Awesome Road Trip

We took an awesome road trip yesterday to Baytroun (sp) which is a quiet town along the coast. It has a phonecian wall that is amazing, we have been there before but Jen and Tyson hadn't so we tagged along and Andree showed us a restaurant where you could have a table that was actually sitting partly in the water. It was a perfect day, Lebanon has so much to offer, if you stay in the right areas!

But first we went to a big ravine, also called here a pothole! Its called Goufree Batara. It was fully discovered in 1952. It is a 3 level ravine carved out by water over a long, long time. You can repel there and have picnics. But, I also saw a 3 foot, fat black snake, so I will not ever be picnicking there!

The walk to the pothole/ravine! We got there early and we were the only ones here for almost an hour!

Me next to the big ass hole! 

We crossed this bridge and then later read the sign that said not to. Oops!

Sitting next to the big hole.

Michael is dancing on the no walking bridge!

A restaurant in the woods. The tables and platforms are over top of a flowing river!

Just one of the platforms!

Our other restaurant in the Sea!

This time in 2 weeks I will be sipping wine in Sonoma! Life is going pretty good right now!

2 weeks left but holy crap it feels like 2 months!

Time for me has officially stopped moving. I am so excited about the summer that it is hard for me to go day by day. I truly believe we might be one of the only schools that is not year round still in session in the world!!!! The whole friggin world!

We have one more week with students then a week of professional development and then KHALLAS! We are out!

We are busy moving stuff slowly up to our new apartment in the Penthouse. We could not possibly let a new comer have the highest and of course now, the best apartment.  It is has bonus features that we are looking forward too, like built in fans, patio furniture, and light!
So, that will be a nice way to start next year. Inshallah (godwilling) this is used whenever there is doubt about something because hey, in Lebanon you never know what might happen or when a war will start.

It is officially HOT in Beirut. Low 90's but high humidity. You can not walk anywhere without breaking an extreme sweat. My hair will not be down for the next two weeks or it will grow to extremes I can not begin to imagine and not grow long and down but out and big! The schools have limited electricity since Lebanon has limited electricity, so there is a large portion of everyday where the air conditioning can't be on. So, even 4 year olds smell and our sweaty! It's grooosss!!

There are a few mixed emotions circling the end of the year, mostly the I can't wait to be home. We have such amazing plans this summer, I just want to get started.

However, this morning I realized why I am having such a hard time with my job. I know no one really likes to be bored at work, but there is more too it that than. I have narrowed it down to guilt.  I think teachers innately feel guilty, its a consistent conversation in your head, of am I a doing enough, did I get everything done, could I have done more to help that student, etc. I have that, did I do enough guilt but I also have the I work the least amount of anyone in my school and yet I am paid double guilt. I feel like I am constantly trying to hide a secret. I don't want anyone to know how little I am working because its embarrassing, since everyone is very well aware of my higher salary and benefits. However, I want to be helpful and when teachers say "oh you don't need to help, you are so busy," and I have to find a way without telling my secret, of oh my god, I am so bored, I would love to help.  It's a weird feeling. At least, if we all got equal pay I would feel less bad. It would be more of a hey, we all get paid shitty, so who cares how hard I work..=)  I feel like I am superman always trying to be Clark Kent. Wow, that is an exaggerated example of me and my life, but you get the point. Don't let anyone know exactly what you do or don't do. There is also the other side that not only do I get paid more but my life opportunities are triple some of theirs. Of course, lots of the teachers have money, which includes a nanny, a helper, and a driver. But, they still live in Lebanon and I always wonder, why don't they get out but then I hear about the process for getting U.S. or other countries citizenship and even a visa to visit and it all makes sense. So, now I have the added guilt of knowing this is a temporary stop for me, a learning experience and when I am done with it, I am free to go with no strings attached and without extreme measures. The United States will welcome me with open arms and that will be that.
I have decided this is why I am having a hard time embracing my "years-off" in Beirut.  I am finding ways to help with the boredom, but will I find ways to cope with the guilt? Will I harden myself enough to just not give a shit? I kind of hope for my own sanity, I can do this just a little.

One way or another next year will be interesting!

 We are doing a fun road trip on Saturday and then the beach on Sunday, so we have a great weekend ahead!

Then 2 more weeks!  Let's go team America!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Here is the puzzle I started in Sept/Oct...I have officially given up. There is too much sky left and I can't tell the difference in all the blues! So KHALLAS

 This is a video of one of our main street corners if you put in about 5 more cars and 7 more horn honks you get an idea of a typical 10 minute walk on Hamra.

Beach Days!

Are we there yet? That is what I keep asking myself about the end of the school year. We only have a month left but right now it feels like an eternity. Thankfully, I get to have perfect days like this one to make the wait a little less painful..=)

This is Lazy B beach. It is a Lebanese favorite. They created a pool in the sea!

Sometimes on days like this you forget you live in Beirut and there is a war at your neighbors house.

A Day well spent with friends in the sun!! We had our own little hut to stay covered in if needed.

This is Michael's favorite Lebanese meal. Our friend Carla's mom made it and she shared with us. It was a very special happy day for Michael. It is called Mloukheih. You have to say the kh like you have something caught in your throat. I really have no idea how to do it. But good luck trying! =)
It is a type of green, kind of like spinach but not, with chicken and lemon, sometimes vinegar, and white onions served over rice and scooped with Lebanese flat bread. I have asked to learn how to make it and it sounds simple but there seems to be something about how you make it that seems to make people think Americans are not capable because no one will give me a recipe. Maybe they are born knowing.

