You heard about the bombing of the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, Tuesday? It happened while we were on a 4th grade overnight trip in Ramlieh, my class and Margaret's. I was taking pictures of kids during archery, then rock climbing. Peter helped cinch up the climbing harnesses. "Hands OFF the rope!" Andree repeated, as they used their hands and feet to top the 3 meter tall rock wall.
When we herded this group back into the lodge for lunch, I noticed the TV was on, the scene of a building on fire. "Turn it off," Justin indicated, quietly. "The Iranian Embassy was bombed 30 minutes ago!" My first question, "Where is the embassy?" He said it was south of school, at least 2 km away. That sounded pretty close. "We don't want the kids to know." I dug through the remotes and flipped off the set.
Justin, our school principal, had come along to help chaperone. He ended up on his cell phone through most of the morning. He informed us that we would be able to head directly back to school after lunch, arriving as planned, traffic willing. (Traffic is always a travel factor in Beirut.)
We arrived at school to find all after-school activities cancelled / postponed. Some parents had already come to pick up children. The children were still unaware of the bombing. Turns out the Iranian embassy is further away, closer to the airport, or about 5-7 km from school, out of hearing range.
Even with life on pause, all but 3 of my kids showed up at school Wednesday, now in-the-know about the bombing. They were stirred up and animated before class, talking about it. When they entered the room, I let them talk a few minutes, then broke into song: "The other day, I met a bear! In tennis shoes, a dandy pair!" We got into our circle group and the challenging day began.
Friday, in honor of Independence Day, all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders gathered on the school's rooftop to wave their small Lebanese flags, and sing a flag-waving round of the Lebanese National Anthem, accompanied by the high school band. After that we ate cheese and zaatar mannouche, followed by debke line dancing; noisy and fun.
Two days ago a bomb ripped apart the Iranian Embassy. Today we celebrate Lebanon's 70th birthday, its freedom from French colonial rule in 1943. This is a country that has withstood more than its share of hard times. For Lebanon, life will go on.
When we herded this group back into the lodge for lunch, I noticed the TV was on, the scene of a building on fire. "Turn it off," Justin indicated, quietly. "The Iranian Embassy was bombed 30 minutes ago!" My first question, "Where is the embassy?" He said it was south of school, at least 2 km away. That sounded pretty close. "We don't want the kids to know." I dug through the remotes and flipped off the set.
Justin, our school principal, had come along to help chaperone. He ended up on his cell phone through most of the morning. He informed us that we would be able to head directly back to school after lunch, arriving as planned, traffic willing. (Traffic is always a travel factor in Beirut.)
We arrived at school to find all after-school activities cancelled / postponed. Some parents had already come to pick up children. The children were still unaware of the bombing. Turns out the Iranian embassy is further away, closer to the airport, or about 5-7 km from school, out of hearing range.
Even with life on pause, all but 3 of my kids showed up at school Wednesday, now in-the-know about the bombing. They were stirred up and animated before class, talking about it. When they entered the room, I let them talk a few minutes, then broke into song: "The other day, I met a bear! In tennis shoes, a dandy pair!" We got into our circle group and the challenging day began.
Friday, in honor of Independence Day, all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders gathered on the school's rooftop to wave their small Lebanese flags, and sing a flag-waving round of the Lebanese National Anthem, accompanied by the high school band. After that we ate cheese and zaatar mannouche, followed by debke line dancing; noisy and fun.
Two days ago a bomb ripped apart the Iranian Embassy. Today we celebrate Lebanon's 70th birthday, its freedom from French colonial rule in 1943. This is a country that has withstood more than its share of hard times. For Lebanon, life will go on.
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