Im so tired for this country, heck this fricking region! I want to leave so bad!!!

[u/CyberZephyrr]

3anjad shi me2rif, you work like a slave day && night for a mere 600-800$ which all goes away in an instant aal rent,debts w out of pocket shit!!! 1 side el economy mentek wad3o w ne7na menteken ma3o, the other side btle2e 3alam mabsoten ray7en b lambos w G-Class w wala ka2n sar fi hareb

one side lost everything, the other wala fi shi. i hate this cursed region!!! idc ayre bl kel, mn israzabri lal a7zeb kela laaaa gebran basil elo mn 1300 BC aam y2ol 7a n3ml kahraba 24/24

shits too much, for christ sake i dont event have a fucking drivers license nor a fucking car and im 24!!! ayre bhek wade3 i just wanna immigrate w get the fuckout and forget about everything! i promise i will crawl out of this living hell and shit on this region

managers earning 2-3-4k$ a month and bitch around ma aam y2adeyon w me7en

while employees make 600-900$ wwork like fricking dogs

this shit is unbelievable i just wanna leave this cursed shithole

[u/eliasayy]

i agree man it sucks so bad. no bonuses no raise no nothing. iza 3atek raise be rab7ak jmele be 50$ zyede w pizza party mara bel shaher 😂

[u/itsJayC23 → u/eliasayy]

You guys are getting pizza parties mara bel shaher? 🥲

[u/imyloveismineallmine → u/itsJayC23]

You guys are finding Jobs? 🥹

[u/ChocolatePositive577 → u/itsJayC23]

Man2oushi Party is much better

[u/CyberZephyrr → u/eliasayy]

istg man, been working hard w carrying this department w e5ir shi 5ayfen meno y2olo "no budget for raise or bonus" like seriously wtf

[u/TrainingProduct2655]

600 to 800? Niyelak, I get paid 530$ and if it wasn't for beit melek, free moteur electricity (imdedet 3a ardna so a goods-for-goods barter), mom getting state pension and a chance to work for 3 more years, my siblings helping by working, study in LU(I pay 150$ a year cz state university), I wouldn't survive, I'm also 24 but I have no choice but to live with my mom(dad's passed away 12 years ago), I'm a bit successful (relatively): I managed to buy a gaming laptop, a bicycle and a 2000w electric bike at a clearance price in a year(before mom retires), but still it's not nearly enough to be financially stable, I just happened to be lucky, It sucks to live in Lebanon and I feel like a meatball of wasted potential.

Corporate Greed is at all-time high, and if it wasn't for the state mandated transport pay, I would get paid HALF, the only solution for this Is for a proper 7oukoume but it seems hopeless since people are sheep

[u/CyberZephyrr → u/TrainingProduct2655]

yaeh iget you, i wish that the salary we earn we take it home fully to us,

mn kahraba to ajar to food, to maintenance to other "problems" that only seem to take place the moment we get paid, i barely get left with 50-150$ :((

hopefully it gets better or we apply for immigration or something

[u/lbtwitchthrowaway144 → u/TrainingProduct2655]

Yeah you are a boss, unfortunately you're playing a rigged game.

I hope things continue to improve for you. And i know you're saying you have better than others, but it just sucks to be working class here. it's barely enough to scrape by and for those that make even less, without any kind of thing working in their favor, like beit melek, it's so many times harder and even unbearable.

people are sheep, 3njad. and they lead themselves to the slaughter in this country.

[u/Ricko9595]

I wanna leave this shithole too... so fcking bad.

[u/CyberZephyrr → u/Ricko9595]

though with the war shit happening someone would open immigration or smthn

[u/Ricko9595 → u/CyberZephyrr]

No one gives a shit about the lebanese people, buddy

[u/Disturbed_Alein]

Left that shithole long time ago and i dont regret it. Best of luck getting out. Life is not that easy anywhere anymore...Just be ready to start from the bottom if needed.

