Update and Something for you political-economic fans

Things have been moving pretty non-stop since my last post in a couple weeks ago. Thanksgiving went really well, and I had a nice time remembering what it was like to have an American holiday. After that we spent a couple days in the villages in the south doing visits and distribution projects. When I came back to Beirut I spent a couple days up at the orphanage I stayed at, because there was a human resource crisis, and I was the only person who could come and watch the kids. I have been spending some time with a few families in one of the refugee camps here in Beirut, and things have begun to take off with them, so I spent a few days in the camp meeting family members, drinking tea and coffee, and talking about various issues. I remember when it was weird and uncomfortable for me to go through the custom of meeting new people here (it is more complicated that in the states). But now I am quite comfortable and even enjoy it quite a bit...I think I enjoy it more inside the refugee camp than inside a nice house...maybe I feel more at my own level.

Things are starting to look Christmassy here...Lebanon is definitely not Jordan. The other day I saw a big mosque all decorated and covered with christmas lights. It just made me chuckle, though on a serious side it is nice to see that there is higher level of tolerance and acceptance here than in other middle eastern countries...at least on some levels.

Before signing off I will leave you all with this video link. It is a response made to a leftist, environmental video called "the story of stuff". I was actually shown the video during a UN traning course a couple years ago. The video has some decent points, but is obviously biased and stretches the truth out of proportion. The response video is quite funny (or was to me). He also some good points, and calls her out on her truth-stretching "facts", but he is also biased. Aaron, I think you'll get a kick out of these videos, haha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5uJgG05xUY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZzHU3ZfTtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgLrZc7cws8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XeW5ilk-9Y

Thanksgiving

So here is the 'final product'. In typical Lebanese fashion, as soon as I started cooking the power went out, so these pies were made under LED headlamp lighting. Thank God for LED's. Anyway, all is well that ends well. I haven't tasted the pies, but I think they turned out...they smell good.

A few years ago I heard a reading of Abraham's Lincolns Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, when he officially made it a holiday. Just imagine if a our current president got up and said something like this! Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone.

Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

The year that is drawing towards its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to invite and provoke the aggression of foreign states, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict, while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. The needful diversion of wealth and strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense has not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship. The axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect a continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be reverently, solemnly, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and voice, by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea, and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and prayer to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Pumkin Pie

Well, it is getting close to Thanksgiving, and normally I woudn't care since I am 7,000 miles away from America, but there is an american family that I know here who is going to celebrate it, and asked if wanted to come. We are actually going to invite quite a few of our lebanese friends to come. Somehow I was elected to make the pies. I found some frozen strawberries and some fresh apples, but there is no pumpkin pie filling (or if there is the other americans beat me to it). So instead I got on google (I seriously don't know what people did before internet searching), and looked up how to make pumpkin pie from actual pumpkins...a truly novel though. I know my mom does this really well, but being the lazy, selfish kid that I was I didn't learn how to do it. Anyway, I found a nice recipe and got to work. Pumpkins are in season now in Lebanon, so it worked out well.
Below is a pictorial account of the project:
Sorry about the low quality of pictures, I had to use my cell phone since my camera and memory cards (and 5 hours of my life) were recently taken by a certain militant fundamentalist group...but that is another story, and one that cannot be published publicly.

Mr. Kabaar is as good at splitting and skinning pumpkins as he is at gutting and skinning moose...a truly all-purpose tool
The Ulu came in handy to chop up the pumpkin into cubes, after which I steamed them on the stove top for about 15 minutes, until soft.After the pumkin was soft I put them in the blender and got this nice puree of pumpkin.

I have not purchased the spices and other ingredients yet, as my car is in the shop (again). I totally destroyed one of my shocks driving the high quality roads of southern lebanon. Trust me, if you ever saw the roads down there you would think Break-Up pot holes in Alaska are a kiddy ride.


I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.
wa li kul as7abi bil-urdon: kul yom wa antum bi5eer wa 3id mubarak!

Ranting and a Request

Over the last couple years of living abroad I have noticed a number of things about myself, probably the most prominent of which is that I can be a very impatient person about certain things, namely those things which I consider to be unimportant and trivial. Recently, I caught myself getting irritated while waiting for a friend to cook dinner. He kept asking if I wanted this or that in the dinner (which was a dish mostly comprised of eggs). I told him I didn't care, and that it makes no difference t me what the food tastes like, something no lebanese person would understand. The questions continued about what I wanted to drink, if I wanted ice, what channel I wanted to watch, where I wanted to sit, etc...I don't really know why it annoys me for people to ask me all these questions, except that people rarely accept the fact that I just don't care. It makes no difference to me if there is salt in a dish, or if I'm sitting on a chair or on the floor, or if I drink warm or cold water; all I care about is the nutritional value of what I am eating. (BTW, I've finally gotten back to a mostly sugarless diet, no soda, no sweets, no ice cream, no pastries) The same thing goes for clothes, jewelery, cars, and any other appearance related object...I just don't understand how people can honestly be concerned about such things. I mean who cares if your shirt has a collar or ruffles or stripes, or if your shoes are white or black or yellow, or if your car has some dirt on it. I mean none of these things affect the functionality of the object!
After explaining this to my friend he replied, "I don't think you are every going to get married"...que sera sera, shu bido yasir yasir.
*Disclaimer: These are all MY personal preferences, I don't expect, and probably don't really want, other people to be like me. I'm not saying its bad to care about such things (trivial as they may be to me), I just mean I don't understand why it matters...probably cause I'm missing a few marbles upstairs.*

Anyway, I guess that is my random rant. Those of who you know me are probably all nodding your heads thinking, "yep, Noah has no taste" to which I say, don't put spice in my life, just give me a second helping of life.


