Me and My Thoughts on Literally Everything

story

back in 2008, my family and i moved to Lebanon. not the city in Pennsylvania, but the country in the middle east. At that time, I was just finished with the second grade. 

i wasn't necessarily opposed to moving, but only because I was used to going every summer anyways, so i suppose in a sense it didn't seem very different than a visit. the morning when we were to board the plane, we found that we had to leave my dad behind for the next five days or so and then he would come to Lebanon as well. 

I remember traveling to all the different airports before getting to Lebanon. There would be a couple hours between flights, so my mom would sleep on the airport seats while my sisters and i would play on the ground near her. 

when we finally got to Lebanon, it was nighttime. I remember being halfway down to the plane runway, and looking out the window. The mountains were sparkling with lights, a dazzling sight etched into my brain. 

the point of this story is not to relay a story of me moving, it is to discuss safety. Lebanon is a tiny country, so tiny it could fit on florida with a little room to spare. it's right by syria, a war torn country as we all know. 

so imagine when a tiny me, and all my sisters felt safer there than we do here in america now. Now, I fear going out and being shot up at school for example. 

in lebanon, even with its own dangers, i felt safer there than i do here. 

thats somewhat disappointing. 

not necessarily because i don't like lebanon, i absolutely love lebanon and I'm proud of my country. 

but because for lebanon to feel safer than america? 

the last massacre shooting in lebanon was in 1990

that should tell be telling us something.

granted, there was a war in 2006, but that is a different matter, seeing as it was a war, not a massacre. 

meanwhile, the last school shooting in america was on march 20th, 2018.