Why did I come to Lebanon?

I had 3 reasons…

1) With Gaza being closed, I wanted to meet Lebanese people and Palestinian refugees with first-hand knowledge of how support could best be given to Palestine and Gaza.

2) With 18 religions and at least as many political groups, all of who have waged war on each other at some point, I wanted to know if lessons can be learned about living with violence. Could Lebanon be a model for the rest of the world?

3) I have felt a pull to the Middle East and Lebanon for many years. It was time to find out why.

My goals have been challenged. Not least of all by hardly speaking a word of Arabic. Then there is the dual dollar/Lebanese pound currency with made up exchange rates. Finally there is the exploitation: everyone is looking to make money out of me. I was told by an Americanised Lebanese guy 'trust no one', sadly he was mostly right.

As soon as I mentioned wanting to fund medical aid to Gaza and the West Bank I got targetted as a gravy train…