Weighing what is Important in a Place to Live

So, I am moving out of my apartment. A few too many cockroach encounters (including an incident involving me blow drying my hair, accidentally blowing a hiding cockroach off of the door jam and onto my body and a fateful choice between turning on the sink to wash it away or becoming electrocuted by my hair dryer) has led me to decide to pursue other accommodations. The cheap price of my current apartment convinced me that the dingy bathroom and strange kitchen were survivable. Now, my roach friends and mysterious pink dust puffs all over the apartment have me reconsidering.

Problem: I have bought appliances. I have a bed. So now in my search, there is this strange tension between getting a furnished and unfurnished place. If I get a furnished place, I bought the appliances for nothing- though I can bring my bed. If I get an unfurnished place, I have to buy MORE furniture.

I have a few choices. One is a beautiful two bedroom, close to the water. Has an office, is quiet, very clean. Unfurnished. I could bring my appliances- they wouldn’t go to waste- but the problem is the place is HUGE and doesn’t have closets. Not only would I need a couch, table, lamps, kitchen ware, desk- I would need places to store my clothes. It is so nice and clean- but it is also the priciest of my options- plus you have to pay into the generator in the building, when I am never even around during the day to use the electricity!

I saw another apartment today that has an unbeatable central location. It is right next to Bread Republic, my favorite spot. It is on Hamra Street- the main drag with everything. Across the street from a nice hotel- also a bonus is that the area is developed- no construction jackhammers torturing me. However, the bedroom is positioned right on the street. When I was looking at it I was too happy about the location to think of listening to the street noise level. That street is always hopping. May not be so conducive to studying. However, the place has two bedrooms (though they are basically connected) so it would be nice for when people come to visit! This is the cheapest of the options, probably because it is a little worn down and has no generator.

The third option I have not yet seen. It is close to the first, not in a commercial area, and is furnished. A small looking one bedroom, but it looks clean and livable. I’m going to look at it tomorrow. My only concern with it is that it looks so tight for space that when people come to visit it wouldn’t be very useful. And I think I am hesitant because the first place is so nice I would be willing to not live in a commercial area as a tradeoff. This one isn’t as nice and spacious, so I don’t know if I want to make that trade off.

Central location + noise? Peace, quiet and lovely bathroom fixtures + biting the bullet and sinking money into furniture I will only use for 20 months? Middle of the road? I always hate middle of the road. So… compromisey.

Hopefully I decide tomorrow…

What does “dangerous” feel like?

On Friday, I was sitting at a café escaping one of Beirut’s torrential rainstorms accompanied by resonating thunder and flooded streets. The internet was down, people were hiding under awnings. Perfect time for a Turkish coffee and some urban planning theory reading.

I go to this place often, so I know the guys that run the place. We were going back and forth a bit about the weather and politics. After a few minutes, a sheepish little older woman walks up to my table and asks me, “You were speaking English, right? Are you from America?” I tell her I am, and she takes a seat. She says 50 years ago she came to Lebanon to visit a friend she had made in college. Now, she had come back with another friend to see how Beirut had changed. Then, she cut right to it- “Should I be scared?” she said. The question threw me off, and I tried to maintain my eye contact with her so that my answer was convincing- “Of the traffic in Beirut? Yes, I supposed we all should be a bit scared.” She laughed slightly, but continued, “We have been reading about the rising tensions. Some people have told us that the mood in Beirut is the same as it was before the civil war. Why is Ahmadinijad coming to Lebanon? What does that mean? What is this Special Tribunal and why are people so mad about it? Are we going to be okay?”

I couldn’t imagine asking another person this series of questions, especially one I had just met in a café. But, all of her questions were valid, and ones I have been considering over the past few months myself. At the end of the day, I don’t know who has control over the future of Lebanon. However, there is something I know quite confidently- it certainly is not me. No matter what I do here, the future events- whether they be driven by Syrian encroachment on Lebanese sovereignty, the political, military and religious whims of Hassan Nasrallah, or by Lebanese citizens is some form or another saying “enough is enough”- I will only be here to watch it happen.

As a momentary aside to describe my current views of Lebanese politics, I can only say that I am beginning to think some forms of dictatorship or authoritarian regime are in many ways more responsive to the needs of citizens then a faux or broken democratic system, or one riddled with corruption. Those authoritarian regimes have to cater enough to the basic needs of the populace to keep them complacent. I have not seen that in Lebanon. The price for the right to vote seems to be quite high. The disgust your average Lebanese has with politics has me again questioning the American approach of idealizing democracy in the Middle East- at least when it doesn’t effect our strategic goals of securing oil markets, malleable partners in the global war on terror and strategic counterweights to Iran.

