Short one

This blog will be short. Not much happening different than last week. I just wanted to post one or two pictures.

Last week we went on the boat cruise with the school. I don't know if we will ever get tired of looking down into the Sea and being able to see all the way to the bottom. It was beautiful.  Not a bad way to spend a Saturday. 

Our friend Tyson, who is also from Portland, invented a game called Frisbee ball (depending on who you ask) and we spent Saturday night playing, it is a our own cheap take on cornhole and which entertaining.

Last night we had a garden party at the President of the schools house and it was amazing. The house is in the middle of the schools campus but is kind of a sanctuary.  It has a huge concert wall around it and inside it is full of trees and greenery which is very rare in Beirut.  It was catered and the food was fantastic.


This week my goal is to walk around Beirut and take some pictures of things I see everyday. I think a lot of people have no real idea of what Beirut looks like, just an idea. At least, I know I didn't before I got here. It definitely has some beautiful aspects but there are definitely some unattractive parts to the city and I want to show both sides so people understand a little more about our day to day. The good, the bad, and the ugly..=)

The last few days!

This has probably been the toughest (emotionally) week so far.  We officially started school on the 19th and I was really glad because I have been really bored.  I have found that boredom in a forgein country is not a great thing. I was working and trying to help out the teachers, but I had minimal directions/instructions on what I was supposed to be doing.  I just sat and watched a lot and frankly some kids are just not that interesting..haha.
Friday things definitely started to turn around.  I met a few new school friends that I will be spending a lot of time with.

Sidenote** For those of you who I steered wrong originally. I am a special needs teacher after all. I thought I was going to be a classroom teacher but was quickly found to be mistaken..=)

So, I have been a little bored this which and I have been having some painful stomach issues.  The people in the building call it the "Beirut Belly."  I finally broke down and went to the school infirmary and got medication and am instantly feeling better.

But, the combo of upset stomach and boredom really made me miss home and want my family and friends.  Michael is much busier than me, so he tried hard to be supportive but he also just received the summer reading for 2 grades about 3 days before school started, so he has a lot of catching up to do.

Saturday things definitely started to turn around. Our President (of the school, unfortunately not Barak Obama) took the new hires and old forgein hires on a Mediterranian boat cruise and it was fantastic. The water was so blue you could see clear to the bottom and the boat was full of an endless supply of drinks and food.  The day was perfect and we got to know our fellow apartment mates a little bit more. It is a unique experience we find ourselves in and its priceless to have "instant" friends or people who can help you when you need information or suggestions.  We feel very lucky we like everyone we live so close to so much.

Kids and School
So far the kids at school are adorable and sometimes I feel like already smarter than me.  They know more wealth and languages in their 3 to 5 years of life than I will know in my lifetime. Most of them already speak French, Arabic, and English.  They have drivers and nannies and take weekend trips to Paris and London. It is unbelievable!  Yet, most of them are very endearing and sweet.  I wore my glasses to school for the first time the other day and a little girl stopped me and said "you have glasses today, you look very pretty." I almost cried on the spot. Last year when I got glasses my students told me I would look ugly..haha..what a difference!
I have been told numerous times from my boss that parents will hate me, special needs is a stimga that is not appreciated here.  This is a little unnerving for me, I really don't like people not to like me, which is weird since I am not always the nicest person in the world. I think I want to choose wether I should like you, not have you decide. That is normal right..=)
I supposedly will have kids with minimal disabilities and challenges and I think that will prove to be true.  However, there is a friend in the nursery(that's age 3) that seems to have something that starts with a big capital A.  I was told not to talk about it yet. =) So, the big A is my sneaky way of letting you all know. I know just call me secret ops. And I think he will prove to be a bit of an adventure!
There are other few kids on my list already.  I found a little girl on Thursday hiding behind the kitchen set in her classroom and then she would slowly creep out (literally creep) and push a little girl standing nearby then run back behind the kitchen.  She did this about three times ( i promise I did try and stop her, although it was quite funny to watch) before the little girl she kept pushing realized that if she went somewhere else she would stop being the target of attacks.  Again, I think I found a new school year "friend."

There is no formal assessment for students in the preschool, so I am hoping to talk to someone about some options of adopting something, we will see where that goes. But, I am excited to do some research and curb some of my downtime.
My biggest worry about the job right now, is that if a kid can not cut it in the school or falls to far behind they are politely asked to go elsewhere. This is the hardest part for me. In the States you are taught to fight tooth and nail for your kiddos and you HAVE to make it work one way or another. Here, its simply thanks for trying and good-bye. Its interesting how things change when wealth is involved.

Finally,

I know people have been hearing about the Anti-American protests all over Beirut. I promise you that they have had zero affect on our lives here.  They were peaceful and school was not even cancelled. So, please don't worry anymore! We are doing great!

