I hate wasta, I never used it to finish any paperwork or get things done in Lebanon and I still refuse to do so. I’m one of those people who wouldn’t mind waiting for hours if that’s the right way to do things and I’m proud of that. Moreover, I’ve never bribed anyone in my life and I don’t intend to do so anytime soon. I still feel bad that I somehow ended up using my “wasta” on Saturday but it was unintentional.

Here’s what happened:

I needed a certain document from the notary public and I didn’t know any in Keserwan so I asked around and I was given the name of one so I headed there on a Saturday morning. Once I got there, it was chaotic just like you’d expect it to be and I couldn’t really tell whose turn is next so I just waited till the lady in front of me finished hoping that no one would cut me off.

I told the officer there what I needed and he asked for our IDs then our home address. When I gave him my new address, he told me that I need to go there and do the paper as it’s illegal to do it here, so I turned to my wife and told her it’s weird because my “wasta” which I won’t name told me we can do it here and he’s done it before. At that moment, the officer overheard me and he was like “Oh you’re related to Mr X” and I’m like “Yes why?”.

Everything changed at this moment, as if I used a secret code or something. He started smiling at me, told me to sit down and relax and the paper will be done in no time. He even took us to his private office and closed the door. I wasn’t really comfortable with the way things were going so I told the guy that I don’t want to proceed with it if it’s illegal, but as it turns out, it’s not but it’s preferable to do it in the town you’re living in. I eventually got my document in 5 minutes and got a discount on the fees as well. How can you give discounts on preset fees? He even offered me coffee lol!

What’s funny and sad about this story is that the lady who was there before me had to wait for an hour to get the same exact paper done, only because she didn’t have a wasta. Of course I’m glad I didn’t waste half a day for some stupid paper, but the last thing I wanted to do is use a wasta to get things done quickly.