Being Present in Lebanon

“I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but I 
almost always end up where I need to be.”

                                                                                                  ~Douglas Adams

The quote above reminds that, even though we make conscious decisions about our life, we are not always in control of our lives.   A year ago, I never would I have dreamed that I would be looking over this beautiful area called the Qadisha Valley in Lebanon, and realizing that this is exactly where I need to be right now-living and working in Lebanon.  This may change tomorrow, or in another year when I will have to decide to continue living here or leave.  But, right now, it is exactly where I need to be.

When we are aware and conscious it seems that the Universe conspires to get us what we need.  I need to be here because I’m being challenged in so many different ways that I never predicted, or would not have been able to experience in many other parts of the world.  Being challenged is not always about things being easy or comfortable, but more about growth and development. 

I need to be in Lebanon because I’m learning about a historically war torn area and how war has affected the people that live there.  I need to be here because for the first time in my life I experiencing what it is like to be a minority-something I would never experience in the U.S.  I need to be here because living here is helping me sort out what, of my interests, I really want to pursue.  I need to be here because it is forcing me to show more initiative and be more assertive in so many different ways.  I need to be here because it is nudging me to examine my attitude towards another culture that is so different than my own, along with this comes an investigation into my own biases and prejudices-not something that would happen organically.

I’m not sure where this journey will end; however, what I do know is that the journey I am on right now is exactly where I need to be.   

Hiking in the Qadisha Valley

Yesterday was an amazing day as fourteen of us from work hiked through the Qadisha Valley in northern Lebanon. This place was spectacular! Our hike consisted of walking on a path that connected a series of small Maronite monasteries that was established by the church around 300 AD.

One monastery was still inhabited by a “hermit” priest from Colombia. He was called a hermit because he lived in the mountainside small monastery by himself, but he welcomed visitors like us. He wasn’t a hermit in the traditional sense of total isolation from others, but living on the mountainside monastery he was only exposed to those hikers who would make their way to the monastery. How pleasant it must be to be able to live on a mountainside, relatively secluded from the world outside, with as much time to contemplate, meditate and sleep as much as you want. Your only engagement would be to welcome visitors from all over who trekked along a mountainside to see your simple domicile. Of course, these individuals who snaked their way to see you would be interested in meeting and talking with you, and generally engaging people that would capture your interest leading to stimulating conversation. Not a horrible way to spend the days. And then, I thought about what I might miss: lattes at coffee shops, yoga classes, running in the early morning, bookstores, the Internet, and my cats (they probably would not adapt to living on a side of a mountain too well).

The scenery and path we hiked on was so beautiful and inspiring! One of the many highlights of the hike was stopping to eat at a mountainside restaurant where we were treated to a traditional Lebanese lunch of fresh vegetables, herbs, hummus, lubneh, and grilled chicken and lamb kabobs. Yum!

My Neighborhood

A couple of weeks ago, the NY Times published an article about my neighborhood. It mentioned several of my favorite places and described the vibe and energy of the area.  Hit the link under the picture for the article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/arts/02iht-scbeirut.html

Sailing in The Mediterranean!

I went sailing this morning in the Mediterranean Sea. I got sea sick when we pulled down the sails and went swimming. The waves were really high and rocked us a lot while swimming. The only wildlife I saw was a dead rat floating in the water. 

The owner of the sailboat was Wolfgang, a retired Economist who has taught at Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, and various other universities. On the way out, I steered the boat while he and Tom, a colleague, worked on adjusting the sails. Wolfgang originally brought the boat over from France on a two month sailing trip from France to Lebanon. I'm not sure how he did it as I got sick just off the shore. I can't imagine sailing in the open waters from France.

The water was so blue once we got off the coast. When we were swimming we could see far beneath us. I kept looking for sea life while I stuck my head underwater, but nothing prevailed in my vision. I kept expecting to see a shark, large turtle, dolphin, or some other fun creature. But, was also keeping out a keen eye out in the hopes of catching the glimpse of a mermaid.