Double Finally,

We have moved to a new apartment in building. We didn't want to be on first floor anymore and with the change we were lucky enough to find our new friend Clumsy! Don't misjudge him. He is not as small as he seems.  He literally takes up the entire wall..=) We were also happy to find a dart board and a pretty well done jungle hall.  Pictures are attached!

Another one. I couldn't resist

OMG! I really hate using that phrase but it is the only phrase that perfectly summarizes the last two days!
I have learned two new things in the last 2 days.
1.  The Lebanese love to dance and I mean love. A song with a good beat comes on, it doesn't matter if it is in Arabic or English, and they can not help but move.  Whether it is just snapping or clapping along, they can't help themselves.  It is amazing to watch!
2. The Lebanese love to chew gum.  At my first staff meeting women were eating gum by the handful, it was crazy.  Not just one piece at a time, but handfuls!

So, let me start with Sunday to explain my OMG two days.  I joined a guy from my building and school and two of his friends from another American school for an all day boat cruise on the Mediterranin cruise.  Sounds amazing..right?  Well, it was the first 4 hours!  So, we started out late, of course, and then sailed in a zig-zag, literally a zig-zag while the locals danced to American hip-hop without hesitation! If you want to imagine how they dance, just put on some American hip-hop and then wave your hands back and forth. You are now welcome at any Lebanese club. Congratulations!
So, we anchored for a bit and swam, this was all really wonderful.  But, two hours later we were ready to return home.  It is really hot out there! But, no the Captain continually left the boat in a smaller boat and ran some errands..I think!  So, finally the anchors came up after about 20 minutes of trying and the look on the boat was sad.  People were tired and hot and annoyed, but wait don't worry not for long!  They captain threw on some Arabic hip-hop (i think) and the people couldn't resist.  The boat returned to its original glory and it was bumping...I am very glad that I did the ride, I just wish it had ended about 3 hours earlier.  All and All the trip was 6 hours, that is a long time in the hot sun at a non-stop dance party!

Then our cab driver on the way home, refused to use any turn lanes, which is not super unusual, lanes on the road here are simply for decoration, he then proceeded to turn next to a car rather than wait his turn onto an exit ramp to the highway and gave the car next to a friendly nudge! And nobody said anything about it, we just kept on driving! Craziness!

Today was my first real day of work here and we started with a faculty meeting, but before that there was about an hour of hugs and kisses and excited good to see yous everywhere.  The Lebanese love to kiss. The once on each cheek is not enough, so they do three.  It takes forever! Thankfully, I avoided all kisses today!  All the teachers seemed so genuinely happy to see each other. There was laughter and excitement everywhere.  They really are an animated and happy culture.  Of course, I did not understand a word of anything, but it was fun to watch and feel the good vibes.  Many  of the women spoke to me and were very friendly, but it is so weird to be the only person in the room who doesn't know what people are talking about.

Then we went to our staff meeting and nobody listened through the whole thing! Everyone talked to the people next to them and did not seem to notice the meeting going on around them.  It was like nothing I have ever seen before.  Unfortunately, again I did not understand any of what was being said around me, although the meeting was being lead in English.  Shocker! I get called on for an english language question, and have not been paying attention so I don't know the answer in front of my boss...yikes!  Thankfully, I mumbled a few things and we quickly moved on and everyone started talking again.  Maybe that is why they chew so much gum, because it is the only way to stay quiet in a meeting..=)

The women I work with are wonderful, but I am the only non-Lebanese woman in the my building.  I think I experienced my first real culture shock today.  We would break into small groups and everyone in the group would try and remember to speak English, but of course, naturally, would slip into their native tongue and I would just smile and nod along.  I am beginning Arabic classes in a few days which should help, or so you would think, however!!!! The women in my school are all trilingual..thats right three languages!  I can barely speak one!  So, to keep up with all of them I would also have to become fluent in French! No, big deal..right!
It is amazing, that in a building of 40 plus staff, 99% of them speak 3 languages.  What a school system and what a lot of work.  I felt slightly inferior today.  I am sure I am better at things than them, but I still can't wrap my head around knowing 3 languages..3!!!!!

I kept thinking in the meeting today, what have I gotten myself into!!  Everyone kept telling me to remind them to speak in English.  I feel very torn about doing this because why should they all adapt to me.  In the States, they couldn't tell me to remember to speak in Arabic. I would just expect them to know English, so why don't they have the same expectations for me?  I know, I know..its an American school and I got hired knowing I only speak English, but it is still an interesting thought.
It was so weird to be in a room with people and try and easedrop, everyone who knows me, knows this is, dare I say, a hobby of mine..=) and not have even a clue of what was being said.
But, seriously, it was a very strange day and quite an adjustment.  I think I am in an invaluable situation where I get to learn so much about something right from the source.  I will key words and customs and traditions from who better but the people that live it everyday.  I keep remiding myself of this when at times today all I wanted to do was scream and say just speak frikin English...PLEASE!!!'