[u/CyberZephyrr → u/Disturbed_Alein]

any tips or "tricks" 😭 like ive been applying for jobs but none seem to stick :((

[u/Bazishere]

Where would you want to go and immigrate to? What options have you considered? The situation's not going to better quickly, though it will somewhat.

[u/Foreign-Policy-02]

Lebanon needs investment and a friendly investing environment. Private enterprise is the solution. Lebanon cracked that code in the past and it will again in the future

I know some people don’t like Hochstein but he was right about this https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/11/28/amos-hochstein-rebuild-lebanon-ceasefire/

The envoy stressed the importance of fostering an environment that encourages entrepreneurship and investment from the Lebanese diaspora. “Lebanese entrepreneurs are among the best in the world,” Mr Hochstein said.

“If they can just do 10 per cent of their entrepreneurship in Lebanon, but there’s a reason they don’t do it. Let’s do things that will encourage them to do it.”

Mr Hochstein called for broad international participation in reconstruction efforts, noting that support should extend beyond southern Lebanon and benefit the entire country.

“Now is the moment of opportunity for Lebanon to say to the Gulf countries: ‘Welcome back’. This is a safe place for you to invest’,” he said. “And we, the United States, and myself, fortunately, are going to do everything we can to encourage them to come by.”

[u/Elegant_Teaching3417 → u/Foreign-Policy-02]

Truth is truth.

Even Americans know the Lebanese are some of the best entrepreneurs in the world. "We just got a do things to encourage them to invest back home", lol 🤣

So on point!!!!

[u/CyberZephyrr → u/Foreign-Policy-02]

invest what 😭 the moment money is available to be "invested" itll magically disappear and appear in the politician's bank account, there is no hope for this country nor region :x

[u/weighted_average → u/CyberZephyrr]

Actually the return on investment in lebanon seems pretty good for whatever reason.

see the MSCI lebanon index performance which is better then the all country world index.

I guess a lot of investors are afraid of lebanon so there are a lot of opportunities .

[u/rjtannous → u/weighted_average]

ROI is not an appropriate measure because it's rudimentary and doesn't take into account the time value of money which is a core aspect of any meaningful investment.

Professional investors, VCs and YEs, use variants of NPV and IRR instead.
Projects whose IRR is larger than the Cost of Capital are worth considering. Unfortunately, last time I measured the Cost of Equity in Lebanon (denominated in USD) it was 33%. That was around 2-3 months ago. This means, that a foreign investor who puts in $1M as an investment, needs to make at least $330K the first year over the investment. While if that same investor takes the same $1M and invests it in a more stable country where the cost of Equity is 9-10%, then they only need to make at least $100k the first year over the investment. This assumes its an equity investment (no debt).

The other impact this has on investments and companies is that the valuation of companies drops significantly when the WACC is so high because that's the rate you use to discount cash flows to present values. Meaning a company making $10M in revenue in Lebanon, where the cost of equity is 33%, has a much smaller valuation than a similar company making $10M revenue in a country where the cost of equity is 10%.

Not exactly the best way to maximize wealth or investment return.
The solution ? economic reform and fighting corruption and everything else follows.

[u/Foreign-Policy-02 → u/CyberZephyrr]

There is hope, things will get better. I’m optimistic

[u/Elegant_Teaching3417 → u/CyberZephyrr]

That is why we get rid of hezbollah. No more cancer that is eating funds. Syrian influence is gone. No more assassinations. We vote for new people.

No more war. We re-assert our sovereignty and lack of association with terrorist organizations... And we come together.

Don't you all see it is all related?

[u/NizaR_17_ → u/Foreign-Policy-02]

"private enterprise is the solution" solution la chu ? Le ma fi private entreprise hala2 bi lebnen ? More money for big investors and normal employees will still just get enough to live and go back to work the next day.

[u/Foreign-Policy-02 → u/NizaR_17_]

All countries that have high wage jobs have it because of private enterprise. A country that makes its citizens rich on government hand outs is doomed to fail.

