Newswise — Aline Nasreddine understands the perceptions many Americans and other Westerners have about her country.
“When people read and hear about the history of Lebanon, they have lots of concerns and feel afraid to visit,” said Nasreddine, who is pursuing a Master of Science degree in management with an international business concentration at Keuka College.
Lebanon’s history includes a 15-year (1975-1990) civil war and other conflicts including a deadly, month-long engagement with Israel in 2006 that began when Hezbollah launched a series of rocket attacks into Israeli towns and Israel responded with air and ground attacks. Some 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis, including many civilians, were killed in the conflict.
Nasreddine has vivid memories of that 34-day period.
“People were afraid,” said Nasreddine. “Israeli airplanes covered our sky, and we knew that in a few minutes, a place would be bombed and lots of people would be killed.”
She couldn’t sleep for several nights, and sometimes she would be awakened in the middle of the night by the sounds of war.
“One day, people from southern Lebanon, who were related to Hezbollah, passed by my village on their way to another city,” said Nasreddine, who lives in Kefraya, located in a well-known wine-producing region in the eastern Bekaa Valley. “Nothing happened in my village or even near it, but when we saw those people, we knew that something bad would happen.”
They were right. From a distance, Nasreddine saw an Israeli warplane drop bombs.
“We were terrified. [I could hear] people screaming,” she said.
Since that time, Nasreddine said, Lebanon “has not faced any troubles with Israel. From time to time, we could have civil wars between different political parties, but we don’t care anymore. People are used to that and [what they experienced in the past] can’t be compared to those things now.”
Nasreddine said “it is now safe” to visit her country and, in fact, “tourists come to Lebanon from all over the world. It is a beautiful country.”
Keuka College President Dr. Jorge L. Díaz-Herrera, who recently traveled to Beirut to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Madame Hiam Sakr, president of the American University of Science and Technology (AUST), echoed Nasreddine’s sentiments. He described Beirut “as beautiful and sophisticated as ever, on the shores of the Mediterranean, full of history and charm, and surrounded by fresh, green mountains.”
The MOU could lead to Keuka offering a Bachelor of Science degree in management at AUST as early as this fall, according to Vice President for Professional Studies and International Programs Dr. Gary Smith.
Keuka, a small private college located on the shore of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York state, boasts the largest enrollment of any U.S. college operating in China. Some 3,000 students are pursuing Keuka degrees at four partner universities. Another 475 Vietnamese students are doing likewise at two universities in Vietnam.
Nasreddine, who earned her bachelor’s degree at AUST, choose to pursue advanced study in the U.S. because “in my country, the programs are limited.” She was attracted to Keuka by its master’s degree in management—international business and the opportunity to complete her degree in 10 months. She said the atmosphere in Keuka Park is conducive to learning.
“What surprised me about Keuka is the small number of students, but I like that because you gain more attention from your professors,” she said. “I like to walk outside and look at the wonderful scenes we have. It is beautiful and quiet here, and walking around campus gives you that feeling of calmness and happiness at the same time.”
After graduating in May, Nasreddine plans to return to Lebanon for the summer but return to the U.S.
“I will search for a job to gain some experience, and take some courses to enhance my business writing in English,” she said. “After that, I would like to pursue a Ph.D.”
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