I visited Tripoli, Libya while on the Peace Boat back in 2005. I was amazed by the warmth and openness of the people and the severe paranoia that greeted us from the government. Walking around the city that day I met three men around my age at the time (28 yrs. old). They looked like Hip-Hop stars, or a Libyan version of American Rappers. They invited me to their home where their mother cooked us a fantastic dinner. I was a bit skeptical as to their intentions but they were just super curious about my life and news from outside Libya. Americans are not a common site in Libya as you can imagine. To have one over for dinner, even rarer. At that time Libya was just beginning to open up to mostly European tourists after formally apologizing for the Libyan state sponsored Lockerbie bombing and being taken off the U.S. list of terrorist nations.
I wonder if those 3 young men I met are battling in the streets of Tripoli right now.
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