[u/Great_Ad0100 → u/Foreign-Policy-02]

You must be unfamiliar with the Gulf economies.

[u/Foreign-Policy-02 → u/Great_Ad0100]

That’s why Gulf companies are transitioning away, they know they won’t be able to keep their citizens happy with just oil money in the future and are looking for tourism and investment into mega projects

[u/Great_Ad0100 → u/Foreign-Policy-02]

True, especially with the shift away from oil and with the rise of viable renewable energy sourced, electric vehicles, etc.

But for decades, the Gulf populations were well off precisely because of government handouts, and private enterprise was almost entirely reliant on government contracts. 

You can argue that said handouts were based on actual wealth ie oil and therefore not comparable to redundant public-sector jobs that drained the non-existent state treasury, like in Lebanon, but that would be a separate discussion.

[u/idontspeakbaguettes]

Lebanon is expensive for no reason, you pay premium prices for everything and get barely anything in return. You live paycheck to paycheck. Salbata toul 3omro l balad hek thank God I left

[u/Onabs123]

Enno walla mish fahmen, 7roob, maje3a, zalezil, infijarat, azme iktisadite, etc etc WMA 3M NA3RIF NMOUT WTF????

[u/Averagecitizen2001]

Apply for a qualified visa for Australia/New zeeland, or Latin American countries if you have any skills

[u/PracticeWilling5553]

I lived in Lebanon for 8 years as an expat. I really loved living there but again I was an expat so I was making money from Denmark and spending it in Lebanon so the money almost doubles its worth. I was talking to one of my Lebanese friends that live there and he also feels the same way about the whole situation down there. I told him to do something online where the money is way more worth it than working in a brick and mortar business in Lebanon that makes you jack shit a month. I feel that’s the best thing anyone living in Lebanon right now can do for themselves.

[u/FlyingKoalaPT]

I was lucky and became part of the diaspora in summer of 2018 (so just before all the shit went off)

The things you talk about are the main drivers that moved me away and eventually my family.

There is a disinvestment in people and no incentive to invest or a future. It’s no place I could raise a family - maybe solo survive but I wanted more in my life.

It sucks because I do look back at my 20s as time wasted but it’s okay.

My best advice to the OP? You have the right mindset I.e trying to make things better for yourself. Keep your head down, hustle, make the most of your situation. You NEED to start somewhere and sometimes shoveling shit for a few years is what needs to be done.

[u/Sea-Let3292]

I wish Lebanon would be stable enough for me to move back, i miss it so much

[u/_-Kr4t0s-_]

I lived in the states for a good 20 years. Don’t let the numbers fool you. You make more money but the taxes and expenses are killer so you still end up with nothing.

A $5000 a month income in New York City ($60,000 a year, which is average the median) looks like this:

• $1.5k taxes
• $2k rent for one bedroom in a shared 4 bedroom apartment (and not even a fancy one)
• $1k for groceries
• $150 cell phone
• $130 monthly bus/subway pass

That’s ~$4800 a month just to survive, and only $200 left in your pocket. You cant afford a car. You haven’t gone out. You haven’t done anything at all. You can’t even afford your own apartment. And remember that this is the average, meaning that around half the people don’t even make this much.

Everything is so much more expensive too. Hospital bills for having a child in Lebanon are $500-ish. In New York it’s $5000. Actual health problems are far, far worse.

The entire world is splitting into the haves and have-nots. Even in America people are now working two jobs just to survive. And everyone is growing really sick of it.

[u/Elegant_Teaching3417 → u/_-Kr4t0s-_]

Except average salary in New York City is now $98,000. It is expensive yes, and those problems are real.

[u/_-Kr4t0s-_ → u/Elegant_Teaching3417]

Excuse me. Median salary. Which is like $65k.

Those Wall Street billionaires really inflate the average.

[u/Elegant_Teaching3417 → u/_-Kr4t0s-_]

F* you are right.

