Just Checking In
I spent a week in Scotland and another week in Lebanon.
Scotland
I’m just gonna breeze past this. Not because it wasn’t good — it was great — but because I have nothing to say about Scotland that hasn’t already been written by some poet in a tweed jacket 200 years ago.
It’s exactly what you think: smart universities, brooding writers, endless golf, castles on hills. I went because my great-grandmother on my mom’s side was Scottish and at some point you feel like you have to go “meet your people” or whatever. Mission accomplished. Moving on.
Lebanon
It’s been a long time since a place actually fascinated me the way Beirut did.
Here’s my completely non-expert, unsolicited perspective — just my experience, take it or leave it.
First of all, the U.S. government has a little website where they tell you how bad of an idea your travel plans are. Level 1 is “have fun! enjoy the pasta!” Level 4 is basically “you’re on your own, buddy — don’t call us.”
Lebanon is sitting at a solid 4.
Naturally, I took that very seriously and spent a few days pacing around with a knot in my stomach. Then, right on cue, Israel and Iran started launching rockets at each other. My phone blew up with people sending me videos of missiles streaking across Lebanon … and that legendary clip of a Lebanese saxophone player jamming on a rooftop while the world burned around him.
Why did I decide to go anyway? I called a pastor in Beirut who’s lived there for 26 years. His advice:
"Bring your pickleball paddle and a swimsuit — you’re gonna love it."
So I bought the ticket.
And he was absolutely right.
I had a phenomenal time — ate some of the best food, met incredible people, learned more about the history and faith of this place than I expected, and felt genuinely welcomed everywhere I went. (Note: i am not saying you shouldn’t take the advisory serious. You must. But in the end, we decide for ourselves for better or for worse.)
Some takeaways:
Beirut has very distinct Christian and Muslim areas. I spent most of my time in the Christian areas.
A lot of Christian history here. Tyre and Sidon — where Jesus walked — is in Lebanon.
Politically? Complex. I didn’t come home pretending to be some geopolitical expert. I’ve come home with a deeper respect and I have humbly joined the prayers of a people who’ve endured more than I can imagine.
Also learned some Arabic. Only the important stuff:
Zankha — bad smell.
Albe — my heart.
Kifik — what’s up.
Salemtak — feel better.
A few personal highlights (and lowlights):
Got sick. Four times.
Started in Scotland with back pain and a bulging disc (shoutout to painkillers). Then a full-blown kidney infection in Beirut (Lebanese pharmacy hooked me up with Cipro — game-changer). Then the flu. Then a cough that triggered my asthma. Apparently my 30s are just my 20s, but with warranties expiring.
Oh — and I went to The Nest, the rooftop restaurant where the saxophone video was filmed and spent a Saturday night there with friends, soaking up the view (minus rockets).
So, if you ever get a chance to visit the Middle East — take the warnings seriously, but don’t sleep on Lebanon. It’s complicated, beautiful, heartbreaking, and alive in a way that’s hard to describe.
Here’s to Lebanon!