My Visit With Mirvate: Days 1 and 2

"May I see your passports, please?" "Of course." I was nearly jumping up and down in anticipation. We were finally getting to go to Lebanon! Of course, it was still about 22 hours until we got there, but after 2 weeks of waiting in anticipation, a day seemed like no time at all. Either way, I knew these three flights were going to seem like forever. After what seemed like forever, we finally boarded the plane to Chicago. However, to my surprise, the five hours to Chicage seemed to go pretty fast, between my iPad, talking, and sleeping, we were in O'Hare International before we knew it.

The next 17 hours went by in a blur, and before we knew it, we were arriving into Tripoli, Lebanon. I was so excited! My parents once again warned me that her english was limited, but I didn't care. We waited in our rental car for about 10 minutes, until we saw a small figure lacking up to where we were parked. It was Mirvate! I don't think she recognized us at first, but then as she drew nearer, she realized it was us and a smile appeared on her face.

Unlike my visit with Maruge, I did not expect or give a hug this time, just a firm handshake and a warm smile. I had actually researched this ahead of time, so as to not offend Mirvate or her family. It was getting late, so we decided to just have Mirvate give us a quick tour of her neighborhood and her business and then it would be time for dinner.

Dinner Etiquette in Lebanon

Now I had also researched dinner etiquette in Lebanon on the internet, and it seemed to be quite complicated, with many crucial table manners. Now, I am not known to be rude at the table, but I am most certainly not acquainted with the rules of fine dining. This was actually one of the more stressful things about this trip, because the last thing I needed to do was be rude to Mirvate. Dinner went by alright though (not to mention the food was great), and next thing we knew it was time for bed.  Mirvate gave us her room which she shared with her husband, which was very selfless of her, and we had  a surprisingly good sleep, considering the time change.

The next day, we were very tired because of the time change, so we decided to take that day slow. We decided that Mirvate was just going to show us around the city. We found a little of everything in the second largest city in Lebanon, some breathtaking views, some heart-breaking sights, mansions, and slums. I really learned how opposite some styles of living could be in just one city. Even though I was hungry and waiting to get back to our house, I was almost sad when our little tour ended.

Dinner was, once again, a nervous spot for me, but I think Mirvate understood that we were not prepared for all of the etiquette that was accustomed in her household, but boy did she crack down on her child if he got out of line (which he did very little)! However, when we retired to our bedrooms, I had a feeling that I was not going to have the best night, and I was spot on in my predictions.