Holy crap that is not enough to live on in New York City... Anyway... Back to Lebanon.

I hate US politics and then I remember how bad it is in Lebanon. Infisam lol.

[u/MiddlePositive8005 → u/_-Kr4t0s-_]

By the way you’re wrong about the median NYC salary even loooool: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/newyorkcitynewyork/HSG010223

[u/_-Kr4t0s-_ → u/MiddlePositive8005]

Cool. Guess my sources were wrong then. Can’t argue with the census.

Still isn’t much for New York though. It just means you can live with 1 roommate instead of 3.

Edit: Just check out all the American subreddits to see how they’re getting on. Stuff like this has become extremely common.

[u/AliZJalloul → u/_-Kr4t0s-_]

Bro stfu

[u/_-Kr4t0s-_ → u/AliZJalloul]

ROFL. Make me.

[u/whenuwasawhiteress]

there's rich. there's greedy. there's satan, and then there's Lebanese CEOs

[u/New_Arugula7892]

I agree. And people that u see online bragging about opening their bussiness are usually children of wealthy people. Life is hierarchical, if ur parents didn’t make it u have a 95% chance of not making it.

[u/SufficientWar9025]

Lol shu tarakit lal silk el 3askari am yb2do 280? Ra7mi edemon

[u/yagami-lighto-77]

You and me both brother hopefully soon

[u/Azrayeel]

So the manager graduated and instantly started making 4k a month? You don't compare your salary to a manager, you compare your salary to someone working in the same field elsewhere.

[u/Humble-Team-4063]

Then leave w er

[u/loussyfer_ → u/Humble-Team-4063]

anjad just gtfooh

[u/Wak1ngYouUp]

Why don't you?

[u/SammiSalammi]

Why can't you be a 2-3-4k manager?

[u/CyberZephyrr → u/SammiSalammi]

hadn allak enti mahdom?

[u/SammiSalammi → u/CyberZephyrr]

Not sure I understand your reaction. I was asking an honest question. I wasn't being mean. I never worked in Lebanon. Is it that hard to be a manager?

[u/CyberZephyrr → u/SammiSalammi]

thats the problem you never worked in lebanon, dont come saying why cant you be this or that

you live outside leb in a id presume a good decent country, my question is why dont you have a lamborghini or a castle? dont judge me i never lived outside lebanon :3

[u/SammiSalammi → u/CyberZephyrr]

I was asking why can't you be a manager because I was interested in knowing what were the obstacles to being a manager. Maybe you can get more money and be more comfortable financially. That was the extent of my question.

Anyhow nevermind.

[u/Select_Highlight5892 → u/SammiSalammi]

You actually should stop talking to him, based on his mentality he will stay in his place forever and even if he leaves Lebanon he will just do some 9-5 with minimum wage live in a studio and cry about it

[u/Fadi_96]

What did you think you signed up for mate

[u/CyberZephyrr → u/[deleted]]

in denial of what? drink your milk kiddo

[u/Kamalsinno87]

I make 1 k a months a a full time videographer and video editors. I’m 37 turning 38 this coming Jan. I’m not married yet, can’t get married, can’t own a car or apartment. Can’t even buy a MacBook Pro and pay monthly like the rest of this planet does. I pay 150$ monthly for 5amps of generator. Can’t turn on a heater in the winter or ac in the summer, can’t afford insurance, can’t afford shit. Lebanon is a fucking sick country, so sick that I wish I hadn’t survived the war. We pay triple the prices for the least expected services from our government and nothing is met. The WiFi mafia where if you do t like your ISP you actually have to move to another building in another area, same for generators, u can’t choose another person to power up your house. I’ve been looking for a psychiatrist and psychologist for the past 6 months under 100$, couldn’t find under 250$, in order to see a doctor for my mental health I have to starve the house or become homeless. Whether we make 1k 2k 3k 4k, it will never be enough because of the corruption and monopoly we live in. I want to get out of Lebanon but I don’t know where and how.