As many of you know, I have a few days off for Eid, the holiday which celebrates the end of Ramadan...and some of my new friends were kinda enough to take me to the beach and Saida. Saida is commonly known as Sidon. Sidon is the 3rd largest city in Beirut, 40 kilometers south of Beirut and about 40 kilometers north of Tyre. It has a population of approximately 200,000 people, which is overwhelmingly Muslim. The beach was obviously not right in the city but rather just outside.
It's a new concept to pay for the beach but if you check out the link, it was well worth it!
Anyway, it was so nice to get out of the city! To swim in the pool and the Mediterranean Sea!
After the beach club and a day in the sun, is where the culture came in! We drove into the city of Sidon for dinner of fish (which is fantastic here). Driving into town was full of sights...there is the Med on my right and buildings on the left. Lots of traffic! On the side of the buildings is a long set of tents and tables where people were eating and socializing as spirits were high for Eid! Kids were playing while the adults visited. There was even a little carnival with rides for the children. Once we found a table, my Lebanese friend and I went to pick out the fish. We went into this garage-type place to find lots of fish on ice...it had been caught and gutted that day! We picked out a few different types of fish and he ordered a few side dishes from, or mezze, the region and we went back to our friends at the table! It was neat to have a view of an old Crusader castle with kids running around, Arabic music videos playing, people walking around selling items, people smoking the nagreleih pipe (same thing as a hooka pipe) of flavored tobacco....then the food came! I have fallen in love with the food here! Tabbouleh, fattoush, Baba ghanoush, hummus...all served with flat pita-type bread (which takes the place of the fork). Then the fish arrived! Heads attached and all! After eating a healthy amount of food, as we had nothing but nuts all day, we walked around for a bit then headed home!
It was a fabulous day! Pics will be posted soon!!!Don't forget to check out the beach club sit, www.lazyb.me!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
I have arrived Pt 2
A little more randomness from what I'm learning upon my arrival to Beirut...
Getting around is pretty simple on the surface...if you're lucky, you have a friend with a car (or in my case a colleague), otherwise you walk or take a bus or taxi. The busses look either like a regular city bus (think CARTA) or are the old school VW van-looking things. I haven't ridden the bus yet, but I've heard it's cheap and efficient. The other option is taxi...which is more complex than at first glance....there is a taxi then there is a service (servees) taxi. Servees is cheaper and is shared with other (most likely random) passengers. There is really no way to tell the difference between a taxi and a servees other than to ask. This transportation thing is still an area where I'm not confident and will need much more practice. Come to think of it, this whole day to day living- moving around the city, running errands still needs practice. But it's definitely a place that I don't mind (AT ALL) living in!
Everyone that I have come in contact with is so friendly and many ex pats that I have met have lived here for years...they liked it so much they figured out a way to make what began as a temporary post into a permanent one.
Another interesting thing here is the bathroom situation. The hotel where I'm staying as well as a home I've already had the pleasure of being invited to (for dinner) has a hose-type thing with a sprayer on the end (much like a mini shower hose) in place of a bidet (that will be my next experiment...using the hose). Anyway, the plumbing isn't near like the West, so you throw all "products", including toilet tissue in the trash can. I'm getting used to it but it's weird to be out and throw tissue in the trash instead of flushing it.
It is exciting and fun to experience all the differences in the daily life here...I thought the day would never arrive when I would finally be "Live from Beirut"!! More to come!
Getting around is pretty simple on the surface...if you're lucky, you have a friend with a car (or in my case a colleague), otherwise you walk or take a bus or taxi. The busses look either like a regular city bus (think CARTA) or are the old school VW van-looking things. I haven't ridden the bus yet, but I've heard it's cheap and efficient. The other option is taxi...which is more complex than at first glance....there is a taxi then there is a service (servees) taxi. Servees is cheaper and is shared with other (most likely random) passengers. There is really no way to tell the difference between a taxi and a servees other than to ask. This transportation thing is still an area where I'm not confident and will need much more practice. Come to think of it, this whole day to day living- moving around the city, running errands still needs practice. But it's definitely a place that I don't mind (AT ALL) living in!
Everyone that I have come in contact with is so friendly and many ex pats that I have met have lived here for years...they liked it so much they figured out a way to make what began as a temporary post into a permanent one.
Another interesting thing here is the bathroom situation. The hotel where I'm staying as well as a home I've already had the pleasure of being invited to (for dinner) has a hose-type thing with a sprayer on the end (much like a mini shower hose) in place of a bidet (that will be my next experiment...using the hose). Anyway, the plumbing isn't near like the West, so you throw all "products", including toilet tissue in the trash can. I'm getting used to it but it's weird to be out and throw tissue in the trash instead of flushing it.
It is exciting and fun to experience all the differences in the daily life here...I thought the day would never arrive when I would finally be "Live from Beirut"!! More to come!
I have arrived!
So I'm in Beirut! The flights were uneventful (which is good). I flew from Greenville to DC to Istanbul to Beirut...in Greenville, all 5 of my bags were overweight, so I was pulling items out to send back home with my family and managed to have them checked all the way through to Beirut (which is good because I was thinking I was going to have to claim them all and recheck). The only problem was that I still had to pay a second baggage fee for the second leg of the journey...I think that someone with the airlines dropped the bal...but cest la vie.
