Random Notes

It's hard to believe that we've been here for over a month already. There have been a few times as I’ve walked down the streets of Hamra (our neighborhood) that its hit me that we're really here. We have settled into a comfortable routine and are enjoying having more time together than a med school schedule permitted. Jad has classes every day, but never starts before 9, so it’s a leisurely morning around our house. We've gotten in a good bit of tennis (on courts overlooking the Med Sea), and on the occasional evening, we even watch a movie together (currently the BBC series Planet Earth)! He’s made some good friends in his class – several of which share his love of sports, so he’s gotten to play basketball a lot. We had a potluck at one friend’s house last weekend, which was great. I have tutoring twice a week, which I honestly love. Even with my limited vocabulary, I’m not too shy about talking, so I usually end up belting out sentences at about a 4 year-old level…much to the amusement of Jad and our family. Otherwise, I've been doing a bit of work for HOME and am looking into some other work/volunteer opportunities.

Half-way around the world, and we still feel
right at home

We also have been getting more involved in our church. We are going to an incredibly international Anglican church in downtown Beirut. Jad’s Aunt Cedar & Uncle George attend there, and it’s the same church we went to 5 years ago when we were here for the summer. Jad is going to start playing music, and we have been attending some weekday courses that have been going on.

As some of you may have heard, Lebanon was in the news a good bit the week before last thanks to a little visit from Ahmadinejad. The American embassy sent us a lovely email cautioning US citizens to be “extra vigilant.” Fortunately, other than some road closings, things went quite smoothly. It was definitely a good reminder of the importance of being cautious and safe. Things we so often take for granted in the States.

In the meantime, we’ve been kept busy thanks to our social coordinator (our affectionate name for Jad’s cousin Yara) whom we are going to dearly miss when she heads off to NY next month. Thanks to her, we’ve enjoyed Lebanese nightlife, lots of yummy food, and shopping! The past two weekends, we did some hiking in the mountains with Jad’s Uncle Farid & Aunt Joumana (one of our favorite ways to enjoy Lebanon). It was beautiful!

Clubbing at Mandaloun (see photo at top R),
the featured performance was a dirbekke
(type of drum) player who dropped
from the ceiling.