HAHA, now having said all that, I want to make a request: I need a recipe :)
Thanksgiving is coming up and an american family asked me if I wanted to come over, so I said yes. I am going to make pies, and I want to try making some clam chowder (I have a big pack of Alaskan razor clams I brought with me). I know clam choweder isn't a traditional thanksgiving meal, but Thanksgiving is not a traditional holiday in Lebanon...so, I was hoping that you all could send me your secret clam chowder recipes.

OK, I'm done now.

PS (can you use PS for a blog???) Congratulations to Molly, may all your puppies grow up to be just as crazy, annoying, and neurotic as you

For Mom

What I am going to write cannot explain the feelings in my heart, nor could the tears flowing down my cheeks express the depth of value or the irreplaceable worth of a mother. Nevertheless I make my feeble attempt.


A mother is a gift from God. She is a grace; I do not deserve her and there is nothing I could do to merit her love. She loved me before err I was born. She loved me when I was weak and helpless. She loved me when I rebelled and scorned her. She loves me.

I owe a debt I cannot repay; Indebted for every hug, every kiss, every loving caress. How could I pay back the sacrifice she made for me? the pains, the sleepless night, the prayers, and every tear she shed on my behalf.

I still hear her voice singing to me at night, those songs I know so well; reassuring me that I am loved now as I was then. Every song, every hymn, every story echo through my memories of yesterday and shed their music onto the hopes of tomorrow.

I can never forget all you gave me; your care and tenderness, your compassion and pity, your time and money. Yet you gave one thing which time shall never tarnish nor shall life's thorns diminish its glow in my heart: you gave yourself.

Neither will I cease to forget all that you took from me; In my loneliness you took my sorrow, in my sickness you stole my pains, in my deepest griefs you wiped away my tears with your gentle touch.

A mother is a gift from God; a gift I do not deserve and cannot repay. Thank you God for my mommy.


I love you mom. I miss you so much.

Winter is coming

I am sitting in my apartment listening to probably the loudest thunder storm I have ever heard. Every car that has an alarm is going crazy. It is almost scary. Good thing all the buildings here have lots of steel in them. Thunder storms here usually indicate the onset of the winter season. I bet in the next couple weeks it will start snowing up in the mountains, at least the bigger ones, like mount Hermon.
I spent the majority of today taking care of the house and getting supplies and fixing miscellaneous broken stuff, which has piled up over the last month. The day reminded me just how aggravating Lebanon, especially Beirut, can be. Traffic around Beirut is terrible and the closest place I could find to park was 5 minutes from my apartment (and that took me 30 minutes to find). Just when I got back with the stuff I needed to fix everything the electricity cut out. Afterward my greedy neighbors came and said he needs 60$ for building maintenance. Then the water ran out, and since there was no electricity I could not turn on the motor to pump water (though that is partly my fault for not doing it earlier). The list could go on, but I guess it just goes to show I still haven't adapted to life here in Beirut. Nevertheless, things are going well and a few days ago I had a nice, and promising, visit with a Jordanian man and his wife.

Twice a week I have bible activities/church service in the shelter home where I was living for my first 5 months in Lebanon. The kids generally enjoy it and look forward to it. We (my friend and I) spend the first 20 minutes singing hymns, then we break them into two groups and each of us take a group and teach them a bible lesson. After that we have some activities for them, and then at the end we give them a little snack. It can be very tiring trying to maintain any semblance of order with these kids, especially for two hours, but some of them genuinely listen.
On my most recent trip to southern Lebanon we passed of the Lebanese mountain range and descended into the Bekaa Valley right near the only lake in Lebanon (pictured). It is not huge, but it is nice. One day I'd like to hike from mount Hermon to the lake (about 20 miles), but mount Hermon is near Israel and given the current political tensions I think it will be a while before that desire will even be a possibility. I didn't get a chance to stop and see any of the lake so this is the only picture I had, taken from my cell phone (it is not a good idea to take cameras into southern Lebanon, as an acquaintance of my found out...the hard way).

No News is...

I don't really have any new news. I have been busy between southern Lebanon and work here in Beirut, as well as working on my car. Yes, it seems no matter where I live I can't get away from the fact that every car I own has problems. This time it is the brakes. I fixed them once, then something else broke on them so I took it to the mechanic... I think the problem was actually worse when he gave it back. I have learned that mechanics in Lebanon, although cheap, do not know how to fix cars. I would say 'you get what you pay for', but I think here you actually get less than that.
In other news I am starting work on an inexpensive, sustainable resource water filter. It will use sand and bacteria to filter dirty water. The style of filter is called a SlowSand filter or BioSand filter. I am doing just for fun in my spare time, so it may take a while to get results. It is going to take the place of my Bio Gas generator as my pet science project, which is producing gas, but not much as I don't have a ready supply of animal feces. I also have abondonded making Bio diesel because Methanol is way too expensive here, although I am still interested in using the by-product glycerin to make soap. However, since these are projects I mostly do in my spare time I don't expect much to be done in the near future, since freetime is something I seem to be lacking these days.
On a completely unrelated subject, Lebanon is trying to get into the Guiness Book by making the largest plate of Hummos and Tabouli. They are trying to get everyone to make Hummos and Tabouli and bring it to downtown Beirut on Saturday...There are tens of thousands of homeless , displaced, and poverty stricken persons in Lebanon, and peoples big concern is getting into the Guiness Book....
OK, I am done rambling. I just thought I'd post something since nobody else in the blog world seems to be alive any longer (hint hint) :)

The American Embassy is for who???

