Yay!

Pending satisfactory references and a three-month trial period, I am now employed! The publishing company I mentioned in the last entry wishes to try me out as an editorial and marketing assistant. I so professionally and composedly say--YAY!

The money isn't anything to write home about, but I guess I am writing home right now so maybe it is something to write home about? Anyway, I didn't come to Lebanon to strike it rich but to gain an invaluable experience I can take with me back to the States, and I'm very excited to say that helping Lebanese writers would really be a challenging and unforgettable opportunity. Also, Turning Point shares their floors with film distributors from Paramount and NBC and the employees are all very close. I'm sure those contacts will come in very handy as well as be awesome people to talk to in general. In the end, money is money, and, as Teta would say, "You can't take it with you!" I start February 1st, which is very exciting. My Lebanese life is rolling along at full speed and I am loving it.

Exploring the neighborhoods of Beirut is exciting since this Yelp-less, directory-less land is sort of like uncharted territories. I am Columbus and this is India, I am Ponce de Leon and this is the Caribbean, I am Sir Frances Drake and this is the world.

Wow, that took a lot of googling.

Anyway, I am excited as well because a few friends of mine are planning on visiting towards the summertime. I am so happy to be spreading the beauty of Lebanon to people who may not otherwise find it on their own. If you have been reading this blog and have fallen in love with this land through the beauty and glory emanating from the words of gold I present you (and let's face it, how can you not?), then you are more than welcome to come visit as well. We can be explorers together!

Another quick update: there has been quite the Bangladeshi-maid drama here at home. I try to be compassionate because she left her family to work for their wages and lives in a country where she has no cultural or familial connection. My grandma and I try to treat her like a member of the family and make her feel at home. But this b is crazy! She starts muttering prolonged and repeated phrases, almost like she's chanting, and then she gets a phone call and explodes in screams and tears. I'm sure she has not left out any Bangladeshi curse word in her screams at my grandma, who has treated her with the utmost kindness and respect. Anger exudes from her eyeballs and burns a hole through my stomach to where I'm sure she can see the shawarma I ate for lunch jumping back up my throat at her look. I keep asking her why she's mad to which she responds by sending me laserbeam glares.

She's leaving on Sunday because my grandma is actually starting to feel a little threatened. I have to keep reminding myself of her unfortunate position, but I think she put a curse on me, every time I leave my room I trip on nothing. This may make me a horrible person, but I'd rather be a horrible person than maybe end up murdered, so I'm okay with that.

Finally:

Dear NBC,

Are you crazy?

Love,

Team Conan, Lebanon Chapter


A very non-yay edit: my heart and thoughts are with the people of Haiti. You can help in the relief effort by texting "HAITI" to 90999 to donate just $10 to Red Cross relief efforts. If you'd prefer to donate online or by mail, here are some other ways to help:

Red Cross
Doctors Without Borders
Mercy Corps