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!