I went to the American Embassy here today, which is a pain to find and a long drive. One thing I have noticed while living abroad, especially in the middle east, is that unlike every other country in the world, the US Embassies do not exist for the service of American Citizens. The exist for the citizens of the local country, so they can get Visas and ask questions, and other things. What proof do I have? American Citizen services, for the US embassy, is only open 3 days a week, for 3 hours a day. Now, you can make a special appointment with the consular, but you have to go in person to make the appointment...On the other hand, non-resident alien services have about 16 hours a week dedicated for them.
What is worse is that you are treated almost like a suspect criminal (at least in Lebanon, Jordan was a little better). After I finished my required tasks I wanted to go look around the Embassy grounds, since it is in a very pretty location, very large, and well-maintained, plus they have basketball and tennis courts, and supposedly a swimming pool, only to be told by security guards that I was not allowed to do any such thing. I decided to protest a little, and said "ya khay hada mish ma32uul, hal-ard ard amerikiiya" - which means (roughly) "hey man that's not right, this is american soil". I figure I have a right to walk around and see it. So he sent me to another guard who said they same thing, who sent me to another guy who said the same thing, who sent me to another guy who...yep, said the same thing, but gave me a phone number for who I should call...I had given up by that point. I think the whole thing would have been easy to take if it had been a US Marine telling me these things, but I did not see a single US serviceman in the entire place...it is all guarded by Lebanese forces...kinda disheartening haha.
Anyway, not sure why I decided to ramble about that. Just in case any of you who have never lived outside the US were interested in how our Embassies operate.

Lebanese Diet

So, I have been trying to adhere to the promise I made (mostly to myself) not to eat any processed sugars. So far I have been successful, with the exception of drinking a little soda and coffee when they are offered to me as a visitor (it is very rude in Arabic culture to turn down something when it is put in front of you...and people usually don't ask if you want something, they just do it). I've also lessened my white flour intake, except for flat bread which is pretty much unavoidable seeings that if you don't eat the flat bread you have no eating utensils...Anyway, about half of my diet right now is consisting of fruit and yogurt. There is so much fruit right now in the market places...you Alaskans would go nuts (just like me). a pound of bananas - 25 cents; a pound of apples - 40 cents; a pound of grapes - 50 cents; other fruits like guava, nectarine, pears, figs, and pomegranates range from 50 cents to a dollar a pound...and its all fresh. Half of the fruit I don't even buy, friends just give it to me. A week ago I had such a stock pile I was eating fruit like mad just so I wouldn't throw it away. Some I had to throw away, but I justified by putting it into my experimental Bio-gas generator. Oh, and the other very important thing: my blender, what an awesome tool!
OK, so that is an inside look into my dietary life. By the way a couple weeks back there was a baptism in brother Issa's church and we had a fellowship, so I baked pies (also from fruit). There was an american family who came, and all their kids came up and told me that I was their special friend haha. I told them to thank my mom for teaching me...Thanks mom.
Until the next time. Peace out

...and Back Again

There
I know it has been a long time since I posted, so I will try to do my best to catch up. I left Alaska on Sept. 14th, after a really amazing visit. I got to spend lots of time with friends and family, as well as do a couple small adventures that reminded my Alaska is such a phenomenal place to live. Nevertheless, by the end I could feel that it was time to go. As much as I love my friends, family, and the land I used to call home, it simply is not home anymore...
A couple night before I left we got a road kill moose, and I made sure I got some pictures. All my friends in Lebanon respond to the idea (and the pictures) with a mix of confusion and disgust. They just don't get why a big dead animal could be such an important part of life...I piety them, I really do haha


Also, here is a picture of the three women I love most in my life. I miss you mom, Hannah, and Devynn
The Journey
On my way back to Lebanon, I had a 12 hour lay-over in Istanbul, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. I knew I was coming before I left Lebanon, so a friend of mine gave me a list of places I should go see and maps of how to get there. Istanbul, aka Constantinople, is considered one of the most majestic and important cities in the world. It was very interesting, especially with all the history behind it. It was also very pretty, but I still think Prague was more majestic. Anyway, here are some pictures (as promised :)


One of the coolest things about Istanbul is that it sits right on the Med. Half of the city is in Asia, the other half of it is in Europe.
Istanbul is famous for it's mosques. This one is called the Blue Mosque, and it is absolutely huge, though not the biggest in the city.

The history of the city, as a major city at least, dates way back to the days of the early Romans. You can see anciet aqueducts and roman ruins, in addition to this ancient underground cistern. It is huge, and really quite incredible. There is still water in the cistern, though it is home to a population of fish (also very cool).

