22. Sophomore on repeat at A.U.B.
By the time I turned 19, I had already completed all the credits required for my sophomore year at Haigazian College. On paper, it looked like steady progress. In reality, it was a growing understanding of the demands on me to focus, be disciplined and most especially of being willing to grow up quickly. The effort I put in at that point would shape the possibilities waiting for me later.
During the years 1966 to 1970, the post-school years of my time in Lebanon together with my family, the country transitioned from a period of relative prosperity and stability into a period of acute political and economic chaos.
The years until those changes have often been called the ‘Golden Age’ of Lebanon. People came from all over the world to enjoy the cosmopolitan life and the rich cultural blend of tradition and modernity in a bustling Beirut. Arabic, French, Italian and English were common parlance. People would socialise for long hours over coffee and baklava, explore the diverse markets, artistic expressions and the unrivalled cuisine of Lebanon available at street corners or fancy restaurants. My budget as a student never made it to any fine dining establishments, but shawarma’s, tabbouleh, hummus, falafel were regular favourites wherever we could find them. I have passed on the enjoyments to my children and grandchildren.
The Arab-Israeli War in June 1967, often referred to as the ‘Six Day War’ had severe consequences for Lebanon and affected us as well. Our mission leaders were closely watching events and made a decision a few days into the war that all foreign missionaries should evacuate. Our family together with the Andersons from Australia first to Cyprus and then to England. We ended up at the Foreign Missions Club in London, together with the Whites.
By the time we arrived in London, the War was over. Each of our families stayed with various mission families and friends for a while before heading home to Beirut. During that time Graham and Brenda went to be with Elsa Thompson, one of the mission ‘aunties’, while Howard and Joan went to stay with my mom’s cousin, Edel and Vin at Priestpool. I decided to hitch-hike to Scotland and visited Peter Kinghorn, a student friend, in Brechen, County Angus. I think he was rather surprised to see me on his doorstep but willingly took me under his wing for some student experiences.
When we returned from England, our family moved to a new flat on the upper level of a building behind the existing Blind School premises. My mom became very involved in the Blind School where Fuad Nseir was the principal (Picture below is of Levon Gemushian a good friend of mine, Fuad Nseir and myself) . Graham, meanwhile, went off to the UK in September to stay with the Pollocks in Oxford in order to continue his A-level studies there. Joy Pollock was related to my mom.
Somehow the transcript of my good Sophomore results never reached AUB as I had confidently expected. I can’t remember the details, but perhaps us being out of the country meant some steps were skipped. At all events, AUB decided I would have to first sit for an entrance exam in order to be accepted there.
In August and September, I studied subjects in History that I had never heard of before (and if I am honest, never thought of since) as part of the exam.I passed all the tests easily only to be placed back at the beginning of my Sophomore year. This was a blow to me, but there was nothing I could do to change the outcome and the subjects I would be doing were new to me anyway.
So in October 1967 I began Sophomore again, this time at the impressive American University of Beirut. The institution embraced the American liberal arts education model, with English becoming the primary language of instruction.Over time it added faculties and was a drawcard to many students in the middle east.
My first classes included ancient, medieval and renaissance culture which I found stimulating. Those courses were often full to capacity with a couple of hundred students attending, as compared to the modest 30 students or so that were studying psychology. I carried on with intermediate German with the same teacher who had taught me the basics. I also did general psychology, statistics and a fascinating and much enjoyed class on pre-industrial society. Our lecturer once asked us, “How can you tell where the village boundary is?” We had no idea, so he explained that it was the place where people coming from the countryside take the shoes off their head and put them on their feet. In general, it was the right thing to do to wear shoes in the village, but they usually went barefoot in the countryside.
I became more specific in my psychology studies and added an Introduction to the Arts course in my second semester. This stimulated my creativity and I loved the fact that I could do arts courses without changing my main focus.
In March that year, the option was offered to Howard to go to South Africa for his further education. He took that option and went off to stay with ‘Doc and Ma Doc’ Watson for a year and attended Westville High School. Not yet a teenager, he travelled alone and his story of falling asleep and missing his connecting flight in Greece still haunts me.
Dad, ever looking out for opportunities for my own growth and development, had talked to a friend of his, Mr Wasserman, who had a friend who managed an old-age home and asylum facility in south Germany. Between them, they felt that it would be ideal for me to spend my summer vacation there to get some hands-on experience in something to do with my studies. It seemed like a good way to explore what clinical psychologists might actually get to do and practice my German at the same time, so I made plans to go to Pfingstweid for the summer. I had no idea how much I would thoroughly enjoy the experience.
The family at the Airport to say goodbye to Howard.
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