hey everyone. i dunno if anyone is followin the news but im scared Sh!tless! seems there is a war amoungst us here................................and now the airport and sea are unusable! and my passport to top it off is with the Security General because they are processing my residency........................we live in a fairly safe neighborhood but that doesnt make me worry any less.........................ohhhh why oh why did i come here??????????????? do you think this makes a good enuf reason for the embassy to let us go to the USA? when we can that is.................

I was thinking about you this morning as I heard the news. I hope you guys stay safe!

thanks. i am hoping the same for ourselves..my mom is worried sick and keeps texting and trying to call.

Hi,

Maybe you should contact the local U.S embassy. I know they like to keep updated on their citizens in foreign countries. . I am assuming that by your post there is a complete shutdown and no one can get in or out? Stay safe.

Jess... I will be praying for your safety, along with your husband and his family's safety. God bless you all!

Lynne

Jess, you and your family are in my prayers. Stay safe and know your VJ friends are here for you.

Jackie

Jess, I'll keep you and your family in my prayers as well.
Do contact the embassy and remind them that you're there!
Layla

I think your pretty safe Jess. Try not to worry so much. Basically the chiristian areas are pretty safe. It's pretty much the south that is getting hit. If you talk to people down there, they have been going through this for decades.

I'm suppose to leaving in less then 3 weeks. I talked to my fiance this morning. He said this is a normal thing. a few days and things will calm down. I don't know what to say. It seems like it's obstical after obstical in my way to be with the man I love. When will it end.

Stay safe. May God be with us all.

My thoughts are with you and all who are cought up in this tragic conflict. Lets hope the rational and peaceful people of all nations can bring stability to the region. As if dealing with US immigration wasn't bad enough... My heart goes out to you.

I think we all need a gold Medal when we are done with this whole process.

JessNGeorges,

I have been thinking of you, and of all the people in Lebanon. I'm glad you could check in and let us know you're ok, although understandably you're frightened.

I have been trapped in a very similar situation in the West Bank, and I can tell you from experience that there is not much the U.S. Consulate can/will do for you, except possibly try to facilitate your movement out of the country if you wish to go home. In your case that would probably involve having to travel overland into Israel, and at this time that's probably not advisable or even possible due to the grim situation on the border.

Do call the Consulate, as has been mentioned, and let them know where you are and how to reach you. If you want to leave the country, ask them what can be done to get you out. It's possible that passage for a "convoy" might be arranged with the Israelis if there are quite a few American citizens who wish to leave at the same time. Or maybe not. But don't count on it, at least not anytime soon.

So far the Israelis have bombed the runways at the airport, but repairs could be made quickly if there is a cease-fire. If they start bombing planes or the control tower, of course, that could put the airport out of operation much longer. It's possible that flights could be operating out of Beirut within a few weeks or months if the hostilities can be contained.

I certainly don't want to upset you even more, but you need to know the reality of the situation. Unfortunately, just by being in Lebanon you are now on what is considered the "wrong" side of the conflict (as far as the US and Israel are concerned.) You are not considered an "enemy" of course, but if anything might happen to you, God forbid, (or to any of the millions of other innocent people in danger) there will be absolutely no U.S. outrage expressed against Israel. George Bush has refused to use American pressure to restrain the Israelis, as usual, and I know from experience that neither your life, nor the lives of millions of innocent Lebanese people, will be considered in any way as a sufficiently compelling reason for the U.S. to force an end to Israeli revenge attacks on the general infrastructure there.

In the meantime, all I can advise is to just try to stay far away from the war zone, keep your head down, and wait it out. Make sure you keep extra food and water stored at home in case of curfews or closures or shortages. I know it's frustrating because there's really not much you can do, but life goes on, even inside a war zone. Insha'allah the fighting will not reach you, and insha'allah the international diplomatic attempts now underway to stop this situation from escalating further will become successful.

If you like to write, keep a journal. Document what you see and experience. Let all your friends and relatives know what is being done to innocent people in the name of Israel's "security" and "defense."