Back Again
It has been an exceedingly fast couple of weeks back in the Middle East. I got back to Lebanon, and things were more of less how I left them. I spent the first few days taking care of necessary evils like getting car insurance as well as trying to readjust to the time and climate difference. My sleep schedule finally got back on track after about four days...I guess these things happen when you have been traveling for almost 3 full days (I had some really long lay-overs/connections). After getting life back to normal (as though there is such a thing in this part of the world) I went up and spent a few hours with the kids from the orphanage. When I arrived there they were eating lunch, and as soon as they saw me a couple of the smaller kids jumped out of their seats ran, jumped, and latched onto neck. It was really sweet to see them again. After that I spent a couple days down in Tyre and some of the southern villages of Lebanon. One of the villages we were in was a border village with Israel. We were about 15 feet away at one point...it is still crazy for me to think that invisible lines like that are so important. That is an Alaskan's point of view on world politics.

Well, until next time, as my niece would say, Peace Out

More Alaska Pics

OK, so I have been enjoying my break from the panicky madhouse that the world calls the Middle East, and have been relaxing in the great state of Alaska. It has really surprised me to realize just how easy and laid back life in Alaska is. Something about living in an unstable third world country with constant upheaval makes you really appreciate the land where you grew up.

Anyway, here are a few more pictures from Alaska:

Harbor in Homer, Alaska

A MOOOOOSE, a bull one at that

A little brown bear cub, probably not even a year old

The camp fire: An Alaskan summer MUST

I couldn't get through a post without a picture of my niece (and her mimi). She will actually say "peace out" when she says goodbye. she is so great

Around Alaska

Hey Everybody, I finally made it around to making a post. I have been busy back here in Alaska. I have had a good time visiting friends and family. It was pretty weird coming back to the US...It is SO different than Lebanon. It still amazes me just how easy everything is here, and how simple it is to get things done. It is like the complete opposite of Lebanon. I just came back from a quick 4-day visit down to the Pennisula to see my mom, sister, brother, niece, and grandfather. That is probably about the biggest family gathering I can remember. It was really nice, I got to play with my niece alot, talk to my family, and even get to see some really cool Alaskan things. Instead of talking about it all, I'll save us all time and just out the pictures and videos:

These two pictures are from the last trip I made in Lebanon. The lower picture is the valley we hiked through (called Wadi Qadisha). The upper pic is a 2000 year-old Roman bridge we found while trying to cross the creek running in the valley.

We tried to go dip-netting on one of the rivers and when we arrived at the fishing area we found this guy. He stayed around for over an hour and must have eaten 7 or 8 fish. The fish were all spawning out, so we decided he could keep them all. Nonetheless, pretty cool.


This is my super great niece, Devynn. She is so much fun. Here she was eating Salmon berries that we found on a hiking trail over in Seward.

These are just some pictures of Alaskan scenery. The mountain is Mt. Redoubt, taken from my mom's place in the caribou hills. The lower picture is Exit Glacier over in Seward.

All moved in and ready to leave

Things have been so busy the last month I don't even know where to start. About a month ago I had a big fight with my land lord, of which I had only been with for about 3 weeks. They wanted to start making all kind of crazy conditions and asking for more money, and threatening to throw me out if I didn't pay. As it turns out, they are con artists, and I am not the first one they have tried to cheat. Anyway, long story short is that I moved out and bit the bullet, losing my deposit. I could have fought it, but it wasn't worth it...this is just Lebanon. After three more weeks or searching (and being much more careful this time) I finally found a nice place in southern Beirut. The lady who owns it works for USAID, and said she was either going to sell it or rent it to foreigners, because she doesn't trust Lebanese. I got a pretty good deal. It is a fairly large apartment, at least for Middle East standards, about 900 sq. ft. It has two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, a living room, and a balcony. The neighborhood is decent, but kind of noisy since it full of traffic, but once again that is Beirut. You cannot escape the sound of cars. I also (the also referring to Aaron) recently went to the shops and dropped about 250$ on household items like a blender, iron, cutlery, etc. However, unlike Aaron I wasn't thinking that it would be nice to have a cute little doe around my arm (or a doh, since I already have one, and he isn't cute or little...plus he's kind of annoying if you live with him). I was actually thinking it would be nice to have someone who would just go and do the shopping for me...but then the problem is I don't really trust people to do my shopping for me.

This is the entry. The TV is purely for looks...I don't even have an antenna, and I intend to keep it that way.

This is the Dining room and the Sitting room. If you look close there is a can of A&W Root Beer. The other day I was in the store and found a place that sells Root Beer and Dr. Pepper. I have never found those before in the Middle East, so I bought some.

OK, enough of all that. While searching for the apartment I was living and helping out at the orphanage/shelter the majority of the time. I have gotten pretty attached to the kids, and I would like to think the feeling is mutual (for some of them I know it is). It will be pretty hard to leave them. Perhaps the Lord will allow me to stay involved with them in some way. I have sure learned alot about myself living with them and taking care of them. I've made a few trips to the south of lebanon to visit some people in the refugee camps and do some Distribution. There are so many things I wish I could do here, but don't have the time or energy. My back is feeling better, in general, but if I push it too hard the pain starts to come back. My back is very sore and the muscles are very tight. I started going to Physical Therapy, but it required too much time, so I quit...we'll see what happens.
My flight back to Alaska is in 10 days...I can't believe it. How did it get here so fast?? Whats worse is that I know that my time there will go by even faster, despite the midnight sun. I will be glad to be back in Alaska to visit. I definetly miss it, and all my friends there. In reality, I am glad I haven't had much time to think about coming back, cause it usually only causes me to be sad and confused. Sad because I know it is only a temporary visit, and confused because I have no home, and no real sense of belonging anywhere I am. It is a very strange feeling...