Back to the nice little lady with fear written all over her face- knowing that she was going to persist with her line of questioning, I told her about the way I have been thinking about the current Lebanese political state of affairs. I told her that the Special Tribunal (click here to read about it from the UN point of view) has to be put into the current context- it may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but given the current political climate, who can benefit from STL indictments? What will they help? People have back peddled so quickly that nothing but a vacuum of mistrust and rumor surround the STL. She looked quite worried at this point, and I realized that no matter how much I explained, that the end point was the same. Yes, Lebanon could disintegrate at any time. But what does that mean? How many times have we seen on the news that a country is falling apart, or that international leaders are “worried?” I honestly don’t know what that means. Simple catch phrases to fill the void between sports and entertainment. Ultimately, I ask myself this- what would it mean for me if I am here when things fall apart?

I told her not to worry because worrying would get her nowhere. It was interesting for me to tell this to a woman well into her 70s, but it was all I had. I told her that her apartment was in a safe, diverse neighborhood, and ultimately no one would benefit from hurting her, no matter how bad it got. I told her I wasn’t scared, and that millions of Lebanese survived even the worst of times here. She said thank you, and went back to her table.

I tried to concentrate on my reading, but I was at a loss. I couldn’t put my finger on where I was hiding my own fear, or what I have done to diffuse it. At the end of the day, I think my ultimate belief that everything happens for a reason is what keeps me sane. I have never found utility in contemplated fear- the natural gut instinct to flee danger is the only fear I trust. I have not felt that here. I hope I never do.

Bread Republic

I wouldn’t call Bread Republic a “hidden gem.” Those who should be “in the know” seem to know its flavors and charms well. Located on Hamra Street around the corner in an alley, Bread Republic livens a broad cobblestone ally with good food, good drinks, and pleasant service.

To my knowledge, Bread Republic has no indoor seating. Tables dot the ally while a door leads into a bakery where a variety of bread is made. I assume beyond that lays the kitchen. Two wine coolers chill a variety of red and white, and they also offer a selection of unique cocktails. Their coffee is good, as are their lemonades and juices.

I have visited Bread Republic for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and so far have been impressed by their purist approach to food- simple dishes featuring well seasoned, fresh quality ingredients . The breakfast menu features tasty omelets, some featuring unique Lebanese ingredients such as akoub, a spiny thistle well written about in a new favorite blog of mine.

I also enjoy a variety of their brushetta dishes. My favorite is a crusty toast served with a thick layer of lebneh (strained yogurt that has a rich cheesy feel) piled high with fresh oregano. I also was delighted by an arugula, prosciutto and shaved parmesan plate. This evening for dinner I had the pleasure of falling in love with a risotto topped with delicious wild mushrooms and thick slices of artichoke and the delicate taste of fresh lemon.

I have no doubts that Bread Republics free wireless, lovely breezy location and consistently good, satisfying food will keep luring me in on my way home...

Classes so far...

My first week of classes went well. I dropped the Poli Sci elective I was so excited about. I walked in, it was all American Middle East Studies graduate students wearing awkward ties and enjoying the sounds of their own oddly informed voices. That sounds terrible. Maybe it is just not what I was looking for...To be fair, it wasn’t everyone, but it was enough. I logged onto the registrars webpage and dropped the class while one of them droned on about how he was appalled Maronites were not on the list of minorities to be covered. So, I switched into the class I wanted to take anyway, Illegal Cities. I have two classes with the professor who teaches it- she had advised me to try and find another class so I could get some diversity of opinion my first semester. She is really smart and fun, though, so I would rather have her twice than torture myself with the others. Plus, it is more related to my field of study anyway. The class focuses on “illegal cities”- typically spaces developed outside of legal regulations or without centralized planning. Places were public services and access to infrastructure tends to be lacking. The first readings were really interesting, so I am looking forward to the rest of the class.

Neighbors

4 October, 9:18 PM
My Balcony


I don’t really know my neighbors, but I am starting to decide who they are none-the-less. From my balcony I can clearly see about fifteen balconies. I like to pretend they can’t see me. So, based on what I see these people doing on their balconies, I have begun to create myself neighbors.

In the building straight ahead of me, on the right are the sprawling balconies. On the left are little balconies. From what I can tell they are separate apartments, though it is possible the little balcony is off of the master bedroom. It is quite hard to tell. But I do know that “Mr. Meticulous Plant Tender” only meticulously tends his plants on the little balcony, not the big one. So, based on this fact, I contend they are separate.

On the 4th floor big balcony apartment lives a big family, ranging from tiny people to a veiled grumpy grandma. The tiny ones, two female devil spawns of about 3 and 5, enjoy spitting off their balcony. It seems to be their main hobby. They dangerously drag chairs up to the railing, dangle over it, then fling back their head and spit over the side. It is charming. Somehow they are never caught. I have never walked under their balcony.

