Last Post.

Well, I am home in the United States, so this is the bookend to my summer blog. I got home after a half hour taxi ride to the airport, a four hour flight to Milan, a nine hour flight to New York City, an hour long subway ride, a six hour bus ride to Rochester and a half hour car ride home. It was a long day. I had a great time in Lebanon and it was kind of strange to be home at first. Now I'm looking for a job in New York City and will be moving there in a few weeks. I thought I would just list a few things that will be different now that I am the U.S.

1. I will have to get used to seeing squirrels and not lizards all over the place.

2. I won't see fireworks four or five times a night, every night.

3. Drivers are less crazy.

4. Any trip in New York is longer than any trip in Lebanon because New York state is like 10 times the size of Lebanon.

So, that's about it. I will post more pictures though soon, when I feel like it. Thanks for reading.

Jake.

Second to Last Weekend.

So, last week I hung out with the guys from my Arabic class quite a bit before they all left one by one back to the U.S. (Or in the case of Brian, to the Beqaa Valley). Then on Saturday I went to a dinner party at Dr. Sensenig's house in the mountains. It was a rescheduled 4th of July party actually, so you know. Anyways, I took a cab up with a professor from NDU who, obviously, was going too. Their house is really nice and there was so much good food. I became quite stuffed. Afterwards, we got a ride back to Beirut from another party guest and then got a cab to the University.
Sunday I just relaxed.
This week I've been working on the report, trying to get as much done before I go home. Now I'm making nice charts and graphs for it. I also wrote up a report for Guita about all of the things I've been doing for the last two months. I have to write something for SU too, but my "internship adviser" has yet to email me back, and I mean all summer. Bupkis, so we will see.
This afternoon I walked down the hill with the intention of taking some pictures, which I did. I also ended up at the beach. Wandered on to it is a more apt description. Anyways, I wasn't really dressed for it, but I took off my shoes and socks and put my feet in, so that was nice.
Tomorrow we are having a going away lunch, for me. So, that should be fun.
I might try and go to the Cedar reserve on Friday or Saturday, but I'm not sure yet. Otherwise, I'm packing up and on Saturday at 4:00 in the morning (or Saturday night at 4:00, depends on who you ask), I'm headed to the Beirut Airport where I will fly to Milan, and from Milan to NYC and then I take a bus to Rachacha. I'm going to put up some more pictures on Picasa and also some on Facebook.

Lebanon 2010

Last Week, Second Half.

Nothing terribly exciting happened last Thursday or Friday, to my recollection. But Friday morning Guita gave me two tickets to a concert in Beiteddine. They were/are having a festival there. The tickets were for a performance by the Krakow Chamber Ensemble. So, on Saturday I met Valeria in Beirut and we took a coach bus to Beiteddine. In Beiteddine there is a palace from the 19th century and the concert was in the palace, which was really nice. It was in the courtyard and it was night time, so the stars were out and there were fireworks all around. The ensemble was a quintet with strings and a piano and they played pieces by Chopin. It was a very cultured experience.

Sunday I stayed home and studied for my Arabic finals that were on Monday. I also applied to the New School, in New York City, so I can finish the last two classes I need for my degree.

Monday we had our finals and they went pretty well. (I ended up with A's in the courses). They don't count towards my degree, but it is still good to do well. This week I've hung out with the guys from my Arabic class quite a bit. Wednesday my Arabic class went to a farewell lunch with our professors and everyone, and that was a lot of fun. There was so much food. It was at least four courses. I tried a dish that was chicken livers, which I'd never had before. (Among all the other dishes I had. I went to town.) There was a lot of cheese dishes, but I went for it anyways, because, when will I get my next chance to gorge myself on authentic Lebanese food?

At my internship, I've been working on the second draft of the IOM report. I can't believe I am returning to the U.S. in a week. It's crazy.

That just about does it. Now you are all caught up.

Past Week Or So.

Before the short interlude about Arabic, I left off with last weekend. Zibby was suppose to leave Lebanon last Sunday, but unfortunately (for her) her flight was canceled due to an air traffic controllers strike in Greece and fortunately (for me) she stayed one more day. So we hung out and ate take out courtesy of her traveler's insurance. She left Monday and Tuesday I hung out and had dinner with the guys from my Arabic class. (We hadn't hung out since Zibby got here). Then Wednesday I met up with my friend Valeria, from Italy, whom I met in Morocco. We met in Beirut and walked around Hamra and to the Corniche and then we ate dinner at one of the restaurants near the water. So that was nice to catch up and what not. On my way home I got the bus to the highway interchange where I catch a taxi up to the University. So I waited for a few minutes and not a whole lot of taxis came by. Then I guy stopped and I told him NDU so I got in and we started up the hill. He was from Australia and was here visiting for the summer. He was Lebanese Australian, named Edward. Well anyways, we got to the university and I went to give him the money and he said "No". And I realized, he wasn't a taxi driver. Ha. So I said, "You're not a taxi driver are you?" And he said, "No." So he was just a nice guy on vacation who decided to give me a ride. Yes, I know, you aren't suppose to get in cars with strangers, but honestly I did think he was a taxi driver when I got in. Anyways, that was funny. I've now "hitch-hiked" I guess, several times. The first time was when the soldiers in the oldest car ever I think, I may have been a model T (no, really just an old Renault) brought Zibby and I back from the mountain to our hotel.
So that takes us up to last Wednesday, and I know, you are waiting with baited breath, but I'll write more soon.

