My first love in the Middle East has always been Lebanon.

It is the reason why I became interested in the region. The interesting combination of religious and cultural ties has created a place unlike any other I’ve seen.

For one, Middle Eastern hospitality is seen throughout the entire region. The willingness of my friend Noussayma and her family, who allowed me to stay in their home, is an excellent example of this.

As we drove back to their house, I noticed the winding roads in the mountains ahead that seemed to come out of nowhere. The magnificent forests turned the rocky cliffs into picturesque landscapes. In one hour, you can go snowboarding or skiing in the mountains, then head down to the beaches and swim in the sea. I began to discover the landscape was as diverse as its people.

Noussayma, or Nunu, showed me around her town of Brummana, which is about 30 minutes from Beirut. Most of the people in her town are Christian. Lebanon is 40 percent Christian with 18 different religious sects total, and many villages comprise one group.

One thing that instantly stood out was the number of churches in her town. Even though the large town was mostly Christian, there were 10 churches within a 20-minute drive.

I visited several Maronite, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches and monasteries, some dating back to the 1500s. Religion in Lebanon is a big part of life and, in many ways, defines who you are. It strongly influences your friends, family and community.

After touring the town, I got to eat a traditional Lebanese dinner of salad with fresh vegetables, hummus, eggplant dip and baked potato rolls.

The next day, I woke up early to go with Nunu to the American University of Beirut to view the campus. I wanted to study abroad at AUB this semester, but SUAbroad wouldn’t allow me because of the “turmoil in the area.” While Nunu took her test, I decided to explore what could have been.

The campus was instantly eye-catching with a large cornucopia of fauna with exotic smells that complemented the ebeautiful colors. Most of the buildings were designed with a mix of 19^th-century colonial style and Ottoman architecture that resembled a palace instead of a university. After wandering around the campus all day, I was ready to see what dinner had in store.

We tested Beirut’s diverse restaurant scene by eating at Hao Hao Chinese Restaurant. The food was just what I needed. After eating Middle Eastern food for two months, I was excited to chow down on food from outside of the region.

The Chinese food was the first treat in store for the night. When we finished dinner, Nunu wanted to “show me what Beirut is famous for.” We headed to a bar to try some local beer brewed in Beirut. The beer — called Almaza — was smoother than anything in Jordan and had a strong hops aftertaste. In just half an hour, the bar began to fill up with college students looking for a good time. We decided to leave and head to a club a few minutes away called See You Next Saturday.

The club was on the second story of a warehouse-style building with a large dance floor and balcony over the street. Between the music, dancing and clothing, especially the women’s clothes, I was not sure whether I was in the Middle East or back in Syracuse. The red and blue lights on the floor gave the club an interesting twist. By the time we left, it was close to 2:30 a.m. and I was beat after the day’s activities.

As I spend the rest of the week in Lebanon, I look forward to exploring more of the diverse society that creates an intricate cultural fabric.

Stephen Sydor is a junior international relations major. His column appears every week in Pulp. He can be reached at srsydor@syr.edu.

Published on March 18, 2013 at 11:16 pm