One floor up on the small side is the plant tender. He is absolutely obsessed. In what I judge to be a 4 x 8 balcony, I count about 9 big plants. He appears partial to the fichus. He mists them. He coddles them. He rotates them. He sits in the middle of them- I bet he is closing his eyes in fichus ecstasy, but I can’t know for sure. He is too far away. But what else could he be doing?

I saw a new man tonight. 6th floor, big balcony. That balcony never has anyone on it and is kept neat and tidy. Tonight, under one light, he sat and smoked shisha and read a book. I was reading a book for a while (the Point Reyes Girls and I have started an online book club!), and when I looked back he was gone. He may be a mystical and hard to spot balcony dweller.

The building next to that one is less entertaining, as there are rarely people out doors. It is an older building with teal shutters. The out door spaces are sparse but large- they seem to mostly be used for laundry hanging. I did just see a man in his pajamas walk out one door and into another. It is the first time I have seen people there. However, there is a girl who seems to live in a shack type structure on the roof of the house. Or maybe she goes up there to talk on the phone away from her parents. Twice I have seen her running wildly across the roof late at night, phone to ear. I seriously thought she was going to fling herself right off. So far so good…though I have not seen her in a while.

The other night I witnessed my first neighborhood rumble. Under the second building I mentioned is a little shop. I’m not sure what is in there- looks like cold drinks and maybe some little snacks. Usually there are a few young guys out front. People come in and out all day. The other night, someone really pissed off one of those boys. They were screaming, scuffling, throwing things. By the time I made it to the balcony, peoples mothers and sisters were being spoke of in ungodly terms, and a boy was running up the front of a car to leap onto another with a karate kick. At least 30 young guys gathered around and blocking traffic. For the first time , all the balconies were filled. There were so many people hanging over every balcony in a two-block radius watching the ruckus that I couldn’t assign mysterious identities to hardly one of them! I did see a boy look out the window, then I saw him running down the stairs. I tried to guess what door he would come out of, and I guessed right! I didn’t expect him to plow in fists blazing, but he did! Now he is “the scary boy”.

Illegal Cities: Los Angeles

Warm-Up Exercise: Global Slums

Based on 2003 Global Slum Report: Los Angeles, U.S.A



1) What is the definition of slums adopted in this report?

The authors contend that in Los Angeles, slum can describe whole neighborhoods or a single building. A slum neighborhood or building typically share three core characteristics: deteriorated physical housing conditions, low levels of resident income and low levels of private investment and property maintenance. The focus of their report is “disinvested neighborhoods” which are identified by the intersection of two statistics: tax delinquency rates of more than 6 percent, and 30 percent or more of households make less than US$25,000 annually.

2) What are the conditions under which “slums” have developed in the studied city?

The authors attribute the initial development of slums in Los Angeles to the increased strategic defense importance of the Port of Los Angeles in the 1890’s. Increased economic activity in the area caused longshoreman and other workers to congregate and establish dense, low-income housing in a slum area known to this day as Skid Row. Economic fluctuations, land reclamation for water and infrastructure projects, and consistently high immigration are all contributing factors to the existence of slums in Los Angeles today.

3) What is the relative position of these “slums” to the investigated city?

As of 2003, disinvested neighborhoods made up 20% of the area of Los Angeles and housed 43% of the cities population- 1,582,153 people. Disinvested neighborhoods can be found in the center of the city in the form of high-density housing such as overcrowded apartment buildings and include areas such as Little Tokyo and parts of Hollywood. Low-density areas are often composed of informal housing units such as converted garages and tend to exist on the southern and eastern periphery of the city.

4) Who lives in the “slums” of the investigated city?

According to statistics cited by the authors, Latinos, especially immigrants, make up a large percentage of the population living in slums in Los Angeles- nearly 65% of the slum population. African American’s make up 17%, while Whites and Asians each make up 8% of slum residents. Nearly 80% of those who live in slums rent their homes. Two-thirds of the households in slums are composed of families, with 40% being married families. Half of the households in slums make less than US$25,000, and 80% have incomes less than US$50,000 annually.

5) What types of policies have been deployed towards these slums by the national government?

According to the authors, federal, state and local housing and community development programs have pursued several strategies to deal with slums in Los Angeles. The federal government dictates that 70% of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds must be used to benefit low and moderate-income persons. The State of California has designated local Redevelopment Agencies with the task of identifying slum areas that could be beneficial to the state if recaptured under eminent domain. As a questionable trade-off, at least 20% of the captured funds from the land must be reinvested in affordable housing projects.

The federal government has also worked with state and local governments to establish Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities that utilize a combination of economic incentives such as targeted tax benefits, low interested loans and grants to encourage the rehabilitation of slums. However, the most notable product of these programs- the Los Angeles Community Development Bank- is considered a failure, according to a secondary source cited by the authors.