Oh today I was also told that my office would be in a container next to the school.  I quickly followed up with "a container,...is it in the building." "no"..."does it have a window?"  "yes"..hmm I am hoping something has gotten lost in translation and my office is in a trailer more than a container or my next post will be sent from the inside of what I am imagining as a storage unit!!

I feel like this post was a little chaotic, but I have a lot of thoughts and feelings right now and trying to focus on one is proving to be a challenge.

Thanks for reading.

I get to go on another boat cruise, this time with all the people from my school on Saturday. I have to say I can get used to a life where I take two boat cruises a week on the Mediterranian...

Attached is a photo from my first boat cruise!

Ps. In case you were wondering and willing to read this far, Michael will not follow me on my blog...=)

Our first week

Our first week in Beirut has officially come to an end and it has been much better than we could have anticipated..

I got to talk to Shelby and Stephanie from Barcelona..amazing!

I got to take a bus ride to my school's second campus to the mountains.  Also amazing. Although the bus ride made me want to vomit.  There are no rules on the road here.  People ride with their children in their laps in the front seat, no one wheres a seat belt, and if you miss an exit, you just put your car in reverse.  All creating quite a terrifying ride.

We also got to go to our first two Lebanese bars.  The first one we went to and was brand new to the area.  The drinks were very reasonably priced (compared to northern Virginia standards) and it was a nice outdoor/indoor combo.  Pictures will be included. It looks like a long hallway.

Then we went over to another bar and heard local Lebanese cover band and it was soo fun!  I never thought I would come to Beirut and hear a Lebanese band sing songs from Alanis Morrisette to Sublime to Arabic songs I, of course, never heard before.  It was great help in battling homesickness to do something I would do in the States.

We went with a follow teacher in our building and some friends he had made from another local school and everyone was so welcoming.  Everyone is so nice here because they have all been in same situation and they know what you are going through. It has also been interesting to talk to people with so many different travel experiences.  I feel like everyone here in Beirut has had a different experience and depending on when you meet people, they can have very different opinions of life in Beirut. The underlying theme of everyone's opinions are usually positive though. There are definitely differences in behaviors and characteristics here that take some getting used to.  Being white and semi-blond can definitely cause a lot of people to stare.  It was very strange at first but now I don't even notice.

We have had two orientations at our school and officially start working (not with kids yet) on Monday.  Michael and I are both quite unsure of what are jobs are going to be day to day.  We ask lots of questions and hear quite frequently that we will figure it out later or we should not worry about it.  Michael and I both keep wondering when later will be the present, but have decided to take the stand of not worrying about it.  Why stress about things you can't control.  It is so different than the mindset in D.C. but we are quickly learning to expect everything to start at least a half an hour later than scheduled.

We have also learned that in stores/restaurants there are no lines, it is anybodys game when trying to order or pay for things.  We have also learned that anything can be delivered to your door (beer, movies, tv shows) and that someone will follow you home with your groceries.  This was the weirdest thing to get used to.  The last time we went to a grocery store a 15 year old boy pushed our shopping carts full of groceries through the busy streets of Beirut, while Michael and I walked in front of him and only talked to ourselves, since he didn't speak English.  I have never felt so American and lazy in my whole life.  haha

Michael and I might switch apartments with another person that decided not to come back and move from the first floor to the third floor, its all very exciting..I know!! However, the best part is the guy that lived on the 3rd floor painted a iridescent giant octopus on the wall behind the tv.  So, how could we not want to live there. Michael is super excited about it.  Where else will we ever live with a giant Octopus on the wall. 

That is all I have for now..Please keep reading!

The road so far..

Here are some pictures of where we are living and the beautiful area around it.  We have been really lucky so far and everyone we have met in our building has been incredibly nice.  We went to the Corniche which is a boardwalk around the Mediterranian for dinner the other night and it was incredible, such a beautiful view.

Then last night we went to our first Armenian restaurant and it was again fantastic!  We are free for the next two days and then have a final training on Friday and finally start work on Monday.  We are ready to get going and figure out what our day to day will look like.  We are really liking it here, it is so different than anything I have ever seen.  The streets at night are packed with people and cars.  The city really comes to life at night.  There is always something to see, I don't know if I will ever stop looking around in every direction at all times.  We had lunch the other day with the other new forgein hire teachers and each one has such an interesting story to tell and their own unique personalities. It has been fun to get to know them!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!!