A friend of mine is coming from Syria and I am taking a day or two before I leave Lebanon to go see some of the scenic part of the country. Hopefully I will post some pictures before I travel. Until then, Hasta Luego

To Jordan and Back

Well, I just came back from a quick trip to Jordan. I mostly went to visit old friends, renew my Visa for Lebanon (they only let you stay 3 months, like every middle eastern country), work a little for the University of Jordan, as well as do some other work of more eternal consequence. I never thought I would say this, but Jordan is such a well-ordered, clean, law-abiding country! Of course this is only in comparison to Lebanon, which gives you an idea of how bad Lebanon must be. I feel like I can actually trust people in Jordan. Also, the driving in Jordan amazed me; people actually stop for one another, and although jordanians still can't drive in a straight line, they at least don't go opposite to the flow of traffic, like lebanese.
Overall, the trip was very nice. It seemed like everything fell into place, and I was able to see almost all of my old friends. I even got in a couple games of squash, and got to take a day in the dead sea. Work at the University went well, and they even paid me for it...quite well this time, which is because they have no one who can replace me and do they same work I did (specially since another article I wrote just got accepted for publication). I had a couple of meetings, and the rest of the time I spent with friends talking about various things and praying together. It was a good trip, and the seven days went by incredibly fast. It was a nice vacation, eventhough I was busy the whole time (except the hiking trip). My back did pretty good, and didn't seem to be too bothered by the walking.
Anyway, I am back in Beirut now, and things are in full swing. Lebanon is as frustrating as ever, and the day I came back I had a run-in with my land-lord...Also, the elections are in 3 days, so things are pretty tense. I am hoping to lay low.
In parting, here are a few picture of Macheraus, one of Herod's forts, and the place where a certain Salome danced for Herod which resulted in John the Baptist being beheaded. It is not that big, but it has all the characteristics of a Herodian castle (of which I have now seen all them still in existance).

Brief News

Well, I don't really have any news. Things have been pretty slow actually the last week. I spend two days down in Tyre visiting some new people in the refugee camp, which I always love to do. It always seems to me that the poorest of people are the kindest in heart. The people in the camps are always so hospitable, even when they have nothing. One of the families we visited was a widow with five kids. The all live in one room the size of what we would consider a small bedroom. That room includes their bathroom and kitchen, complete with an infestation of rats. They have been living that way for about eight years, since the father died. One of her older girls is engaged to be married, and she is only 15 years old, because they think that getting married will solve the problems. I have not seen anything that so pungently displays the wickedness and devastation caused by sin as visiting places like that. So, one might ask why I enjoy going to places like that??? Because armed with a heart of compassion and a knowledge of the gospel you can offer to them something they know nothing about. Hope. and Love. Most of the time when I leave the camps I feel like I have made some small difference, but even more it renews my passion to do more, and to draw nearer to Christ, that I might not just speak about him, but also show him to those who know him not.

Other than the camp I was busy trying to prepare a sunday school lesson. Well, the lesson was mostly prepared, I just had to prepare myself. Now, normally that wouldn't take extreme effort or preparation, but this was the first time I have given an entire lesson in Arabic. Let me tell you that teaching in a foreign language, which you are still trying to learn, especially in one as difficult as arabic, is much harder than you might think. I managed to get through it, and cover most of the points I intended, but I had a constant feeling of inadequecy. Some of that comes because I am a perfectionist and I don't like feeling incapable, and part of it came because I knew how many mistakes I was making. Needless to say I still have a ways to go before I do public speaking in a fluent manner. I think only other studiers of arabic will realize just how dificult this language is. Not that I am complaining, I enjoy the challenge (most the time), and seeing my inadequecies usually encourages me to study harder.

On an unrelated topic, here is a picture of my Lebanese Lemon (that is it's name until I gain complete confidence that it won't break down). It is running more or less well, but still lacks the power it should and is burning more gas than it should. I've replaced almost everything in the fuel system and the basic parts in the ignition. It is pretty small (which is nice when driving and parking in Lebanon), but has a respectable amount of room inside. The picture makes it look smaller than it is.

This is a picture of a few of the kids from the orphanage. I am still staying up there part time and helping out. I've been looking for apartments for a while, and I think I've found one, but we'll see what happens.

Lastly, I am making a trip back to Jordan at the end of the month to visit some friends and a do a few other errands, as well as renew my Visa. I wanted to drive, but I am afraid the trip will hurt my back too much, so luckily I was able to find a cheap flight. Anyway, I am looking forward to it.

Well, I guess for not having any news I said quite a bit. Summer is setting in here and its getting pretty steamy. I envy you alaskans with your cool weather and longs days.