Thoughts and prayers with you, and with all the innocent people in Lebanon and Palestine who caught in this madness.



-MK

you are in our prayers. May god watch over you, your family, and all the innocent people there. I liked WOM's suggestion about keeping a journal about what goes on..... keep on keepin' on and don't forget that we love you

amal

I am registered with the embassy and they have sent emails of warnings. I couldnt just go and leave my husband here. he isnt allowed in the usa he was deported and banned 10yrs and our i130 is still in athens.........not approved or denied yet...........the roads that lead to syria were bombed and now there is no way at all to get out, if i go threw isreal i will never be allowed in lebanon again, once that is on my passport...................another problem, my passport is downtown at the security general awaiting my residency to be complete, and thy are now closed until monday at earliest...........i guess i just have to stay calm and hope it all ends soon.....this is crazy

You're in my thoughts, Jess.

God help us all.

Jess,

Praying for your safety, as well as the safety of all the other innocents caught up in this.

Rebecca

I thought of you as soon as I heard the news this morning too.... Your family must be going nuts about this but like said above this will pass and it sounds like you can stay out of harms way til then. I'm glad you posted to let us know that you are ok. MK's suggestion that you keep a journal is a really great idea. As scary as this situation is, it is an opportunity to preserve and share experiences and descriptions in a context uncontaminated by anyone's agenda or bias. Its something you could regret later not doing. Stay safe and keep posting often.
Dawn

Jess, I will be praying for you, your husband and his family and all the people affected by this. I really hope it all ends soon. It is so sad, that all those innocent people must endure these actions and live in fear.

Meriem

Add me to the list of people who are praying for you.

Try to stay calm, just be aware of your surroundings, and I also agree with doubling up on the canned goods and water in case of shortages.

I know it's scary, and tough, but you'll pull through this and you'll be even stronger because of it.

It's unfortunate that you and many other innocent people have to be stuck in the middle of all of this.

We're all thinking about you.

jess

please take care of yourself.. and keep a good diary like others said,.. would make great stories to tell the kids

chit..
I hope you can get out of there. oh my god..sending prayers your way.

just checking in again, the airport was bombed again, looks like it will for sure be closed for a long time now, and Israel is dropping airflyers in sourthern beirut telling the residents to leave because they will be bombing all night........we live about 30mins away from the airport, not even if there isnt traffic.....just wanted to update dont want to take the chance of the net going out before i send this

I am so sorry this is happening to you. You are in my thoughts. Take care,

Sarah

Jess, dear, my thoughts and prayers are w/ you & Georges (& family). I hope this settles down soon and all will be safe again. Do think abt keeping a diary, or at least just jotting down some thoughts - it will be interesting to look back on later! Keep us posted as much as you can... we're here for you!
Noura

Please know that you and all your loved one's are in my prayers. I can't even begin to think how you feel right now. May God protect you nad bring you thorugh this safe and very soon may the fighting end. May a million agels protect you now and always.

You and everyone out there are in my prayers - insha'Allah the situation will calm down... I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you and your family... so sorry you're caught up in all of it

yes please keep posting here so we know you are safe... but if you and your husband are leaving the area for safety please go and we all have you in our prays and thoughts...

sarah

i wish we were able to leave the area. there is no where to go, israel has now taken out the airport even more, blockaded all the sea and has taken out land roads leading to syria..............very very bad situation. i dont plan on leaving the house at all so hopefully if we lay low and pray it will all pass sooner rather then later. thank you for all the prayers please continue. i will update as often as possible.

Jess, my thoughts and prayers are still with you - please stay as safe as possible... you are in our minds and hearts - best of luck to you and the family.
Noura

just replying to let everyone know we are still alright. today we got a call from the security general and my residency was approved, gee im so happy lol, but anyway i can pick my passport and paperwork up at 9am, thank GOD!!! ill post as often as i can

thank you for checking in ... we were worried about you still.... stay safe and congrats on your residency

sarah

well turns out my residency isnt done after all, they still have my passport!!!! Americans are looking to evacuate, how am i supposed to leave?????? they wont be open to give me my passport until Monday!! is there anything the embassy can do for me???? i need to call them but they dont speak good enough english, i will have george call for me...........please continue to pray!

