My visit to Lebanon made me aware, once again, how privileged I am.
I had a similar feeling when I was travelling around Asia, but it seems to be good to be reminded every now and then, how privileged we are in Western Europe.
Let's face it, for me electricity is a given. In Lebanon, there is not enough electricity supply and therefore the power is cut several hours each day. Most people have generators using fuel to compensate, but still twice a day, it's black-out for a few seconds until the generator kicks in. It made me realize how much I rely on electricity. Do you have any idea of how many electrical devices we carry around and use trough out the day? Even my toothbrush is using electricity.
4-wheel jeep is a must in Lebanon. When you look at the roads and all the bumps and holes, there is no way my little Micra could make it. While people in Europe buy 4-wheel jeep because it's fashionable, people in Lebanon really need one. I have to say that my cousin Ramzi did an amazing job at driving us around. Not one time did I feel unsafe despite the crazy driving over there.
Safety. In many places you can see the ruins from the war: buildings have marks of gun shots, some are half way down, some areas are brand new because just been re-built, etc. Every now and then on the road there is a military check point where soldiers have a look at you and decide whether you can pass or not. It's been a while in Europe since we had to worry that our house would be bombed, hasn't it?
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