where is noah

Well, I would apologize for taking so long to make a post, but it is becoming so common that I figure everyone is getting accustomed to the long delays. Things have been very busy here in Lebanon. I am still in the search of an apartment that is reasonable priced. Plus, after being here for two months I have realized that I do not want to live in Beirut proper. It is quite possibly the most disorganized city I have seen. There are times it will take 2 or 3 hours to get across town, which is only about 10 km (6 miles). I think a suburb would be just as good, but I’ve been told that I should wait until the summer when it gets scorching hot then everyone will move up into the mountains and there will be lots of good places for a cheap price. Also, after a year and a half of living in the middle east I decided to get a car. I think I have finally gotten used to the “driving” here enough to feel confident enough to drive. I never thought that all the racing video games (especially grand theft auto) I played would actually help me in real life. However, basically the way things work here is that you forget everything you learned about rules and drive like it is every man for himself, because it is. The only rule you follow is “also pay attention”. You never know when some guy on a motor scooter will come flying up the road going against traffic, or someone will pull out in front of you without warning. In light of these conditions I decided to get something small (so I can fit into the non-existent parking spaces in Beirut) yet something that is strong. I was going to get a Jeep, but after thinking and praying about it decided it against it. Instead I found a Toyota Rav4. I thought I was getting a decent deal when I bought it, only to find out that the guy who sold it is quite possibly the biggest cheat and liar in Beirut (which is saying something). In addition to the mandatory government inspection, I even took the car to a mechanic before buying it. I later found out that the guy bribed both the mechanic and the government official to tell me the car was good. Anyway, to make a long story short, I got a car that needed some work, which for those of you who know me is nothing new, in fact if I ever had a car that didn’t need work I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I sure miss my mechanic tools though…

On a more positive side, my back is getting better, much slower than I want, but I can at least move around with relative freedom. I still can’t play sports or do anything too strenuous lest the pain comes back. Right now I just have a light, constant pain through my left leg. I am hoping that with time it will go away too.

I’ve been able to make a few trips down to the some of the villages in the southern part of Lebanon. It is very pretty there, and we met lots of people. However, we ran into some problems with a certain extremist group that has hence temporarily disallowed me from entering certain areas. The most important thing to know in lebanon is to expect the unexpected.

Another positive thing is that I finally got internet access. After being told by nearly everyone that there is no wireless internet in Lebanon (by wireless I mean the microwave based internet technology), I met a guy who has wireless internet. So I went down to the company, and in two days got hooked up with a USB wireless modem that works in all the major cities of Lebanon. It is not super fast, but fast enough. So I guess I have no excuse to not write more blog posts.

The pictures are from what remains of the famous Cedars of Lebanon. There is only about 10 acres of them left...pretty sad.

the virtue of patience

I don’t have too much to speak about. Things have been kind of slow for the last week or two. Not because I have a lack of things I could be doing, but because I have been restricted to limited activity (some of which is self-imposed). As a consequence I have had more time to read, pray, and think, which has been very good. I am reading a book called In His Steps, the first English book I’ve read for 6 months. It is a good book, quite challenging. I would recommend it to anyone. Also, living with the kids here at the orphanage has been good for my Arabic. Lebanese dialect is similar to Jordanian/Palestinian, but with enough differences that you have to spend a bit of time adjusting, especially with kids. Nobody except the director here speaks English so I am forced to learn and adjust. I still have a hard time with some things, especially when the kids are arguing and all speaking at once. There are days when I feel like I actually have a good grasp on the language and then there are days when I feel like I don’t understand anything. Anyway, I feel like I am still making progress…it’s just never as fast as I want.
Ironically, that is the same situation as my back. Some days it feels pretty good and some days it feels terrible, like the other day we went to church (me and some of the older kids), and after the service I went to stand up and the pain was so sharp and so strong that I couldn’t stand up and I fell on my knees. I have been taking IB profen to try and take down the swelling (and thus the sciatic nerve pain), but I think it is a waste of time and money. I am up to taking between 2400 and 3000 mg a day, which is more than twice the recommended dosage. What is more, is that I don’t feel like it makes any difference. I went to the chiropractor for two weeks and didn’t feel like that was making a noticeable difference so I quit that as well. I am trying to just rest and stretch a lot. If I don’t get noticeable better in two weeks I am going to get an MRI. I met a person here in Lebanon who said she had the same sciatic pain after having her first child. She said it lasted for around two months and has never come back. I am hoping for something like that.
Anyway, life goes on. Hopefully it doesn’t sound like I am complaining. I am actually doing quite well. God is good, and continues to bless me with His goodness and grace. We are planning on making a big easter service in one of the refugee camps in Tyre on Monday. I really like going to the camps. The people are so...I don’t the word, Simple perhaps. I enjoy so much going to a place where people have next to nothing: no cars, no cell phones, no trips to the mall, no suits or fancy clothes…their concerns are whether they will have food and shelter for their family. To me, there is something relaxing, even attractive about being like that. Plus the refugee camp is right on the beach, which makes it even more amazing. Anyway, the plan is to distribute food and clothes and bibles, then have hymns and a sermon, then have activities for the kids and bible study/lessons with any of the families who are interested. I am looking forward to it, and praying that the weather and my back will cooperate.
I will try to take some pictures of it all and post it when I can.

This is a picture of southern Beirut from the orphanage at sunset

back to the abyss

If I had to try to describe the last two weeks in a single word I would say, “trying”. For whatever reason my back decided to get worse about two weeks ago, so I determined to go to the doctor again. He told me that sciatica can take up to 3 months to heal in severe cases. It has been 6 weeks for me. He did a couple quick tests and said it doesn’t seem like there is any really serious damage, and that it seemed like I had two herniated disks, but he couldn’t be sure without an MRI. He said if it isn’t better in 3,4 weeks come back and we’d make an appointment for the MRI. I also started seeing a chiropractor a couple times a week. I still haven’t determined if it is helping yet. Anyway, as a result I really haven’t been doing much of anything besides trying to rest…which is the absolute hardest part of the whole ordeal. There is so much I want to get started with. I can’t even do much studying because sitting is one of the worst things for my back.

