Camp in Tyre

So much for trying to post more often...life just gets crazier. Things have been pretty busy the last few weeks. Lebanon is super busy in the summer, as most of the people around the middle east come to Lebanon for summer vacation, which means we get a increase in the already ridiculously congested traffic. On top of all of that, the geniuses who run this country decided that summer is the best time to do road construction. I feel like I spend half of my time sitting in my car, which just came out of the garage (again). At least the weather is good though...only 100 and high humidity...oooff. But I am not really complaining (well, maybe a little). I have started getting used most of the "intricacies" of Lebanon.

Below are a few of the pictures from the VBS camp that we had down in Tyre. It was a total of 5 days and we have an average of 60 kids. It was alot of work, but overall good.

Resurrection

It seems that my blog suffered was suffering from maltreatment and neglect at the hands of its owner. Unable to coop with the crushing feelings of abandonment and despair, it gave up the ghost and passed into the abyss of forgotten blogs…Now, I have come to revive its poor, broken spirit and try to breathe life into it once again.

Yeah, so anyway, I’ve obviously not been writing much on my blog for the last few months. So what have I been doing? Well, actually I’ve been really busy both inside and outside Lebanon. The last time I wrote I mentioned my first trip to Egypt. After I came back I was busy in Lebanon, mostly between doing things in Beirut, up at the orphanage, as well as going to the south a few days a week.

Things were moving along well, when one day I went to renew my visa…Here in Lebanon they only give you one month when you first arrive to the country, after that you have to apply for a 2 month extension. In order to take the extension you have to give them your passport for a week and then they return it to you with the renewed visa. Anyway, after the one week they still did not have the visa finished…then two weeks, then a month, then 6 six weeks. Each time I asked they told me “its still in procedures”. Eventually I went to the head office and they told me I had to leave Lebanon within one week, and that I was not allowed to come back as a tourist. So, I backed up my bags (actually only one bag, cause I hate travelling with extra luggage), and booked tickets to go back to Egypt and from there to Jordan. In my absence the pastor of the church here would start working on my papers to bring me back to Lebanon.

The two weeks in Egypt was fruitful. It was nice to see the people that I met there last time, and they were happy to see me. Egypt has a very friendly culture. Their food, however, was not so friendly. I got really sick for 2 days and wasn’t able to move around. Like last time we spent most of the time visiting villages and doing home meetings, in addition to a 2 day training conference. I managed to see the pyramids this time, only because they are right next to the main road heading in/out of Cairo (last time I took the train, so I didn’t see them). I didn’t stop, so I didn’t get any pictures, but I got a good impression of their size and majesty…pretty cool.Pic. 1: An ancient Roman Fort built out of black basalt. It was later used my Lawrence of Arabia as a staging area to raid caravans...Just one of the cool things to see in Jordan.

After Egypt I went to Jordan, and planned to stay there until I received word that I had been cleared to return to Lebanon. I really like Jordan. Partly because I lived there for 15 months, so I know the country, and especially Amman really well, but more so I think it is because Jordan has some semblance of law and order. There is a certain amount of peace of mind knowing that the law is, for the most part, upheld and respected. I have a lot of respect for kind Abdallah and his late father, for turning Jordan into a stable, secure, and safe place. Don’t get me wrong, Jordan still has many problems and has an uphill battle, but there is legitimate progress being made. I was very fortunate to stay with an old friend, Dylan, during my time in Jordan. We first met during a summer Arabic program in Wisconsin, after which we both moved to Jordan (for different reasons). He stayed there for a year and then went to Syria to study Arabic more, and I moved Lebanon. He just finished his first year of law school and was back in Jordan for a summer internship with the UNRWA. We have done a lot of hiking and camping trips together, and this trip we continued the tradition. We did one big hike: 30 miles through Wadi Mujib (The valley of Arnon in the Old Testament – the border of Moab and Ammon in the OT). It was a grueling hike through very rocky, rough terrain and scorching heat and humidity, but we made it. We did it in two days…I can’t imagine spending 40 years out there! The other hikes we did were one day trips up in northern Jordan. We walked the Jabbok river and saw the site where it is believed that Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord.

Pic. 2: The entrance to Wadi Mujib (Arnon). There is a perennial spring in the valley floor, but it is not as big as it used to be because it is dammed for agricultural purposes. Nevertheless this is the 3rd or 4th largest water source in Jordan...Water, One of Jordan's biggest challenges

Pic. 3: The gorge of Wadi Mujib where it narrows down and drains into the Dead Sea. The gorge is awesome, but we couldn't go down cause you need repelling gear.

Overall I spent one month in Jordan. The first two weeks were a nice break, but after that I started to get a little antsy about going back to Lebanon. I changed my plane ticket 7 times I think (all without any additional charge…props to Royal Jordanian airlines), each time postponing a couple days in the expectation that my Visa would come soon. Eventually, in God’s timing, my friend called me and said, “are you ready for this?”…by that time I was very ready. I called RJ and got the next available flight to Lebanon. Amazingly, there was no problems upon arriving to Lebanon. I got my entry visa quickly, my friend picked me up from the airport, my apartment was just like I left it (I guess people can’t steal anything if you don’t own anything).