PS. Here is the latest article I wrote: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100803/LOCAL17/7290362/1007/SPORTS/Reader-expresses-concerns-about-the-War-in-Iraq

Check it out.

Jake.

A Gift from the Arabs.

Well, my Grammar Professor, Dr. Hourani (same last name as Guita Hourani, LERC's director, no relation), is so funny. He is the one who told us about love. He also told us about the "gift from the Arabs". In Arabic there are feminine and masculine nouns, like French or Spanish. (Thank God, there are only two, unlike German which has feminine, masculine AND neutral nouns). Anyways, it's pretty simple in Arabic, almost always, if it is feminine, you just add what is called a Taa Marbuta, or the Tied T. It looks exactly like an O with an Umlaut, like this: ö. So, says my professor, it is a gift from the Arabs, the small tee. They (the women) can put it (the small tee) in their hair (hair). This is the gift from the Arabs to women.

He also went through the verb conjugations (I think) and it starts with the masculine "He" form of the verbs. And he said, the Arabs don't let women go first, we start with the men.

All of this he said while laughing.

Baalbek.

So, it's been a while but here's a little update: Last weekend, Zibby and I went to Baalbek. On Friday July 23rd, we took the bus to Beirut to the Cola Intersection. Which is kind of like a bus station, but it's really just a parking lot where all the buses hang out and wait for passengers. So we got in a bus and we were off. We drove over the mountains and we got to this town where there was a traffic jam. The bus driver kept asking people if there was another way to go. He turned around and we went up further into the mountains. Until, we got to an incline that the bus couldn't make it up. He tried several times, until all the men had to get out in order to make the bus light enough to climb the hill. I thought we would have to push, but no. (Actually, as I was leaving Rabat (Morocco) last year for the train station our bus broke down and all the men did get out to push to try and jump start the bus. It didn't work and we waited for the next bus to come.) Anyways, that was a little nutty and the driver was a mad man. It was not a fun ride. It also took us 4.5 hours to get there (On the way home it only took 2 hours!). We got to where we had to transfer buses and we did and at that point were in the valley (Baalbek is in the Beqaa Valley).
That area was really different for two reasons: Like I've said before, on the coast it's hills and mountains and in the valley, obviously it's totally flat, which was cool. The second reason why it was different is because it is a more conservative, and I think, Shiite area. I kid you not; every twenty feet on the highway were pictures of Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah (The Grand Ayatollah who died a few weeks ago). There were also lots of pictures of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah; you know, with his fist raised, things like that. And finally, there were Hezbollah flags everywhere. And if you haven't seen the Hezbollah flag, it is yellow with green letters and it says "Hezbollah, (Party of God)". In Arabic the "A" looks like a straight vertical line. And extending from the A in Allah on the flag is a fist holding a Kalashnikov (AK-47). There was also at one point a huge replica of the Dome of the Rock and some posters around it, which I didn't have time to read. But, anytime I see posters or things with the Dome of the Rock, I keep moving because there is no way that they have a positive message. (The Dome of the Rock is in Jerusalem and is the second holiest site for Muslims. So, usually things with the Dome of the Rock on them deal with destroying Israel). I didn't take a lot of pictures of those things, but I wanted to. They recommend you don't.
Ok, so we got there. And we went to the hotel, which Zibby booked ahead of time, and the guy was like, sorry we are full. And Zibby told him she called the other day and booked a room. But he was just like, we are full. So, two tourists who were there told us where another hotel was and we went there and luckily they had rooms. Then we went out to find some dinner and stuffed ourselves on falafel. We got two sodas and four falafel sandwiches for 6 dollars, which was awesome.
Anyways, Saturday morning we went to the Roman ruins and it was really cool. It is, I guess, the best preserved Roman ruins in the world and they are really impressive. (Soon, I'll put up some pictures). We kept running into those same tourists, whom we saw in the hotel the first night, which was kind of funny. So we wandered around and took a lot of pictures. There was also a Hezbollah museum right outside of the ruins, which is interesting that whoever decides those things let them put this thing right near an international site where lots of Europeans and other tourists come. We didn't go in it, Zibby didn't want to, but the guys in my Arabic class went another time and they said it was just like pictures of dead children and stuff. And again, it had like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in gun sights on the outside, so you know. It also said, in English: "If you come back, we'll come back". And I don't know exactly what that means, but I took it to mean if Palestinians return to Palestine/Israel, Hezbollah with send in the troops?
So anyways, there was also this really awesome mosque in Baalbek, and I'll put pictures up of that too. Well, we spent the morning and then we took the bus back to Beirut. On the bus was a very nice woman who lived in the U.S. but had returned to Lebanon to take care of her sick parents. She helped us figure out the best way to get where we were going and all that. There are so many Lebanese, whom you meet, who have lived in Europe and Australia and the U.S. They are everywhere!
Well, we got to Beirut and we went to Hamra, which is kind of a trendy area. If downtown is like a European city, Hamra is like New York City in a way. Lots of stores and restaurants and it's nice. Zibby and I went to a sushi restaurant where they have a conveyor belt and you sit in front of it and just take plates that you want off of it. So that was cool. Then we walked to the Pigeon Rocks and then went back to Zouk Mosbeh.
Phew. Okay, that was last Friday and Saturday and soon I'll update you on this past week.