Nevertheless, I’ve learned that God has a plan for everything that happens in our lives. I have pretty much always taken for granted that God gifted me with a strong body. Honestly I never considered the possibility that I would my physical abilities. So, these last few weeks have really cause me to think. Do I trust God with my whole life? Yes I trust Him with my eternal destiny, my finances, my physical circumstances, and so many other things…but do I trust that whatever He causes or allows in my life He allows because He is GOOD. I mean, if He decided to break my body and take my health from me would I still trust and serve Him? Not that I am being pessimistic about my situation, just saying What If. I had been thinking about this for a few days, and a couple days ago settled in my heart that “Lord, I am yours. If you make me a cripple, if you take everything from me, if you slay me I will praise you. I will serve you however YOU want me to serve you, no matter what that is”. After that I went to sleep with an overwhelming sense of peace. Well, less than two hours later the conviction of my dedication was tested. I woke up feeling very sick and started vomiting violently (for the first time in 12 years). I couldn’t go 10 minutes without throwing up. This continued for about two days. I am feeling a lot better now. You know what is strange about the whole event? Despite the fact that vomiting is probably the thing I hate and dread most in this life, the peace God gave me that night did not waiver. I did not question His Goodness or Providence in all that happened.

Sometimes we forget just how amazing, gracious, merciful, and good our God is. I am glad that he has taught me (and continues to teach me) to say like Job, “though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him”.

I had a cool picture to post, but the internet cafe is being picky...

pictures

This is fr0m a village in Syria where they still speak biblical Aramic. I think it is one of the last places in the world. Aramic is actually really close to Arabic, so I could understand a fair amount.

A view of the Crusader castle from the top. It is a HUGE place

This is the secondary wall. The castle is basically built out of the mountain, and then there is a second fortified wall (shown here), and inside there is another wall. I can't imagine trying to storm this place.


A Moat! so cool! just like out of the books and movies. The moat also provided water through a system of aquaducts.

This is one of Damascus' famous covered markets places. This one is called Suq al-hamadiyya. It kinda makes you feel like you are in Aladdin.
The outer wall of Old Damascus

Lebanon! and snow. Lebanon has snow in the mountain until about the end of March. If my back was in better condition I would be tempted to go up for a day and play around.

The kids eating lunch. The younger ones are the ones I am taking care of. There are 10 of them and their ages range from 5 - 10 years old.

to the abyss and back

The past month has caused me to start to doubt my faith in physics. According to the laws of special relativity Time is supposed to go slower as you approach the center of a gravitating body (i.e. the Earth). Now, since the earth is an oblate spheroid the equatorial regions of the earth (like the Middle East) are actually closer to the center of the earth than the northern and southern extremeties. Moreover, cities at sea level (like Beirut) are likewise closer to the earth’s center. However, despite all of this I think that time has actually sped up. I don’t think I have even notice the last three weeks (I guess my ability to notice pico-second variations needs work).
P.S. if you understood this you are in danger of becoming a nerd (take care!). If you in any way thought it was comical or entertaining you are already infected (don’t go to any doctor, there is no cure). If you think this is all dumb and I am wasting your time, you are safe from the nerd bug.

OK, enough of that. But seriously, this has been a crazy last few weeks. I got everything taken care of in Jordan, finished my nanotechnology research paper, and said goodbye to my friends. It was a little difficult to say goodbye to people I have known there for the last 14 months. Jordan is the longest place I have stayed in the last 3 years…so it was something like home, or the closest thing I might have in this life. Part of me kinda actually wish that it would have been harder to leave, emotionally I mean. The fact that I can just pick up and go without shedding tears or being emotionally torn kind of makes me feel like I have lost something of my humanity. Is it normal to feel like you have no attachment to one specific place in this world, no homeland, no place you call your own? I know the answer to that question…and yet while I feel a strange uneasiness in my lack of sadness in being a nomad, at the same time I feel a unique sense of freedom and peace, knowing that I am where God wants me, and that He is with me. This suffices me.

A friend of mine offered to take me to Lebanon with his car. Of course that offer required that I pay all the expenses, which after accommodation, food, taxes, fees, and bribes turned out to be about 300$. I met up with another friend in Damascus and we spent three days in Syria. I got to see old Damascus, which is pretty amazing. We saw 1,500 year old markets, 2,500 year old ruins, and 2,000 year old streets (including the street that is called Straight). We spent a day and a half driving to some sites of interest. Probably the coolest was a huge crusader castle near the Syria coast. It is the largest crusader castle in the middle east, and was the last bastion of the Crusaders before their final retreat back to Europe. You cannot imagine how big this place is. It reminded me a lot of Helm’s Deep. It was designed to hold 1,500 to 2,000 soldiers, and was considered nearly impenetrable. Syria is definitely a neat country, and has a friendly, more open culture than Jordan, which kind of surprised me. Nevertheless, politics is different, and we were followed and watched by secret police a number of times.

I made it to Lebanon a little over a week ago and things have been non-stop. After dropping my stuff off at a friends place I went and spent a couple days down in Tyre where there are some people I know trying to start some kind of ministry and humanitarian aid projects with a refugee camp there. One of the guys I met there is a fisherman. I told him I used to be a fisherman too, and that I would love to go out and go fishing with him some time. He agreed…that will be so COOL. I also have some other friends who are involved in a orphanage/home for abused kids just outside of Beirut. As it turns out, they are in dire need of volunteers, so after a bit of consideration and prayer I decided to move in. They give me free room and board. The kids aren’t allowed to go to school so pretty much I am helping take care of the kids. Most of them are pretty good kids, they just have really difficult circumstances. Twice a week I take them to church (or as many as I can fit in the church van).

