As I sat at the sidewalk cafe with friend Lucy this evening, found myself gazing out onto Bliss St, wondering how my view of home and my view of Beirut and the world might have changed. What will stand out for me back on Whidbey Island? Have I suppressed thoughts / feelings in order to keep facing forward this year? What will I miss most about Beirut? What will I be happy to leave behind? And my grandest question: Where and What is Home?
First, what will I miss?
Let's go to Massaya Vineyard on Saturday. I took the spring bus with school friends to the Bekaa Valley and a beautiful repeat of the outdoor meal we enjoyed last fall. Wine was flowing, food abundant, and the woman at the Sage oven, like an upsidedown wok, was putting out the zaatar and cheese bread pitas as fast as we could eat them. The trip home on the bus was the same hilarity as Fall; first the wine bottles were opened and passed around. Bus driver turned up the Dabke music, and the aisle filled with ex-pat dancers; all the way over the mountain and into Beirut. Open wine bottles, dancing in the aisles, loud music and singing on a bus? That's Lebanon.
What else?
I walked to my first sandy beach on Sunday to meet up with French swimming buddies. Suyin brought coffee thermos and demi tasse cups for a before swim sip. There were waves; an unusual sight. I couldn't wait to get into the water, and right away, made my move to get behind the breakers. Much as I tried to get Frederique to join me, she couldn't; said later she got too tired. But there I was, 14 year old Carolyn again, at Huntington Beach, diving under / floating over the waves. It was exhilarating; the most fun I've had in the waters of Lebanon. Yes, I was the only woman among men. Was it my imagination, or were they copying me? In no time there were 5 or 6 of us floating feet first over the big hills of water, and diving head first under the breakers. I loved every minute of it. The Mediterranean Sea? The Lebanon I love.
What will I be happy to leave behind?
Minutes after I got home and hung up the wet stuff, Lucy called to tell me that 2 rockets had exploded 7 kilometers away in southern Beirut, in retaliation for the stand Hezbollah has taken in defense of Al-Assad and the Syrian government forces. Although no one was killed in the attack, it stirred up a pot that seems on the verge of boiling. What President Suleiman doesn't want is for various factions to take sides in the Syrian conflict, but that's what is happening. In Tripoli up north, people are asking for relief from nightly shelling in their neighborhoods. People are divided. Whether or not they choose to act on it? Only time will tell. No one knows the price of war better than the Lebanese. So far, so good!
On Monday, following day, I suggested we get the permission slips home for next week's field trip. Colleagues Lucy and Arij disagreed. "It's better to give a few days rest between the weekend attack and our trip announcement, allow time for things to cool off." I understood their point. In the fall with the bombing assassination, all approved field trips were cancelled until the "coast was clear." Anxious parents wouldn't allow their children to go anywhere besides home and school. These things take TIME to sort out. This is Lebanon too.
So what will stand out for me once I'm back in the states? I'm guessing that the feeling of peace and safety won't be something I can take for granted. That and fresh air and clean sparkling water will be delightful. Seeing friends and family will mean so much.
And what will I miss about Beirut besides hummus, the Sea, and my new friends here? Sounds like the subject of another blog!
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| Deir El Qamar: hike with class under the majestic umbrella pine trees! |
Let's go to Massaya Vineyard on Saturday. I took the spring bus with school friends to the Bekaa Valley and a beautiful repeat of the outdoor meal we enjoyed last fall. Wine was flowing, food abundant, and the woman at the Sage oven, like an upsidedown wok, was putting out the zaatar and cheese bread pitas as fast as we could eat them. The trip home on the bus was the same hilarity as Fall; first the wine bottles were opened and passed around. Bus driver turned up the Dabke music, and the aisle filled with ex-pat dancers; all the way over the mountain and into Beirut. Open wine bottles, dancing in the aisles, loud music and singing on a bus? That's Lebanon.
What else?
I walked to my first sandy beach on Sunday to meet up with French swimming buddies. Suyin brought coffee thermos and demi tasse cups for a before swim sip. There were waves; an unusual sight. I couldn't wait to get into the water, and right away, made my move to get behind the breakers. Much as I tried to get Frederique to join me, she couldn't; said later she got too tired. But there I was, 14 year old Carolyn again, at Huntington Beach, diving under / floating over the waves. It was exhilarating; the most fun I've had in the waters of Lebanon. Yes, I was the only woman among men. Was it my imagination, or were they copying me? In no time there were 5 or 6 of us floating feet first over the big hills of water, and diving head first under the breakers. I loved every minute of it. The Mediterranean Sea? The Lebanon I love.
What will I be happy to leave behind?
Minutes after I got home and hung up the wet stuff, Lucy called to tell me that 2 rockets had exploded 7 kilometers away in southern Beirut, in retaliation for the stand Hezbollah has taken in defense of Al-Assad and the Syrian government forces. Although no one was killed in the attack, it stirred up a pot that seems on the verge of boiling. What President Suleiman doesn't want is for various factions to take sides in the Syrian conflict, but that's what is happening. In Tripoli up north, people are asking for relief from nightly shelling in their neighborhoods. People are divided. Whether or not they choose to act on it? Only time will tell. No one knows the price of war better than the Lebanese. So far, so good!
On Monday, following day, I suggested we get the permission slips home for next week's field trip. Colleagues Lucy and Arij disagreed. "It's better to give a few days rest between the weekend attack and our trip announcement, allow time for things to cool off." I understood their point. In the fall with the bombing assassination, all approved field trips were cancelled until the "coast was clear." Anxious parents wouldn't allow their children to go anywhere besides home and school. These things take TIME to sort out. This is Lebanon too.
So what will stand out for me once I'm back in the states? I'm guessing that the feeling of peace and safety won't be something I can take for granted. That and fresh air and clean sparkling water will be delightful. Seeing friends and family will mean so much.
And what will I miss about Beirut besides hummus, the Sea, and my new friends here? Sounds like the subject of another blog!