The saddest part of the whole trip was that Wolfgang brought his cat with us but he got sea sick also-throwing up underneath the entire trip. Wolfgang has only had him for a month. I was just glad Nietschze and Lao were not with us because I'm sure it would have been a CATastrophic occasion for them.

In spite of my bout with sea sickness, it was a fun time! The weather was AWESOME-breezy, not too warm and good winds.

After three weeks in Beirut, I'm just starting to adjust to this new culture. I've been sick for a couple of weeks of the three, and am just beginning to feel like myself. Hopefully, I'm getting past the physical adjustment of living here, along with the new foods to my system. Many of my non-Lebanonese colleagues say that they went through a similar adjustment when they moved here and have named it the "Beirut Belly."

I haven't taken a prescription drug or been in a car accident in many years-probably 15 years ago, and within two weeks I've done both in Beirut. The car accident occurred last week when I was driving with the principal of ACS (American Community School at Beirut) to check out outdoor education sites up in the mountains of Lebanon and someone hit us from behind. It was just a fender bender. Speaking of cars here-they are crazy! Pedestrians do not have the right of way and cars honk when you are in their way to warn you to get away. There are no real traffic laws, just "guidelines" that most drivers don't pay attention to anyway. Cars will go any where to get around other cars or people. Also, no one stops at stop signs-whoever gets in the intersection first wins.

Another adjustment has been seeing military tanks and automatic weapons on the streets. Last week, there was a dispute over a parking space and two individuals staring fighting and both were from different political groups (Hizbollah and another group). Well, all these militia groups have weapons and they started shooting at each other and, soon enough, their comrades join in and four people ended up killed. The government sent tanks and soldiers out in the streets to make sure there was not any other fighting occurring. Several of my colleagues heard the automatic gun fire from their apartments, but it wasn't close to my apartment for me to hear.

Internet service here is really frustrating! I've ordered it for my apartment the first week here but it has not been delivered yet to my place. The internet provider mentioned that it may take up to a month. The connections in the cafes and coffee shops are very sporadic. So, it has been difficult to post anything on Facebook, especially pictures. Evidently, the service that I get my apartment is more efficient and reliable.

We have a long weekend because of a Muslim holiday that is occurring-the end of Ramadan. We didn't have work yesterday, or today. There is a big street festival tonight and tomorrow in Hamra-the part of the city that I live near. This festival is in celebration of the holiday-food, four stages of music, and artist's booth. There is a parade starting at 5 tonight. I'm curious what a Muslim parade looks like?

As for Beirut...the city is a really cosmopolitan city full of vibrancy and tons of diversity. There are Muslims and Christians alike throughout different parts of the city. And, different sects of Muslims. On any given street you will see fully veiled women, covered head to toe with only their eyes peeking through the veil; along with women hardly dressed at all, with their chests hanging out for all of Beirut to view. It is definitely a city of contrasts!

One aspect of the Beirut life that is hard for me to adjust to is that there are no smoking laws in the country. So, everywhere you go, people are smoking-in the coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants. And, it is estimated that 60% of the population from 11-18 smoke in Lebanon. Many start at a young age with the traditional Hookah pipe filled with flavored tobacco.

My apartment is huge. I have way too much space to decorate. My cats, Neitschze and Lao, both love it because they have a lot of room to roam and frolic. I have three balconies, the biggest just outside my living room. I'm on the 5th of 10 floors. All of the people that live in my building work at ACS, but we hardly see each other. I just met my floor neighbor two days ago because we were both leaving for work at the same time. I walk to work everyday and can walk to most everything that I need. Cabs are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.

Next weekend, I'm going to a yoga retreat in Tyre in south Lebanon, near Israel. A friend (Hiba), who I met through a yoga studio is organizing it. In addition to yoga, we are going to snorkel, scuba dive and kayak in the sea. I'm going to teach the Sunday morning class on the deck of the resort that we are staying in for the weekend. Hiba will be teaching the other classes. There will 10-15 people attending.

I have missed my bike. I had it shipped over with several other materials about two weeks before I left, but it has not arrived. I'm anxious to ride here. I've been running and yoga, with more yoga than running.

That is all for now. I just wanted to give a quick update as I found a good internet connection this morning in my favorite cafe.