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Here’s a belated overview of my impressions from the trip to Geneva. What do you think about how Lebanon compares to European coutries?
Hope you’re having a lovely day, here’s a song to brighten things up 🙂 Diana Krall’s ‘Walk on By’. Enjoy!
tadaaaaaaaa bikes have signs ” its like u found GLORY hahaha. and speaking of swiss chocolate they are the best creation ever O_O if u tasted the # 1 Swiss Chocolate with a hint of orange akh ull be dying. However i think they are all # 1 O_o & those lil cute chocolate bottles with liquor in them drive me insane.
mmm bess about Lebanon being the switzerland u just have to leave lebanon hejra for a couple years and then ull say its the switz ( on one condition dont let the couple years exceed cz then btet3awade 3a the european/american systems la daraje that lebanon besir kharj vacation only ud barely consider living there..) mmm im still makin up my mind myself. & i like ur scarf here 😀 full of colors!
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vicki , Rami Fayoumi, Sana Tawileh, Dima Saber, Abir G and others. Abir G said: RT @MayaZankoul My impressions from Geneva [and from Lebanon!] http://bit.ly/aePRs8 […]
Thanks to make me homesick with your nice and funny impressions from my hometown… 🙂 Hope to go back there soon…
hahahahahhahaha 😀 GREAT GREAT POST 😀
really makes me wonder… y do they call leb that …. !!!!!
Great Post !
Because we are Over friendly lol
Excellent clothes just perfect the shawl against the top.
Oh but you know why they call us the Switzerland of the Middle East – because both we and them are nations made by minorities seeking refuge from oppression.
Then again, the Swiss model managed to avoid internal clashes thanks to the canton system, which in turn owes itself to the fact that demographic distribution runs along ethnic (actually, linguistic) lines, whereas here demographic segregation is a very recent phenomenon, the result of the Civil War Goddamn it. Before that, demographic distribution followed no sectarian lines (id est, everyone was living next to, though never with, everyone).
The question remains, in the possible scenario of Lebanon holding on together and moving forth, on whether that would be the result of a ‘cantonisation’ (bringing us closer to the Swiss model, but still not looking the sectarian question in the eye), or that of a genuine secular becoming.
Never gonna happen, we see sectarianism in every foundation in Lebanon, namely educational ones. Rallying for a cause is swiftly hurdled by the lack of political chemistry, or/and sectarianism. Assumably the demographic segregation is born as of yesterday, what about the day before that? And what about the present and the future? If it isn’t sectarian segregation then it’s political, otherwise it’s socio-economic, alas, if neither, then we must hold grudges agaisnt our most disdained team in the World Cup or Calcio…
We are MEastern Swiss probably just because we all like potatoes – boiled, fried, griled, you name it.
O_O
Dear Maya
Awesome drawings hope you have a lovely journey
Best wishes and good luck and BTW don’t forget your fans from the chocolate
Be well
It seem that you were in “Sound of music” 🙂
Concerning the “you could start with good morning”
In Lebanon we can start with “kifak abou fouad” and end with “merci” after buying fruits for example….
In France you must start with “Bonjour” and after the “merci” you say “au revoir”
but nobody asks me “kifa el mama” ! 🙂
That’s it! Same in French speaking Geneva (“Bonjour” = “Good morning”).
A bit of savoir-vivre, voyons! 🙂
cot it is the switzerland of the Middle East, talking about the Middle East and considering the last decade with all it’s wars and what we came out through, i believe Lebanon is even more beautiful.
first time i comment, but i felt harassed by this post. however i’m a daily fan of you.
With all due respect to Lebanese, Lebanon is the uncivilized version of Switzerland.
Raclette is badly drawn 🙂 It is actually a big chunk of cheese, heat it on a side, and scrape the melting side on the potatoes (or next to the potatoes), what you drew is the do-it-yourself-if-you-are-not-swiss version (not that I am).
I believe that Lebanon was called the Switzerland of the Middle East because of the bank secrecy and all the banks. Nothing to do with potatoes, chocolate, ethnicities and whatever you call being civilized.
Well first I would have to agree with Ahmed on his explanation, and add to it the similarity in the banking systems. Also, Lebanon was called Switzerland of the Middle East because it was believed that, like Switzerland, Lebanon can survive without an army in his surrounding.
Now that aside, @ Serpico, how would you define civilization? Because our civilization dates long before the Swiss. Furthermore in Sociology this comparison is not valid. For me Lebanon is the “unfortunate” version of Switzerland not more not less.
Finally, @ Maya, I would kindly remind you of your sketch at the Swiss embassy!!!
Now, to clear any stereotype anyone may have developed about me, myself I live abroad, and whenever I return to Lebanon on vacation my blood pressure sky-rockets from the driving “skills” practiced on our “what is so called” roads, the selfishness of each and every citizen vs the society as a whole, the ethnic and religious issues, etc.. But, every time, on my way to airport, leaving Lebanon, there’s an unexplainable pain in my chest (it’s not from the pollution!).
Ha ha. Your conclusion cracked me up!
First of all, thanks for the nice song of the day. Second of all, great post! Third of all, I think Lebanon is much more beautiful than switzerland. I’m sorry its just toooo green and i really thought you would talk about the over abundance of cows haha 😛 didnt u notice that?
I always say that switzerland is Europe’s Beirut. Nothing is like Lebanon. Lebanon has its own feel and no other country can be like it simply because of the experiences the country has gone through. I never bought the Paris and Switzerland crap. Lebanon is Lebanon. If someone wants to compare their country to Lebanon they can go ahead but even then nothing is like it.
Fantastic tune, and I’m not even into that type of music! I really like it!
Lebanon needs a million of years to be like switzerland ! They used to call it that way because it used to be GREEN ! now it’s not anymore it’s just buildings and ugly ones…
In switzerland we care about nature, we care about preserving historical buildings and most of all we care about human rights, and we are not superficial…That does not mean that Lebanon is not a beautiful country with a few good Lebanese left unfortunately, but it’s very very far to be switzerland…Geneva is a bad example about a real swiss city :S you should have gone to a swiss german city like Bern, or even better to the Mountains…
I never knew the word perfect existed before coming here….but sometimes perfect is boring :))))
I mean it’s a bad example of “perfection” because it’s one of the biggest cities, the less safe and less swissified :S that does not mean it’s bad, in contrary it’s where the ACTION is in switzerland…lol
just for showoff, they have traffic signs. well we don’t, it is better this way
Geneva is trash. When you are in this city, you feel like you are not in switzerland but in france. Like, the language, the buildings and everything else.
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