It’s when you distance yourself from a familiar environment that you start to discover things you never knew about yourself. This also applies to Lebanese people who moved abroad.
Meeting new people, getting used to a foreign country, and changing your lifestyle made you realize that you don’t know yourself as much as you thought.
Here are the 7 most relevant things Lebanese people do when living abroad:
#1 You become a picky eater
It’s natural. When you live in a country whose capital is ranked as the best international city in the world for food, you start acting like a food critique when trying new dishes.
#2 You mix languages more often than you thought
Yes, it is a general fact that Lebanese people mix languages, but you did not feel it was kind of weird until you met people from different cultures and had to keep a conversation in one language only.
#3 You communicate in a special way
You use body language a lot. You also struggle in translating Lebanese expressions to English, which you insist on doing because they represent exactly what you want to say.
#4 You do not really like rules
Most Lebanese people emigrate to avoid the chaos in Lebanon. At first, you are fascinated by how organized the roads are and how much people follow the law. Then you start missing the spontaneity of Lebanese people…
#5 You are a party animal
There is nothing similar to the nightlife in Lebanon. You were born into the party culture. In your new environment, everybody knows that you are a party animal!
#6 You are street smart
You just know how to find the easiest and the fastest approach to any problem. That’s the positive result of living in a chaotic country!
#7 You are an electrical engineer
Finally, the constant power cuts in Lebanon have an advantage. Maybe you did not realize that before, but you know a lot about the fuse box and the causes that lead the electricity to go on and off. You can also estimate how many amperes you’re using without using an ammeter. And, oh! You know how to walk in the dark!
Bonus:
#8 You are a political scientist
Since Lebanese people live in a politically unstable country, we know a lot about politics. So when your foreign friends are talking about politics, especially about politics in the Middle East, you keep facepalming yourself.