Pic 4: The Zarqa (Jabbok) River. The 2nd largest source of water in Jordan. Also the only place you can fresh-water fish and turtles.

So, there it is. One more adventure in the story that is my life in the Middle East. The strange thing is that I think I am actually getting used to living this way. I just expect that there will always be some degree of instability and chaos in my life.

I will try harder to make consistent updates on the blog, but I can’t make any promises. Things seem to get busier every day.

Take care everyone and God bless

I must be a squirrel

OK, so my excuse for not posting is that I think someone injected me with Red Squirrel DNA. Some time back I was reading some random facts on Wikipedia and read that the common red squirrel only has a memory span of a few weeks. Many biologists think that the reason they spend so much time gathering nuts and what-not is that they forget where they stored the food. Man, that must be terribly annoying! So, yeah my excuse is that I just forget that I had a blog until I randomly stumbled upon it...how is that for an excuse? I should get something for creativity at least

In truth I have been really busy. The trip to Egypt was pretty amazing. I think it might has been one of the most intense 10 days I have spent in the last few years. We visiting over a dozen villages and held over 20 meetings. Egypt is a, in general, a very poor country. The area where we visited was even poorer than the average and had a very low education rate. It was dirty and undeveloped, but there was something very refreshing about the simplicity of it all. I'll put pictures at the end of the post.
After coming back from Egypt I was busy working with a group of volunteer doctors who were working in southern Lebanon for two days. I used to opportunity to do ministry and help and meet new people. It was quite fruitful and there was a great response, but it was very tiring. A couple days after they left we held a special conference for the women in southern lebanon. Women in Arab countries very commonly get overlooked, so we (the church in Beirut) decided to try and do something especially for them. It was the weekend of Mothers Day in Lebanon.
I have been sick for the last week and a half (not much fun). It started when I got a really back case of food poisoning. I was out of commission from that for almost 5 days. By the time I recovered my body was so weak that it made it really easy to get the flu that is going around. I am hopefully nearing the end of that as well...hopefully. I also got a really bad set of burns from an allergic reaction I had to some plants I encountered...just to top the other illnesses. I am hoping to do at least one short hiking trip before summer gets too scorching. I haven't done any kind of 'recreational' activity since the Fall, and Beirut city-life is starting to wear on me.

Things are starting to heat up here in Lebanon, in every meaning of the word. We had our first 90 degree day a few days ago. It is cooled down a bit, but it is only going to get worse...something I'm not looking forward. Summer is also going to be a busy time for me. Kids will be out of school, people will take vacations, tourism will start up, and in general people will be out and about more. All of which means we need to take advantage of the activity and make activities of our own. Tensions, unfortunately, are also heating up between Israel and Lebanon. People are talking more and more about war this summer. It is not something I want to see, but it is part of living in the Middle East.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the trip to Egypt:

People here still wash there clothes in the river.

This is a pretty common sized village, about 40,000 people. There are no paved roads, and most people get around via donkeys.
A common village scene
The Nile. It is huge, it makes the Mississippi look small, nuff said.
Me and a couple of the kids who became my friends. Olivia and Jarius

Off to Egypt

Yep, I'm off to search for the lost tomb of the pharaohs. No, not really. Actually I doubt that I'll do any site seeing in this trip. I have never been to Egypt, and the opportunity came up to go with one of my co-workers here in Lebanon. I have to leave Lebanon by the 14th of March anyway, because my Visa is going to expire. So this friend and I are going to go to southern Egypt to try and meet some people and share some good news. I am also hoping that it will give me a feel for the Egyptian culture and what kind of conditions they are living in. We'll be there 10 days, so it should give me enough time to get a taste of Egypt. It will probably test my Arabic, because Egyptian is very different than the Levantine dialect which I am used to speaking in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
Egypt is the most populated Arab country with 77 million people. Cairo is one the largest and most densely populated cities in the world, with about 18 million people literally living on top of each other. Personally I hope we don't spend much time in Cairo. Beirut is bad enough. Plus every tells me the only place which has worse traffic that Beirut is Cairo. Thanks but I'll pass, my sanity is wavering as it is.
Hopefully it will be a break the busy schedule I've been living here in Lebanon. Well, actually I hope that I will be busy (actually I know I will), but it will be nice to change the scenery a bit and get a breath of fresh....oh wait Egypt is one of the most polluted places on the planet...well a change of scenery anyway.
I doubt I'll have much internet access while away because the part of Egypt were going to is most poverty stricken and probably doesn't boast many internet cafes, so if you don't here from just trust the Lord that He's taking care of me.