I met an American at the airport in Istanbul who I palled around with until our flights, he to Kuwait me to Beirut. Upon arrival, I got in the wrong line, proceeded to another line, only to discover that I had to go to two other lines...finally I made it through!
As I was being driven to my hotel (my apartment isn't ready) I noticed that there are very few street signs...upon mentioning this to my bosses (who picked me up) I was told the only traffic rule in Lebanon is "if it can be done, do it". Guess I won't be driving for a while...
Once at the Mayflower Hotel, after unloading in my room, I showered and went to bed. THe next day is when I truly began my BEirut experience.
My hotel is in the neighborhood of Beirut called Hamra (pronounced like it looks), which is also the area where the major universities are (AUB, LAU, and the French one) as well as most of the popular pubs and shops (I think). My apartment is in the neighborhood of Ashrafieh (pronounced ash-ra-fe-a). Anyway, after dressing, I walked a few blocks to a coffee shop for a frappe and free Internet, where I caught up on my "I made it safely" correspondences. I believe my new past time is people watching. Remember the lack of traffic rules...well it is fun to observe driving here...all you hear is car horns. Whether they are honking tonhear themselves, warn pedestrians, or other vehicles is unknown (perhaps all of the above) regardless one should always be on their toes when around the streets.
STanding in lines, experiencing the traffic, and observing the people, I'm noticing that the Lebanese have this attitude of "what I'm doing is of utmost importance and the hell with what youre doing" all while smiling and being polite. They have been nothing but friendly and kind but won't hesitate to honk you out of the way, block traffic with a parked car...is this just Beirut or just another huge ass city...more to come...heading to the school to do some work!
I met an American at the airport in Istanbul who I palled around with until our flights, he to Kuwait me to Beirut. Upon arrival, I got in the wrong line, proceeded to another line, only to discover that I had to go to two other lines...finally I made it through!
As I was being driven to my hotel (my apartment isn't ready) I noticed that there are very few street signs...upon mentioning this to my bosses (who picked me up) I was told the only traffic rule in Lebanon is "if it can be done, do it". Guess I won't be driving for a while...
Once at the Mayflower Hotel, after unloading in my room, I showered and went to bed. THe next day is when I truly began my BEirut experience.
My hotel is in the neighborhood of Beirut called Hamra (pronounced like it looks), which is also the area where the major universities are (AUB, LAU, and the French one) as well as most of the popular pubs and shops (I think). My apartment is in the neighborhood of Ashrafieh (pronounced ash-ra-fe-a). Anyway, after dressing, I walked a few blocks to a coffee shop for a frappe and free Internet, where I caught up on my "I made it safely" correspondences. I believe my new past time is people watching. Remember the lack of traffic rules...well it is fun to observe driving here...all you hear is car horns. Whether they are honking tonhear themselves, warn pedestrians, or other vehicles is unknown (perhaps all of the above) regardless one should always be on their toes when around the streets.
STanding in lines, experiencing the traffic, and observing the people, I'm noticing that the Lebanese have this attitude of "what I'm doing is of utmost importance and the hell with what youre doing" all while smiling and being polite. They have been nothing but friendly and kind but won't hesitate to honk you out of the way, block traffic with a parked car...is this just Beirut or just another huge ass city...more to come...heading to the school to do some work!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Where Is Home?
Charleston and I have parted ways...we had a fabulous love affair and the last few weeks were like the beginning (eleven years ago)...fun, exciting, and passionate...but I had to let him go. Sometimes you have to walk away...perhaps to confirm that you were meant to be...
Since leaving Charleston, I have spent the last few weeks in the small community where I grew up...living with my parents, visiting family and dear friends, and driving around reminiscing...I have been contemplating "where is home?"
Is home where your family is? If you have been fortunate enough to have a family like mine, the answer is yes. I come from a family where loyalty, support, love, humor, resilience, and understanding are the threads that bind us. I can honestly NEVER recall a time when anyone in my family needed something and had to go it alone. We are a team, we stick together. Despite living away from my family for a while, I knew I could always come home.
Is home where you became an adult and established yourself? If you have been fortunate enough to have attended college where I did, developed the friendships I have, and came into your own in (my opinion and Travel and Leisure Magazine) the most glorious city in America, the answer is yes. Anyone that knows me knows how much Charleston means to me and how much it pains me to have left. While I loved visiting my family, I would get that child-on-Christmas Eve feeling while I was driving home (back to Charleston).
Is home going to become Beirut? I will be fortunate to live and work in one of the most historical, exciting, happening, beautiful cities in the world. Will I have with Beirut what I have Charleston? Will I develop the friendships that I am lucky enough to have developed in Charleston? Will I make friends that are as dear as my friends from childhood? Will I find a surrogate family to guide me as mine isn't close by? Will I respect and appreciate Beirut as I do my town from childhood? Will I fall in love with Beirut as I did with Charleston?
I am exhilarated by the fact that I am moving to the fantastic city that is Beirut, however I can't shake the question of where is home...
Thoughts? Advice? Guidance?
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