My friend(s) (let's call them J, E, and A) took me to a wondeful little restaraunt\bar called Cafe d' Orient. The restaraunt was off of the main coastal road, the same road one would take to get from Rabieh to Gemayze or Hamra (note: I am in Hamra). I sampled a wonderful assortment of Arabic bread, tabouli, houmus, and smoked a lime/mint shisha.
Before the meal we went to the ABC shopping center in Achrafieh, the ABC had been bombed a few weeks ago, and, as a result security was quite strong. I picked up some grocceries, a beer, and some soap. I must have been the only American in the whole building and no matter where I walked (even with my Lebanese friends) I was stared at.
After the mall, J, E, and A took me back to J's apartment. While there we discussed politics, watched an LBC (Lebanese Broadcasting Channel) presentation on Chiek Pierre Gemayel. It was a very wonderful night.
Today my classes began, I attended my upper elementary Arabic and my Lebanese dialect class, can you say, "Shufi Mafi?" Classes were quite good albiet the power went out a few times (not great when the weather is like a Florida August).
I also had lunch with J's sister across from AUB. The food was somewhat American although it has much Lebanese influence. We had an interesting discussion about publishing in the Lebanese world.
Parts of Beirut I've been wondering around are denoted by a red box:
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