We sat down with Tarek’s childhood friend Nathaniel “Kenneth” Armstrong as he told us the story of uprooting from Springfield, Missouri to growing up in Beirut.

Nate starts off by explaining the move to Beirut (1:40) and his experiences feeling alienated as the “only white kid” in the Beirut Baptist School (5:01). We then discuss his transition to the International College (11:31), coming out of his shell (13:52) and understanding who he is as a person (16:30). Nate also opens up about experimenting with alcohol (18:09) and the friction that caused with his parents who are dry Baptists (21:09). We then delve into the Lebanese nightlife and music scene (25:22), his experiences working with a Lebanese software startup, completing his masters degree in Vienna (28:00), dealing with the current situation in Lebanon (35:22), comparing opportunities abroad to those in Beirut (42:03) and what Lebanon means to Nathaniel (43:50).