Gubbi of Arabia: Expat Life in Dubai

"Living in Lebanon is like constantly being trapped in a frat bar where everyone’s already drunk. Everybody thinks they’re the smartest, the richest, the funniest, the best-looking, the strongest - all the time. It’s exhausting."

Alex’s Syrian-French friend Sami, who’s visiting from Beirut, over several glasses of wine last night.

You probably have to be familiar with the various cultures of the Arab world to truly appreciate the brilliance of this observation, but let me tell you, it’s dead on. If you don’t have enough Lebos in your life to stereotype ‘em… well, picture all the caricatures of Mediterranean culture (obsession with appearance, love for la dolce vita, loud boisterous gestures, bawdy humor, ever-so-slightly sleazy men), exaggerate them by 50%, and then tack on the traditionally Arab value of “saving face”… and boom, that’s Lebanon - a uniquely Middle Eastern fratstravaganza of overconfidence and swagger.

And I mean that in the best possible way, of course. :)

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i love lebanon…
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