Well, that about covers the major points. I was hoping to be able to play more sports living here in Lebanon, however my pinched sciatic nerve is still putting a crimp on any kind of real physical activity. I’ve even been taking it easy, for the most part…I might be going to the doctor again if it’s not better soon.

Sorry I can’t put up any pictures right now. Right now the only internet that is easily accessible is dial-up (yeah, that’s right dial-up still exists), and I don’t feel like waiting 2 hours to upload the pictures. I'll put them up when I can. If you want to check out the castle I think it is called 'Crac de Chavaliers'.

unclear victory

Well, I got a phone call this morning from a friend telling me to look outside cause it was snowing. It was sort of snowing...you know that really wet snow that somehow manages to form into snow flakes and turn the ground into a mess of slush. Well that is what it was. It lasted for all of about 30 minutes. I guess officially it was snow.
Also I went to the doctor after all my friends bugging me to go and get checked out. It basically went as I expected. I told him all the symptoms and that I was 95% sure it was the sciatic nerve. He said it sounded right, told me to rest (yeah right), ice the back, and take anti-inflammatory drugs. I guess I will try to take it easy, although its not the easiest thing to do when you are moving to a new country.

Anyway, that's all I've got to say about that

Off and away

Well I guess I am officially over due to make a post…

Things have been kind of hectic here for the last couple of weeks. Of course at work, since I am leaving, my professor wants to get as much out of me as possible. I was working extra to try and get a research article published. It looks like it will get published, which will be very nice since I am one of the authors of the article, which is a big deal as a physicist. I actually have two research articles that are ‘In Press’, which means they are waiting to be published in a scientific journal. As soon as they go through I will post the link or the name of the Journal, so that you can all see just how much of a nerd I am…

I am on track to move to Lebanon in a couple days. I still haven’t really done anything to prepare for it, at least physically. I prefer to make the move kinda spontaneously, that way I don’t have to think about it. It can be kind of difficult to think about moving to a whole new country, leaving all the friends and contacts that I have made in Jordan. Oh well, I guess that is kind of the nature of the work and the life I’ve chosen to live. I have tried to arrange a place to live in Lebanon, and my friends tell me there are a couple of options that I can look at when I arrive. I am not too worried about it. Everything I own fits in two backpacks, so I can stay in hostels for….probably the rest of my life if I had to.

The other news, which is kind of depressing and very annoying, is over a week ago my back and leg started really hurting. It is only my left leg, and it feels like it is on fire whenever I sit down or stand up or walk. I had an inclination that it was sciatica, and after reading some more on the web I am 95% sure it is either a pinched or inflamed nerve. I don’t how long it is supposed to last. If it is inflamed it should go down. The real problem is me…I am too stubborn to just rest. If a friend calls and asks to go play squash I can’t say no…although today I did refrain from playing basketball. If I have to refrain from all sports or working out for 3 or 4 weeks I think I might go just completely insane.

I have tried making a video about Jordan, but windows movie maker keeps freezing up. It has done this a lot. I definitely don’t recommend that software. It is weak, inconsistent, and untrustworthy. For those Mac users out there, this is your place to boast…Mac has incomparibly better base video software than windows. I will keep trying to make something to commemorate Jordan.

By the way it is supposed to snow here tomorrow. Everyone tells me they are SURE it will snow, cause the TV says so. I tell them no way. It is too warm and the conditions aren’t right. I think my Alaskan intuition is more accurate than the news forecaster…at least when it comes to snow. I guess we’ll see in a few hours.

Well that is my random update for the week.

A few pictures

I don't really have anything great to report. I am anxiously awaiting wedding news...also my baby sister (who consequently is no longer a baby, since she herself has one, who herself is growing up very quickly) has a birthday tomorrow. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!! and CONGRATULATIONS JASON AND JOANNA!!!

Nothing has really changed here. Still studying arabic, trying to win the nobel prize in physics, and make as many friends as I can. Eventually I need to start thinking about moving to Lebanon, which makes me sad because I don't like thinking about leaving my friends here in Jordan and restarting my social life...but so is life...
Last weekend I finally got out of Amman. First time in like 6 weeks. I have a book with various historical and geological sites in Jordan, and most of the time the book gives the GPS co-ordinates. There is a system of caves in northern Jordan, that almost nobody knows about. So, I got a few guys together and made a day trip out of it. It was AMAZING. The caves are in the jordanian mountains, which this time of year are just starting to fill up with blooming wild flowers of all colors as well as the apple and apricot blossoms on the trees. It almost feels like you are in a different country. It is very pretty up there in the spring. Anyway, we walked through the mountains for about 3 kilos to find the cave (using the GPS). We spent about 3 hours in the cave. There are tons of cracks, crevices, and caverns to explore. There were bats all over the place too...so COOOL. The caves are believed to have been used throughout history for people escaping persecution. Probably used by Christians during the time of the Romans. Overall, it was one of the nicest trips I've done in Jordan. Plus we had a great group of guys. Here are a few pictures.

The Bat Cave!

my little friend

The Guysa blooming apricot tree