As predicted I have failed to upload a picture everyday. But this was an active decision on my part because a) I imagine it would greatly annoy you to have a post a day and b) I know it would greatly annoy me to have to take a picture everyday. Plus who am I kidding, I don't know how to take pictures. But I do know how to blab on for a long amount of time about ridiculous situations, so there you have it.
Not much to update on, but has that ever stopped me? I have officially been here for over two months now and feel comfortable in saying that there are certain things* in the States I will miss for the entire duration of my trip. (How long do I have to stay here before this isn't considered a trip anymore?)
*Things exclude my family and my friends, so don't be cheeky and leave me a comment that says, "What about MEH?" I miss you, okay?
A list of what (not who) I miss:
-my Macbook (I didn't bring it with me because I thought there would be power outage issues, only to come find that everyone in Lebanon has a Macbook.)
-my car
-In n Out
-fast internet
-actually, working internet
-Yelp/Google Maps/a reliable directory
-the little thing called road law enforcement
-the $2 movie theater in Pasadena
-privacy
-having my goals taken seriously instead of just "Oh, you got a job? Good, fill your time, have fun."
-American standards of beauty (believe me if you think it's harsh in the USA you have no idea)
Now that I look at that list I sort of love the unreliability of Lebanon, too. It's gotten me to really depend on myself and step outside of my comfort zone, and I think those are the situations I'm learning from the most. And although I am experiencing degrading attitudes towards women and their roles, I just try to tell myself that it's all a learning experience and that this is a different culture with a different set of standards, so it wouldn't be fair for me to judge them. That's after I tell myself to hold my tongue, which really takes 150% of my energy.
When I die I want it to be known that I was a fair person. (Also a genius supermodel, charitable to the poor and schmoozy with the rich, and that I danced like a gazelle harmonious with nature.) So--
An ever growing list of what I know I will miss about Lebanon when I leave:
-Do I even have to say it? Shawarma.
-Also knafeh, fresh zaatar, Teta's homemade anything, basically all the food I have eaten here. (Except for sheep testicle. It may have been fine except that it was really soft and I just couldn't really take the idea that I was eating a mushy testicle. When I explained this to my grandma she said it was soft because the sheep hadn't taken Viagra. All in all it was a horrifying experience.)
-Easily being able to navigate the city without a car
-Sitting on the veranda drinking mate
-Instant coffee that's actually delicious
-Having my Turkish coffee cup read (And getting the same fortune each time: "Oh, what a beautiful cup! You are going to get married very soon!" Really? How interesting.)
-Being related to an entire village of people (Note: this relates to "privacy" on previous list.)
-The artistic and progressive vibe of Hamra
-The abundance of cafes with individuality (and working/fast internet!)
-watching a movie with two sets of subtitles (Quite distracting, but I think I'm now fluent in French)
-A stranger going out of their way to help in every situation
-Being in an acoustic room with 20+ family members on a regular basis
-Did I already mention shawarma?
I know once I settle in more and make friends the list will be even longer. Speaking of which, why don't I have friends again?
Well, it's Saturday night and I'm sitting in my room typing this so I think we've solved that mystery. But am I supposed to go out alone? Making friends is for 13-year-old girls who change schools, not for a 22-year-old who has already put in so much time and effort to maintain friendships from each of her life experiences! I know, I know, you're never too old to learn from others and get to know new people and welcome them into your life and blah blah blah. But I don't know how to do this without school. It's hard and I'm lazy. Why can't all my friends just move here?
Well, that's all the bibble babble for now. And that's pibble pabble for all you English speakers.
Jan 30, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
If you're still up for going with the one-picture-a-day thing, might I suggest Momentile (http://momentile.com/about/)? The only downside is it doesn't let you write captions or publicly respond to comments. But at least it encourages you to post one each day. I've been on there for almost a year now; when I actually reach 1 year, I'll get to see the grid of tiny icons of each day that represents a year of my life. Wooo!
ReplyDeleteAnd ewwwww...sheep testicle?! *shudder*
Awww..don't worry, Nas! I'm sure you'll get to meet people somewhere. Just treat your workplace like it's school. Once you've had the "Cheetos are not chips" debate with your fellow coworkers at the lunch table, you know you're hanging out with the right people. ;)
I'm just shilly shallying, and might I say there's no better way to be doing it! As for Will's suggestion about Momentile--DO IT! At least take pictures of all the yummy food your Teta makes! Take pictures now, post them later... As long as I get to see it (foodie, foodie, foodie!). And how awesome is your Teta that she can say something about Viagra and testicles to you over food?! Brilliant. I'm glad you're settled in... As you have said, it's been 2 months--you're in, babe. It's not a "trip" anymore :)
ReplyDelete