I'll try to bring back a piece of the pyramids for a memento, or maybe a piece of mummy wrapping.
Which reminds me of a cartoon I read. Here's what it would look like if Alaskans made mummies (compliments of Tundra):

Book Review

I just finished reading this book, after it was recommended by a fried. It is the true-life story of a young Palestinian boy who grew up at the time which the state of Israel was formed, and Israelis forced him out of his home. Of course, this is not a new topic, hundreds of books have been written about it, but what separates this book is Chacour's reaction to the events. Instead of turning to hatred, violence, and revenge he instead turns to forgiveness, tolerance, and the hope for peace. Although he is not a born-again believer, he applies the teachings of Jesus Christ to one of the world's most intense conflicts. It is quite well-written and very interesting. Definitely worth reading, but I must warn those who have only been exposed to the standard western view of the conflict that it will probably challenge your viewpoint and knowledge of the events.

There was a quote I found in the book that describes almost all international conflicts, and especially this one:
"If there is a problem somewhere, this is what happens. Three people will try to do something concrete to settle the issue. Ten people will give a lecture analyzing what the three are doing. One hundred people will commend of condemn the ten for their lecture. One thousand people will argue about the problem, and one person -only one- will involve himself so deeply in the true solution that he is too busy to listen to any of it"
I think this quote is very accurate in we understand it from the viewpoint of the gospel.

Tribute to Godly music

hymns that we enjoy today. When you listen to the words of a hymn like Amazing Grace, When I survey the wonderous cross, or And can it be that I should gain, you know that God was working through the penmen of these marvelous works of art. In my opinion there is not even the illusion of a comparison between their beauty and the generally oversimple, repitious conglormerates that we call contemporary worship.
We, here in the middle east, lack the rich history of hymnology which exists in nearly every hymnal in western churches. What a blessing it is to have godly music.
So for all those whom God has richly blessed with musical talents I encourage you to stir up the gift which is in you, and provide the forthcoming generations with a legacy such you have inherited.

This a hymn which I don't think I've ever heard sung in person, but have loved it from the first time I heard it. So rich in meaning and truth.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

I love sports

I've realized something about myself while living in the Middle East: I love sports. Actually I love anything that involved physical activity, and the more strenuous it is the better. But the be honest, I already knew that about myself, I just realized how much I miss it, because I don't have the opportunity to play many sports over here.
However, since I came back from Alaska I decided that I was going to start exercising more and stop eating sugar. I've always exercised alot, but because of my back injury I had to stop. So for the last 3 or 4 months I've been going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week (usually two due to time constrains). But the times I don't go to the gym I do some sort of exercise in my apartment, or where ever I happen to be. All of the exercise, even in the gym, is based on a Cross-Fit philosophy, i.e. it's not about how long you exercise or how much you lift, its about how much your work the body as a whole and who dead tired you can make yourself.
Anyway, with the combination of the exercise and eating right (I've not had any soda now for 3 months) I've almost got up to long-saught-after 200 lbs (197), with no noticable fat, I feel stronger, and my back pain almost never surfaces. So, this is my tribute to Cross-Fit style exercise and health-conscience eating.

busy holidays

I knew I hadn't posted for a long time, but I didn't think that it had been a month...oh well, time flies when you don't have any of it.

Things here have been super busy. I've made a lot of new friends and aquaintances recently from one of the refugee camps here. Things are going well with them and they are happy to have me visit them in the camps, which is not always the case with foreigners. Some of their neighbors don't like me so much, so I quit driving my car into the camp, so as to avoid bringing un-needed attention to my self...you never know in this part of the world.
The Christmas holidays brought alot of activity at the orphanage. It seems for about 3 weeks a year the people here are willing to recgonize that there are lots of dis-infortuned children. We had universities come and make parties for the kids. We had politicians come, and we even had some famous actors and singers come. It was pretty funny, one of the singers, Mariam Faaris, came and there were cameras crews and reporters, and when she arrived every one started shouting "Mariam Faaris is here!". I've never heard of her, so I asked "who is Mariam Faaris? some news reporter?" You should have seen the looks I got, as to say, "do you live on Mars??". I could care less about some silly pop singer...
I just came back from a week-long trip to Jordan. I can't write much about the details of the trip, for one reason or another. It was nice to visit old friends again, as well as meeting new ones. I also had some meetings with the University people I used to work with. I even got to see some old friends from Alaska. Esam and Lena were in Amman visiting family. Esam is the first arab person I ever met. He works in the hospital in Fairbanks. It was really cool to see them in Jordan...the world can be very small at times.

Here are some pictures of Wadi Manshala, in the dead sea valley (it was a short, one-day trip with a couple friends). I can't go to Jordan without doing at least a little hiking, because as you can see, there are some amazing places.

The mouth of the Wadi (wadi = valley/ravine), which drains into the Dead Sea

One of the six waterfalls inside the wadi

The view from the top of the wadi: the Dead Sea and Israel. They say on a clear day you can see the mount of olives silhoutted on the horizon

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.