Jess,

US embassies and consulates can and do issue passports to US citizens abroad. If you registered your presence in Lebanon with the consulate/embassy, they probably have a copy of your passport and you probably wont need to provide any additional documention, except maybe an affidavit concerning the whereabouts of your current passport. If you did not register or if the embassy/consulate did not make a copy of your passport, you might want to try to get a copy of your birth certificate from your family in the US if that is possible. I'm sure the embassy/consulate will do everyting it can to assit you.

My prayers are with you and your family.

Katie

i cant leave without my husband! no way!

i have my birth cert and all my us id's with me.

I was just checking in on you...I'm glad you are ok. What a hard decision. I would probably stay too, but think hard about this because I wouldn't expect the embassy to coordinate more than one exit plan...miss that ride and you are there for the duration. Make sure thats what you want. I know that if something happened here and H was unsafe or scared and he was offered a way home, I would want him to go be with his family, especially considering how worried his family would be about him. I would pressure him to go. You have a lot to think about.
Keep staying safe and check in as often as you can.

please take care and know you and your husband are in my prayers and thoughts Jess

chi

My prayers are with you Jess Be safe.

they are bombing all the seaports now. i was standing in our kitchen and looking out and boooooooooom the windows shook and all of a sudden the port of beirut building was on fire. they want to make sure foriegners cant get out. this is very very scarey. it is getting worse by the hour and it seems like there is no absolutley no way to escape.

Jess,

I am glad to hear you are still safe. I read that the embassy would be making contigency plans to assist USC's in leaving Lebanon that could not get out on their own. Have you received anything from the embassy?

Rebecca

yep they have sent two or three emails, but problem is i want to be with my husband first and foremost so if they let him go at least on an emergancy basis fine ill go, secondly israel is bombing the ports so im not seeing it possible for the us to send boats for the citizens. im scared, my husband is scared....we both want to get out of here. i feel we have no options except to hope it all ends soon

I know what you are going through. May God be with you.

My husband and I keep praying for you whenever we hear more news. Hope you're doing all right

last night was rough. we can hear all the bombs that are goin off within 20miles, they are fighting with bigger bombs making more damage......it is very scarey to hear the echo of the bomb off the mountains. the embassy sent more email but its just saying they are still working on how they will get the citizens out, they said they are sending an assessment team to lebanon, how the heck they gonna get in when we cant even get out?? i think i may have slept a total of 30mins. please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. thank you

I now find myself watching the news. I had it on when I fell asleep last night and turned it on first thing this morning while I was getting ready for work at 5am.

Please be safe and know I am praying for you. Is there any way that the consulate/embassy can expedite your case?

chi

Jess - We are watching here too. I have a student in one of my classes whose mom and sister and stuck in southern Beirut too. He is so scared for them and hasn't been able to reach them. I saw on CNN this morning that there is an American military extraction team in Beirut now to take out citizens. I hope that you make the best choice for you. I would have a difficult time as well but inchallah everything will work out. The American news is making me crazy even though I'm glued to it. Please take care- you're in our prayers.

Juliet Wurr spokesperson from the US embassy in Lebanon was talking by phone to CNN just now. Said 25,000 usc in Lebanon. The team that is supposed to coordinate the evacuation of USC's arrived by helicopter.

Jess, Please stay safe, I continue to pray for you and you husband, and family.

Meriem

Be smart, girl.

be smart or follow my heart? that is the two biggest issues. George wants me to go, as he says it with tears in his eyes and voice choking. he really has no one left here for him. it will hurt me more to leave him and i will be sicker with fear to leave him. my family have each other to comfort, i need to be here to comfort my husband, my soul mate.

Jess it is a very tough decision, but I must say I would do the same. Gosh my heaert goes out to the both of you.

Just checking in on you again....I don't know you but I wish you were safer. Every minute I'm watching the news I am hoping you are ok.

Keep posting often
Dawn