When I graduated from university last year, it was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. I had been thinking for months and months about what I would do when I finished school. I had basically narrowed it down to two choices as most college students do. I was going to join the working world or travel.

I have always wanted to travel and I thought now was the best time to do it, because I will never have this kind of time on my hands again.  I didn't want to travel for just a week or two; I wanted to really experience the world. At this point in my life, I had never been outside of the United States.

When I thought about where I wanted to go, I  thought of my long-time dream to visit the Middle East and Lebanon in particular, because that is where my family roots lie. I had never considered Lebanon as a place to go in the past, because all of my family and relatives are in the U.S. and I knew no one there and no tourist groups had Lebanon as a destination. (read more)