Exactly a year to the date that I moved to Maastricht to start this adventure I keep talking about, and get that highly coveted Masters degree, I got an email confirming that I had passed that pesky thing that kept me up for nights on end and had me learning complicated statistical methods- my thesis….
Category: Beyond Today
First Impressions are Not Everything in Amsterdam
Amsterdam, the Dutch capital, tends to win over a lot of people, of whom I am not among. Because it is an utter and complete shame to be living in a country for several months and still not have visited its capital, and because we had those wonderful day passes, we stopped in Amsterdam for…
Beyond Beirut Continues
The thesis is handed in and the waiting has begun. The day trips are over, the painful goodbyes and see you laters have passed and they now remain part of my memory. Even my gorgeous sister has graduated from high school and the family vacation, this year to Istanbul, has passed. It’s hot, it’s sticky,…
In Bruges: Not the Movie
There are two things I learned from our trip to Bruges, Belgium back in April: 1. The film In Bruges barely has anything to do with the town, and therefore should not be considered as good research material for your trip. In fact, the interiors are completely different than how the movie showed them to be….
Not to Be Missed: The German History Museum
It would only take a few hours for me to forgot the utter failure that was Potsdam and I owe it all to the very fascinating, and often chilling, German Museum of History- the one we had seen on our free tour the day before. When we returned to Berlin, we were joined by two…
Potsdam Disappoints
Almost two months later, I’m still on the fence about Potsdam, the city were the kings of Prussia and German kaisers resided until 1918. On one hand, you can’t help but marvel at the quaintness of the area and the various palaces’ architecture. On the other, it was a cold, mid-February day and I had…
The Long Way Home
When I first found out I’d be going to the Netherlands, I promised myself not to return to Beirut until the program was over. After all, I wanted to enjoy the full European experience, and that includes being in Europe while the holidays are in their full swing. Another factor that was considered was the…
Aachen Revisited: Culture, Cosmetics, and Toy Stores
On one boring weekday in mid-November, Samar and I decided to venture outside Maastricht. So after a few deliberations and discussions, we decided to go to Aachen, because while it’s in another country, it’s still close enough to be able to spend a full day in and not feel guilty about skipping out on work. It was…
From the Beyond: Updates and Whatnot
When I first started Beyond Beirut, I promised myself I’d keep it running, that I wouldn’t care about how many people visited the site, or no matter how uninteresting my life as a graduate student abroad would become, I’d still find something to write about. We all know that this is exactly what happened. Right? Truth…
The Musketruwians Host A BBQ
October came and passed in the blink of an eye. Truth be told, I don’t remember doing anything other than daily mundane tasks, going to the university, and reading, reading, reading. But to mark the beginning of October, that group of friends I keep referring to in almost all of my posts held a BBQ in the faraway land…
Beyond Beirut 