"Zahra" is Melanie's adopted-Lebanese alter ego. She has so thoroughly immersed herself in the culture of her friends who are Lebanese that she feels like she's part Lebanese now.

Some of her Lebanese friends have told her she'd fit in very well in Beirut, and others have told her that she's more culturally Lebanese than they are! So a Lebanese guy picked out a new name for her, in order to make her experience more authentic. (She has learned that most bellydancers have stage names, so she figured she'd start with one herself.) "Zahra" means "flower." She's always wearing flowers in her hair, so that's a fitting name.

Zahra is learning Arabic (Am bit'allam ehki Araby; ana bihki al-lahje al-lubnaniyyah, bas ma ba'arif ehki mnih.) and taking bellydancing classes (she's even going to be teaching now!), and she's trying to learn as much as she can about Lebanon and its people. She'd love to visit there some day, and can't wait to see Sidon, Baalbeck, and Trablus, as well as other places.

It all started when she started attending a Melkite church, which is majority Lebanese. She has always loved Lebanese food and music, but now that she has learned more about the culture and the language, she really feels like it fits her very well.

So please be patient with her, all of you who are actually Lebanese. She just wants to absorb all the wonderful things that Lebanese culture has to offer- and being Zahra helps her do that.