I recently, read a memoir, called Beirut, I love you about a woman who came here the year after the 20 year civil war and stayed through the 2006 bombings. It was a fascinating read and she talked about lots of places that I have been in our area. She mentioned numerous times in the book about her love/hate relationship with Beirut. She hated what the people here did to each other and how scary it can be but she could never leave it. I am beginning to understand this relationship more and more with each month that I spend here. Although at the end of the 2 years I am sure I will be able to leave..=)
Beirut and its people have so much to be angry about, there is so much injustice and frustrations. As, Michael mentioned in his post, there is a lot of "what can you do, it's Lebanon." Yet, there is such a wonderful and expected world here. It takes a lot of effort to find it but when you do, its worth it.
A few weeks ago we went to an Arabic Rap Battle, of course, we did not understand a word, expect for the occasional CIA and white man shout out, =), I am sure it was all positive! Nevertheless, it was soo much fun. There was an awesome vibe in the room and people were loving it. They were respectful and happy. It was located in a cool theatre near our house that is designed to look like a futuristic airplane terminal, it is really hard to explain but really fun. We saw Harold and Maude there for free a few months ago, as well. This is a perfect example of the love relationship with Beirut.
We walked home from the Battle with our friends and I just felt so happy. Sometimes, you just walk around this town and you are like, for all of my complaints and annoyances there is just a charm here that can't be explained. Even the 50 honks and taxi shout-outs on the way home, couldn't ruin the night.
If you want to imagine the hate part of the relationship, try walking down the street near your house and imagine in a 10 minute walk, that you have heard, cats screaming in terror from sex, about 50 honks, and at least 15 taxi, taxi, taxi, calls and an occasionally boob glare and a very rare, you are beautiful comment. That is Beirut in a nutshell and the hate part!
This is a really long story but I think it is worth it.....
Back to the love part, a few weeks ago I lost the extra key to my cubby/shed office. I didn't want to admit I had lost it. I am kind of afraid of the secretary, she is always shouting and talking fast in Arabic and I don't know if she is mad or just intense. So, I kept telling her I forgot it at home. Anyways, it got to a point where I couldn't put her off any longer, so I decided I would have a new key made and put it back in her key box without her knowing! Good plan...absolutely!!
So, i went to school Monday morning and confided in a teacher about what was happening and she said "oh the key place is always open early, just go real quick." So, I snuck out of school, in fear of running into the secretary again, I went out a side door and headed up to Hamra. It is about a 10 minute walk from school. Of course, it decided to rain right then and there. Hard! and of course, I had a raincoat but no umbrella, so I am soaking wet and practically running to Hamra, which means I am also seriously overheating. Shockingly this is the only time it rained all day, I think it was karma for being a sneak. I finally find where I think the key shop should be but all is closed. Not sure what to do while standing in the rain, and having left work without telling anyone, I decide to ask the old man at the Western Union office, if he knows where the key shop is. He says he is late because it is raining to hard, seriously, people don't open because of rain! I need to own a business here! Then the Western Union man, invites me to sit inside his office and wait. I am drinking tea so he offers me a candy bar to go with it and we have a conversation in broken English, about his family and life. I think he thought his room was the Western Union and so he mentioned several times he had a house and a family. Then he gave me the Beirut, 15 minutes speech, which in American time could be hours. So, I told him I had to go, he let me leave with a few happy cheek pats. This is the love part of the relationship. this would never happen in the States! It was amazing!
I went back an hour later to try again when the rain had stopped and there was an Arabic sign on the door, I asked the lottery/magazine salesmen to read it for me and instead he called the key guy and asked when he would be there. It was amazing, how much people wanted to help me, the drowned rat American girl, who claims at times to be from Canada, I am pretty sure they see right through that..=)
This day made me really happy and finally in conclusion. I GOT THE KEY MADE and no one has figured it out yet...
Here are some pictures to make this blog post less boring
I made this in my sewing class, as you all know I am in great need of a cosmetic bag! But, I am quite proud of it. I have two more classes to go in the beginners workshop, next week I can make a skirt! Woop, Woop, who would have thought I would be in a 4 week sewing class, I am so domesticated!
We can watch hockey!!! Mike Green I have missed your beautiful face!
Our yummy dinner the other night. I decided to do the opposite of what most people do and take a picture after we ate! Gross! We had a chicken plate, Fattoush (its a delicious salad), muttabal (its eggplant made up like hummus with pomegranate seeds), and a big water!!