May!

I can't remember if I posted yet in May. May went by so fast here. It is unbelievable. We are officially on the countdown to summer. We have 5 weeks left of our first year. It is amazing. I am ready to get started since we have such an perfect summer planned and next year our trips are going to be better than ever!

First, I have one more thing to add to my missing list. THE LIBRARY! I know it is nerdy and surprising because it sure surprised me, but I miss free books. I miss a place to go and browse the shelves for free! I have only been able to buy books since we have been here and I don't wanna do it anymore! I know there are libraries on campus but I want a big free library with adult, non-educational fiction! I want to read some crappy Chick-Lit for free, not for the 2.99 single kindle price. Crappy chick-lit for free is justifiable but crappy Chick-Lit for 2.99 or more is unacceptable!! I get my t.v. and movies for free, now I want my books! Due to my extensive library fines in both Portland and Virignia, I probably am not even allowed to check out books but I am sure gonna try!

On to the important stuff. It was Michael's birthday weekend and although we did not do anything wild and crazy, afterall he was only turning 29, =), we had a nice time!
It started on Thursday night out in the more hipster part of town Gemmayze.  We really like it there and it is about a 10 minute, with no traffic, cab ride from where we live!  So, we went there for happy hour and got introduced to a bar that has several varities of Arak from different parts of Lebanon. Arak is a liquor and when mixed with water, it turns white. It tastes like black licorce and I do NOT like it. The bartender even mixed it with blackberries for me but it still tastes like medicine. So, I had a fresh watermelon martini and it was amazing!  Michael and Tyson, however, sampled a few Araks and loved it!  Pictures are below



Then on Friday night we had a Foreign Hire BBQ at the President of our schools house. It was started out as a lovely evening with drinks and good conversations, however it ended not so well for me! I met up with my old enemy beef! Let me give you a little background. Sometimes, when I eat beef too quickly or in too big of bites, it gets caught in my throat and I can't shallow. Super weird, I know! Usaully, it passes with a small sip or two of water and maybe worse case the hiccups! But, occassionally there is a night where it does not pass so easily, it has only happened to me 3 times in my life. All, of course, in public places. Once, on a date in college, once at a bar in Portland and all through the neighborhood, and now at a Foreign Hire BBQ in Lebanon.  Awesome!!!  We had just sat down to dinner at a table of 6 and the beef struck!  Thankfully, the table had just been complaining about how dark it was and hard to see their food, but I still proceeded to throw/spit up at the table, not once, twice, but three times before I got away.  It was humiliating. I excused myself to the bathroom, started to cry and was too embarassed to return to the table. HAPPY BIRTHDAY  MICHAEL. Thankfully, he took me home, then went back to the party said my apologies and got to play soccer after dinner. All ends well. And I was completely fine an hour later! I also proceeded at 30 years old to call my Mom and cry to her about it!

Michael's second birthday dinner!

Another Beach Club

Arak!

My Watermelon Martini!

On Saturday, we went to Michael's first Beirut beach club. This is quite an experience and the thing to do in the summer months.  Almost every Friday or Monday, I get asked if I am going to the beach or if I went. If the answer is no, a very quizzical look and a lot of sympathy follows, because it is immediately assumed that if you weren't at the beach or were either sick or incapacitated in some horrible way. However, the truth is the beach clubs are an expensive adventure. They range in price and quality. There are 5 that we can walk to that range in price from $20 to $35 to get in and then there are the drinks,  you can't not have a drink, and then food.  It becomes a pricey day. However, the people watching is well worth the price of admission. The best made of up of Beirut show up. There was a lot of work spent on getting ready to go the beach clubs, and people stay all day. They supposedly at night become quite a crazy party. But, it is incredibly relaxing and fun.  The beach club hires a dj for the day and there are constant waiters at your beckon call.  I think Michael and I were the only people there using sunscreen and not baby oil.  I really, really enjoy the days we get to go but it is definitely costly. However, it costs less than the 10 boob jobs, 20 nose jobs, and 100 gym memberships or steroid injections that everyone else spent to go.
We then went out to dinner again in Gemmayze to an Argentinain restaurant and had a rooftop meal and then back to the Arak place. It was excellent.

The Saturday beach club! The sea is just beyond that bar. You had to make reservations to sit by the sea. Who knew!

This is a random picture but these are the smallest necatrines ever..Lebanon doesn't believe in adult sized fruit!

Do we like more world-traveled and a year older? BECAUSE WE ARE!

I still can't believe in less than 30 days, I will be able to say that I lived a year in the Middle East! Who does that!?!  I am not sure how I will feel about returning next year and doing it all again, but I am optimistic, especially with a bunch of cool trips on the horizon. I know I will never ever regret this decision. Although it has slightly delayed by baby plans..=) Michael and I are a stronger and better couple now and I just feel more aware. I came to this country assuming to find a sandy, conservative, slightly hostile, environment and have found some of that not to be true. Yes, this place has a huge list of deficits, but it also is so full of life and charm. We sat a beach club yesterday, where we had a swim up bar and the ocean in front of us, and war torn, broken down buildings behind us. It is hard to describe. I know I don't want to spend my life here or even more than 2 years, but these 2 years will always be a positive and important part of who I am!