News from Lebanon

My friend A sent this email the day before yesterday:


Get this... got a call from "someone" at 4:00 AM to meet at a random "bridge" in the middle of Beirut today secured by US Marines to board a cruise ship for Cyprus. After we were processed we sat and waited to board a bus to take us to the ship. When our number was up... the ship was full, 2,000 people. We were THE ONLY US Nationals there, everyone else was dual-national and I swear we were the only ones beside the marines that spoke english. We sat in the sun from 10-4, watching people board buses and then we had to turn around and go back to the "bridge" to have someone meet us to go back to where we had previously been staying. As soon as we were walking back from the bridge we saw all the marines standing there and I just lost it, this is so stressful. We didn't get any sleep last night, the bombs were closer and louder than any other night and I know that I am a complete emotional wreck right now. So now I sit, in the computer lab feeling that this whole experience this morning was surreal, we were packing this morning to bombs going off and praising God that we were finally out of here, and now we're back where we started. I don't even know what to say. We have been promised helicopters tomorrow morning from the embassy to get to Cyprus, which will be a pretty cool story if it actually happens. And if we ever get to Cyprus, I hear the beaches are beautiful, and since we don't have any plane tickets yet, I am looking forward to endless hours of laying at the beach with about 10 cold beers. Keep our team in your thoughts we really need the encouragment right now! A
I'm afraid that if A has arrived in Cyprus, it's more like inland tents, than beachside hotels. This whole thing is infuriating. What about all those people who can't leave???