Main gate:
College Hall (the one with the clock tower) was the university's oldest building until it was blown up by a truck bomb in 1991. The clock tower collapsed in the explosion, with the time permanently frozen at 3:45 a.m. I don't know that anyone is certain who was responsible for it. College Hall was rebuilt in 1999, and is home to the admin offices.
Sadly, Beirut does not seem to have much green space, which makes the campus seem like a carefully-guarded oasis. Even the air seems cleaner, what with the Mediterranean breezes and all the trees exhaling into the atmosphere. While I understand why one has to show an AUB id to get in the gates, it seems a shame that most people here do not have access to an idyllic spot like this. I feel fortunate to get to work here, at least for a while.
5 comments:
UMF really needs a beach. Leafy charm is nice, but a beach would really improve both faculty and student morale.
I'm enjoying "Life in Beirut." Vicarious travel is quite wonderful.
Campus is indeed incredibly beautiful, and doesn't every campus need a beach?
Thanks for the shout out about UMF's charms, which are certainly considerable in a small-town, leafy kind of way, but I'm drawn to gorgeous, stately architecture and bilingual signs, if I do say so myself.
Thanks for the comments, guys. It's nice to hear from you!
The campus is really beautiful. Do people swim off the beach?
Yes, I know a couple faculty members who swim in the sea every day. The strip of beach by the university is supposed to be the cleanest around. I hear there's even a sea turtle that hangs around. Bring your bathing suit!
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