Jack and Lees Come to Beirut

Our Holiday break began on Friday, and Derek promptly went off to begin his Master's classes. I, on the other hand, have nothing to do! So now there is no excuse- time to blog!
Since it's been almost 4 months since my parents were here, I figured now would be about time to post about their visit. We had a wonderful time, despite the illness that struck both me and my mother, causing me to miss the first 3 days of school, and my mother to have Beirut-belly when she was in Jordan. But nonetheless, it was the trip of a lifetime for them. The picture to the left was taken on their last night here. See? Still happy! We went to happy hour with some friends at the local drinking hole. As you can tell, my father is fed up with pictures by this point! And I can understand why- before they left, Derek downloaded all their pictures onto his computer and there are simply hundreds of them! I can't blame them, though. What they saw in Jordan and in Lebanon is not seen anywhere else. It's unique! Plus, my mom loves the camera, as evidenced by this next picture! Any excuse to get dressed up...

My Dad was in heaven. Before the onset of marriage and children, Jack was quite the world traveler. Although he and my mom have had some great opportunities in the past, I think this one was the most adventurous vacation he has taken in a while. Amidst the ancient ruins, spectacular landscapes and exotic culture, my father reveled in the history and beauty of it all. He especially enjoyed his time on the roof of our building, where he could soak up all that was happening, while enjoying the view of the Mediterranean Sea, and the collage of dilapidated buildings and new construction sites.

(Of course I won't mention that this picture was taken when my parents were stuck on the roof because Derek and I were listening to music and didn't hear the doorbell!)

All in all, it was fabulous having them here. Inviting your parents into your own home for 2 weeks can be a little intimidating, but it was perfect. They fit so well into our lives. Mom even cooked a few meals, which is more than she ever did in Brockton! I guess the culinary inspiration of the Middle East got into her blood. Derek and I were both sad to seem them go. Especially because neither of them can sit still, so we came home everyday to a clean apartment, fresh laundry, and chocolate chip cookies! If you're lucky enough to see my parents anytime soon, I encourage you to ask about their trip. I know their many stories will be much more entertaining when you hear it from them.

Long overdue...

It seems like everyone I know is writing a blog, and their quantity (and quality) of posts are putting me to shame. My brother Breck has recently reinstated his blog (breckyunits.com) and his raw thoughts about math and computer programming have somehow inspired me to share. I should also add that my other brother, Conor, has been writing a top-secret blog for a not-so-secret Massachusetts campaign, and his writing and constant effort is also an added inspiration. So here goes...

I suppose the most interesting cultural experience we've had lately was a wedding a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, no pictures to document the event, but the memories are still fresh. My friend Dana got married to a Lebanese man who lives in Dubai. They are both Muslim. The actual marriage ceremony happened a few weeks before the wedding because she can't get a visa to live in Dubai alone. The ceremony is conducted by a Sheik, and the men in both families are present. Dana is not actually in the room when she gets married. I think her father signs the papers, then brings them to her to sign. She said it happens fast and there isn't too much to tell. The wedding party, on the other hand, is full of great stories. Luckily, they aren't too conservative, so Derek and I could be at the same party. In some countries (and even here, for some really religious people) the men and women have separate parties. This is so that the women can remove their hijabs (their scarves/robes) and dance the night away. But this isn't the norm in Beirut. In Beirut, weddings have a lot in common with some American weddings- big reception hall, overly decorated to the point of tacky, loud music, too much food, and people trying to make small talk with the strangers at their tables. While waiting for the bride and groom to arrive, we were entertained by a saxophone player, playing along to pre-recorded Karaoke music. He could be seen live, or on the large projector screen at one end of the room. The drink options were juice or soda. We were kicking ourselves for not bringing a flask, but who ever heard of a booze-less wedding?

After an hour or so of waiting around, the lights changed, the hanging video camera zoomed over head, and then there was the beating of drums....in dances the groom, surrounded by about 30 or 40 other men. Leading them are 8 men and women dancers, dressed in white, playing drums and swinging swords in the air. This parade/dancing thing is called the Zaffe, and goes on for about 15 minutes before the bride comes out. Then the light changes again, this time there are fire-work type flames that explode from the ground, as the bride appears on the runway (I kid you not, there was a runway!) Of course we all applaud because it is very exciting. The drumming, the dancing, the swinging of swords continues for a long time, until finally the couple take their seats on their thrones at the front of the room. For about an hour there is a variety of dancing. The people dressed in white have quite a performance for the newlyweds. Then there are more fireworks and this time there is also confetti, as the two have their first dance. It's 10:30 or 11:00 when we're invited to the buffet. There were about 300 guests at the wedding,and food for 300 more. It was a bit excessive, but it didn't seem out of place.

The final tradition happened just before midnight. The couple took the stage once again (did I forget to mention that the dance floor was actually elevated off the ground with multi-colored lights glowing from underneath it?) for a "champagne" toast and the cutting of the cake- which was a fake cake about 8 feet high, so of course, they needed the sword to slice into it!!! More firework explosions and loud music as they threw back the apple juice and posed for another picture. We left shortly after the cake, and were happy to have had such a great experience. We have been living in Beirut long enough to know that nothing is simple here, but neither of us were expecting such elaborate measures. It was awesome.

Other than that highlight, we've been enjoying our new friends and fighting the struggles at school. IC is a school mostly for the elite of Lebanon. The children tend to be spoiled, and the rules tend to be dictated by those with the largest financial contributions. My class of 25 darling little brats has a severe case of incessant chatting. They don't ever stop talking. They are bold and have not learned to respect authority. Most of them are being raised by nannies, who receive little to no respect from the parents, so you can see where it comes from. I've started giving private lessons to a boy in 7th grade. Today, our lesson brought us to the discussion of taking out the trash. Turns out, he's never done that. In fact, he's never washed the dishes, folded laundry or made his own bed. His chores are to brush his teeth, wash his face, and make sure he turns off the TV before he goes to sleep. Well, he has 3 full-time helpers, he told me, so why should he have to do anything? We feel frustrated with this mentality, but we're guests in their country, and have to learn to live with it.

Christmas break is right around the corner. Derek begins his Master's class during the vacation- not much of a vacation for him, but it's a great opportunity. I'll be around, so if anyone reading this happens to be bored over the next couple of weeks, come on out!!!! If not, then just have a Happy Holiday!!!!