This autoethnographic study explores the lived-experiences and academic perceptions of a first-year non-Lebanese assistant professor working in a private English language university in Lebanon during a period of socioeconomic turmoil. The PI kept an autoethnographic journal throughout the Spring 2020 semester, and data from this journal is triangulated with information from local English language newspapers, documenting key events occurring in Lebanon during this turbulent period. The findings show how the PI found the Spring 2020 semester challenging, struggling to navigate multiple intersecting national crises in conjunction with the demands of transitioning from doctoral studies to academia and forming a coherent academic identity. The author concludes that academic journaling, and the resultant reflexive praxis, were beneficial, helping him to navigate the adverse conditions he faced during the Spring 2020 semester.