the reason we decided to go to Lebanon. AW flew in from DC and AR came with me from Greece. 

Here are some of my favorite lessons learned in Lebanon:

1. Public transport is the way to go to meet locals and travel cheaply.

We met four lovely ladies who were on their way to Sour for some Ramadan shopping. Sometimes I felt guilty that P was translating for us 24/7 (from street signs to menus to conversations to street art), and this was actually a nice chance for us non-Arabic speakers to attempt communication with the girls' shy middle-school English and their mothers. The best part was by far when they asked if AW and I were twins. 

2. Think hard about traveling during Ramadan.

This has its pros and cons for traveling in predominantly Muslim countries during Ramadan. Since Lebanon has a large Christian population, our travel plans were hardly affected at all (other than our favorite restaurant, Le Chef, being closed during Eid). The biggest difference, in my opinion, was our day of traveling to Baalbeck, the enormous and awe-inspiring Roman temples of Lebanon. Unlike any other ruins I've seen, these temples were practically deserted. No lines, no timing your photos to avoid the crowds in the background. Because of this, Baalbeck felt peaceful and genuine and undiscovered. 

 

3. Watch movies before you go

Or read literature by local writers, or read up on the current events, or find some recipes you like. Before traveling to Lebanon, I watched Waltz with Bashir, an Israeli-made film about the Lebanese civil war. I had very little idea about the film (other than what the cover told me- it was animated), and only a vague idea about the war (just that it left Beirut absolutely destroyed). 

Despite being confused throughout the film and having to pause to translate the Spanish subtitles, I really felt like I was with the main character throughout his journey to recover his memories of the war. I learned about the many, many players in the war and also some interesting things about Ariel Sharon that aren't exactly taught in high school history classes. The most important part was that I felt a connection to Beirut before I had even traveled there.

 4. There's a huuuge chance that I will get traveller's diarrhea. So I might as well try everything anyways.

After a week of traveling in the Middle East I think it's quite normal to experience Montezuma's Revenge. So instead of being paranoid, I preeeetty much just eat whatever I want since I think that being extremely careful lower the chances of getting TD from 95% to 94%. Anyways, who can resist the honey-drenched pastries or the fresh figs?  Definitely not me :).

5. Those who have the least share the little they have.

On our sojourn to see the famous Lebanese Cedars, a farmer driving a pear-loaded truck gave us about 10 pounds of pears. Why? I have no idea. But I guess he didn't need a reason. These small acts of unwarranted kindness really make you step back and think.

Also, in the Sabra refugee camp's market in Beirut, these nice men gave me a falafel wrap. I tried to pay them the 1000 LBP (or 0.66 USD) that I owed them, but they refused. I think I would have offended them if I had insisted even more. Anyways, I don't think this would have happened anywhere else in Beirut, especially in the rich and bougie districts.

6. Hezbollah wishes you a happy Ramadan

That should be what this banner says. While the U.S. has labelled Hezbollah as a terrorist group, the EU has refused to do so because they also provide much-needed social services to many areas of Lebanon. Hezbollah does have a militant wing, but our sensationalist journalism society just isn't as interested in their development programs, hospitals, or schools.

 7. Lebanon is a mix of ancient and modern, secular and religion

In this country there are ancient Phoenician ports and cities, built over 4000 years ago as well as skyscrapers and shopping centers more luxurious than the ones in Beverly Hills.  Within 10 minutes of dance clubs that have a 100USD cover, there are conservative Muslim communities in Beirut. This contrast is what makes Lebanon such a unique place. And despite its turbulent history, and the proximity that Lebanon has to both Syria and Israel, Lebanon is able to maintain its stability and its diverse population of both Christians and Muslims. 

Check out the mosque and church that are built right next to each other, smack dab in the middle of Beirut.

London: USE Efficiency Summer School and Olympic Games

As I mentioned some months before, I was fortunate enough to receive the opportunity to travel to London and attend the USE Efficiency Summer School course, sponsored by the European Commission.

Before going to London, the UPV group (comprised of Rob, Myr, and I) performed an energy audit of an on-campus sports building that we would be able to take to the course and present there. We worked very hard on this report and as well as our presentation. However, the format of the course had changed and after arriving in London we found out that none of the other students had prepared such a report and that we were not going to present nor use our audit at all! I felt especially bad for Myr, who was really stressed out and nervous about presenting in English. Anyways, this was the first of many surprises to come.

The Summer School generally consisted of presentations in the morning, and then working groups after our lunch break. The morning presentations were made by both professors, researchers, and engineering firms. The professors spoke about topics related to energy efficiency, from hydrogen storage to motor design to architectural design to urban heat islands. The majority of engineering firms were ones that had participated in the Olympics, and I thought these were more interesting and relevant since we were in London during the Olympics. We learned about the master plan for the Olympic bid, sustainable urban design, the energy supply for the Olympic Park in Stratford, and architecture for sports buildings. The main points to take away were that even though Paris was the favorite for winning the Olympic bid, London won because of its strong legacy plan; the legacy is what occurs after the Olympics with all of the Olympics infrastructure. London's strongpoint came in the fact that the masterplan treated the Olympics only as a catalyst for the rest of the urban development that was planned for East London; rather than finding ways to utilize the Olympics infrastructure, their priority was the post-Olympics legacy and then they figured out how the Olympics would work into this. This is an extremely important issue, since the park is designed for a huge capacity and much of the masterplan (such as wide walkways, stadium lighting, etc.) would be unnecessary after the Games. They really thought hard about the development and makeover of East London, and how the Games would factor into that. Moreover, I was extremely impressed with all the steps they took to minimize energy consumption and waste during the construction, and how they utilized architecture and design for these goals.