Beirut and its people have so much to be angry about, there is so much injustice and frustrations. As, Michael mentioned in his post, there is a lot of "what can you do, it's Lebanon." Yet, there is such a wonderful and expected world here. It takes a lot of effort to find it but when you do, its worth it.
A few weeks ago we went to an Arabic Rap Battle, of course, we did not understand a word, expect for the occasional CIA and white man shout out, =), I am sure it was all positive! Nevertheless, it was soo much fun. There was an awesome vibe in the room and people were loving it. They were respectful and happy. It was located in a cool theatre near our house that is designed to look like a futuristic airplane terminal, it is really hard to explain but really fun. We saw Harold and Maude there for free a few months ago, as well. This is a perfect example of the love relationship with Beirut.
We walked home from the Battle with our friends and I just felt so happy. Sometimes, you just walk around this town and you are like, for all of my complaints and annoyances there is just a charm here that can't be explained. Even the 50 honks and taxi shout-outs on the way home, couldn't ruin the night.
If you want to imagine the hate part of the relationship, try walking down the street near your house and imagine in a 10 minute walk, that you have heard, cats screaming in terror from sex, about 50 honks, and at least 15 taxi, taxi, taxi, calls and an occasionally boob glare and a very rare, you are beautiful comment. That is Beirut in a nutshell and the hate part!
This is a really long story but I think it is worth it.....
Back to the love part, a few weeks ago I lost the extra key to my cubby/shed office. I didn't want to admit I had lost it. I am kind of afraid of the secretary, she is always shouting and talking fast in Arabic and I don't know if she is mad or just intense. So, I kept telling her I forgot it at home. Anyways, it got to a point where I couldn't put her off any longer, so I decided I would have a new key made and put it back in her key box without her knowing! Good plan...absolutely!!
So, i went to school Monday morning and confided in a teacher about what was happening and she said "oh the key place is always open early, just go real quick." So, I snuck out of school, in fear of running into the secretary again, I went out a side door and headed up to Hamra. It is about a 10 minute walk from school. Of course, it decided to rain right then and there. Hard! and of course, I had a raincoat but no umbrella, so I am soaking wet and practically running to Hamra, which means I am also seriously overheating. Shockingly this is the only time it rained all day, I think it was karma for being a sneak. I finally find where I think the key shop should be but all is closed. Not sure what to do while standing in the rain, and having left work without telling anyone, I decide to ask the old man at the Western Union office, if he knows where the key shop is. He says he is late because it is raining to hard, seriously, people don't open because of rain! I need to own a business here! Then the Western Union man, invites me to sit inside his office and wait. I am drinking tea so he offers me a candy bar to go with it and we have a conversation in broken English, about his family and life. I think he thought his room was the Western Union and so he mentioned several times he had a house and a family. Then he gave me the Beirut, 15 minutes speech, which in American time could be hours. So, I told him I had to go, he let me leave with a few happy cheek pats. This is the love part of the relationship. this would never happen in the States! It was amazing!
I went back an hour later to try again when the rain had stopped and there was an Arabic sign on the door, I asked the lottery/magazine salesmen to read it for me and instead he called the key guy and asked when he would be there. It was amazing, how much people wanted to help me, the drowned rat American girl, who claims at times to be from Canada, I am pretty sure they see right through that..=)
This day made me really happy and finally in conclusion. I GOT THE KEY MADE and no one has figured it out yet...
Here are some pictures to make this blog post less boring
I made this in my sewing class, as you all know I am in great need of a cosmetic bag! But, I am quite proud of it. I have two more classes to go in the beginners workshop, next week I can make a skirt! Woop, Woop, who would have thought I would be in a 4 week sewing class, I am so domesticated!
Our yummy dinner the other night. I decided to do the opposite of what most people do and take a picture after we ate! Gross! We had a chicken plate, Fattoush (its a delicious salad), muttabal (its eggplant made up like hummus with pomegranate seeds), and a big water!!
Your key story makes me laugh because I had a similar (yet opposite) situation with the HS secretary. I borrowed the key to the multipurpose room a few times. Then one day I went to borrow it again and nobody in the office could find it. She claimed I must have lost it the previous week when I borrowed it but I assured her I had returned it. She kept insisting I must have lost it and I kept insisting I'd returned it. SO, they had a new key made and I continued to borrow it. Then a week or so later I found the original key hidden in a side pocket of my bag. Oops. I casually dropped it in a trash can somewhere when no one was looking.
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