The second important component of the course was the case study; we were split up into 5 groups of 8, and each group had to create a concept design for a set of specifications for a specific site and sports complex. In the concept design we were supposed to consider aspects of public transportation, sustainability, architecture, energy efficiency, renewable energy, legacy, etc. All the groups were diverse in culture and in academic backgrounds, with a mix of nationalities and engineers and architects. On the final day of the course, after only about 5 days to work on the project, all of the groups presented their designs.

During the course, accomodation was provided for us at a campsite in Walthamstow Central in zone 2 of northern London at the Camp in London site. Basically a sportsground was converted into a campsite during the Olympics for volunteers and anyone who wanted to go. There were pre-erected (orange and lion-themed) tents as well as an area for people who were bringing their own tents and just wanted to use the campsite facilities.This was definitely an adventure- we heard geese venture near the tents at dawn, went to bed cold, and woke up really hot because of the thin tent material and poor insulation.
 

Of course, being in London during the Olympics made everything even more exciting (and a bit more chaotic). The atmosphere was wonderful, both in our group of Summer School participants as well as the general atmosphere in London. A bunch of us watched the Opening Ceremony together in a local  pub. The pub was nice, but nothing special; what really made it memorable was the fact that we were such a diverse group with many nationalities represented, and we felt connected to so many different countries. For example, there were universities from London, Valencia, Thessaloniki, Hamburg, and Rome represented at the course, but more than 20 nationalities represented!

Rob, Myr, and I came to London prepared, as we had purchased men's volleyball tickets before arriving. We lucked out and were able to buy three tickets together for the cheapest price (20 GBP) at a time that was convenient for us. Sunday night, we first saw Poland v. Italy and then Brazil v. Tunisia. There was an amazing atmosphere for the first game because half of the stadium was Polish- apparently after soccer, volleyball is the second most popular sport there! We heard many Polska cheers and songs throughout.
 

Before the course, I took advantage of the torch relay that was traveling throughout London, and saw it three times in one day! The first time I met a guy on the tube with a Games volunteer uniform, and he told me he was going to Stratford Westfield to see the relay. He was really nice and even showed me some photos of the Opening Ceremony rehearsal on his iphone (he was one of the coal miner performers). The second time, we ran into the relay in Shoreditch while checking out the East London street art scene, and the third time it passed through Leyton. Here's a glance:

After the course, I also saw one of the free competitions- Race Walk! Some of the events such as cycling, marathon, and race walk circulate the city and are basically open to the public. It's not everyday that you see race walking men with extremely flexible hips race around Buckingham Palace!

The biggest Olympics disappointment was by far the empty seats and difficulties in obtaining tickets. Since we had learned so much about the Olympic Park, it would have been a great experience to see everything that we heard heard about in the presentations... especially the extremely efficiency Velodrome and the integrated design of vertical wind turbines on lampposts. However, because of security reasons the program wasn't allowed to take us into the Park, and since the volleyball venue was outside of the Olympic Park we weren't allowed into the Park either. That doesn't mean that we didn't enjoy the beautiful London cityscape- the countdown clock in Trafalgar Square, the specially lit bridges, flags of the world, and ubiquitous (and slightly creepy) mascots Wenlock and Mandeville. I have to say that although I disagree with some of their policies and mechanisms, I'm still a sucker for the Olympics, especially seeing people from all over the world come together. One of the best moments was during the race walk, when people cheered even louder for the athletes at the back of the pack (I especially remember a Spanish athlete and another Iranian athlete who were lagging behind).



And despite all the Olympics madness and cool stuff I got to do, I must say that the people definitely made my time in London. I met lots of creative and driven individuals from Summer School who study similar topics as I do, explored London daily with Rob and Myr from UPV, and was also able to meet up with quite a few old friends who I hadn't seen in awhile, including fellow Bruins Michelle and Max, Mia who was so sweet to let me stay at her house, my cousin Rebecca who I met up with during her 18-hour layover in London, and my great-uncle Kwok. At the men's volleyball game I even ran into Terence, a friend from cheme at UCLA! Even standing in line for Dalston Superstore, Max and I met three really nice guys from LA, two of whom were UCLA alums. One of them had been an orientation counselor and even knew Sonny, the counselor that Max and I had. The world is definitely getting smaller and smaller.

Qué viva Costa Rica! Pura vida!

With Rebecca in Camden

Taking silly photos with Myr and Rob

With some CS friends taking gold-specked shots in a Polish bar

Bumping into Terence at Earl's Court

A Bangalore feast in Brick Lane with fellow Bruins Michelle, Sam, and Max

a summer update

It's definitely been awhile since my last post, and a lot has happened!

First of all, I'm proud to say that I (just) turned in my Master's Thesis! As with any project, it was frustrating and illuminating at times. I can't say that the subject matter is my passion, but I did learn a lot and I am proud of the work I've done. The next step is preparing a kick-ass powerpoint and presenting it in 2 weeks! The next two weeks are gonna be tough... I'll not only be defending my thesis but also packing all of my things and saying goodbye to Valencia and all my friends here.

About my UNIDO internship in China, everything has been going smoothly. I've received all the materials I need to get my F visa, which is for visiting scholars, businesspeople, etc. My official position is Research Fellow at the UNIDO Regional Office in Beijing, China. I'm also going to apply for a scholarship for internships abroad from UPV, which would be a big financial help.

And as for what's happened in the last couple months, it's involved lots of travel and seeing old friends. I spent the first part of the summer June and the first half of July working on my thesis. During the last half of July, I traveled to London for the USE Efficiency course on energy efficiency in sports buildings. Afterwards, I traveled to Greece, Lebanon, Denmark, AND Sweden! More details and travel stories are to come.