Midge writing:
So…where to begin? We flew in at got home around 9:00pm. I think we were cursed with toddlers on our flights. Yes, screaming kids all around us. It was challenging to sleep but we survived. At SeaTac the lady that checked in all of our baggage and “travel kitty” actually gave us a hug before we left! Security? NOT so much! So, I’m walking through the x-ray with Pumpkin and this security lady says, “You need to take your X-Box out of your carry on” I gave her a look like “are you kidding??” and she said nevermind we’ve got it. Janna and I were randomly hand swabbed. Aren’t we lucky! THEN, we go through security in Paris…I don’t think we’ll be invited there again. Yes, the Parisians do not like us! They made us take EVERYTHING electronic out of our bags. Anything from I-pods to the X-Box. I finished one carry on and she said, “all done?” and I’d say, no, there’s more. THEN when we were done with that, I said that we have a cat and the lady said what?? And I said, “A cat, you know, mew, mew??” and she gave me this look like you’ve got to be kidding me! Suffice to say, we took a long time to repack all of our carry ons. When we got to Beirut we were hoping to not go through security…PLEASE NO!! We finished our visa paperwork and lo and behold, a security check…OH BOY!! We walk up with all nine duffles and all of our carry ons and the guy says “just one bag” then his supervisor says, “no just go through” They didn’t even look at the paperwork for the cat! That was just what we needed. As we came out of the airport there were probably 12 people waiting for all of us. They were very well organized and helpful. I’m loving how friendly and helpful everyone is at ACS!!
So…where to begin? We flew in at got home around 9:00pm. I think we were cursed with toddlers on our flights. Yes, screaming kids all around us. It was challenging to sleep but we survived. At SeaTac the lady that checked in all of our baggage and “travel kitty” actually gave us a hug before we left! Security? NOT so much! So, I’m walking through the x-ray with Pumpkin and this security lady says, “You need to take your X-Box out of your carry on” I gave her a look like “are you kidding??” and she said nevermind we’ve got it. Janna and I were randomly hand swabbed. Aren’t we lucky! THEN, we go through security in Paris…I don’t think we’ll be invited there again. Yes, the Parisians do not like us! They made us take EVERYTHING electronic out of our bags. Anything from I-pods to the X-Box. I finished one carry on and she said, “all done?” and I’d say, no, there’s more. THEN when we were done with that, I said that we have a cat and the lady said what?? And I said, “A cat, you know, mew, mew??” and she gave me this look like you’ve got to be kidding me! Suffice to say, we took a long time to repack all of our carry ons. When we got to Beirut we were hoping to not go through security…PLEASE NO!! We finished our visa paperwork and lo and behold, a security check…OH BOY!! We walk up with all nine duffles and all of our carry ons and the guy says “just one bag” then his supervisor says, “no just go through” They didn’t even look at the paperwork for the cat! That was just what we needed. As we came out of the airport there were probably 12 people waiting for all of us. They were very well organized and helpful. I’m loving how friendly and helpful everyone is at ACS!!
Pumpkin has
started to adjust and yes, her nose is healing. She was pushing up against her
carrier quite a bit.
Tim writing:
Beirut is a city of contrasts, from the very wealthy to extremely poor. As many of you know Lebanon was in a 16 year civil war and the city still bears many of the scars. It is not uncommon see buildings with mortar and bullet holes. Yet you walk 20 feet and you will see a modern building that rivals anything in the states. Parts of the city are very beautiful and just seem to encourage you to take a picture, yet walk 20 feet and garbage is left unattended and graffiti covers a wall. Shopping is from the very modern to buying your simple groceries in a tiny shop that may hold only a couple of people. It is not uncommon to see a family of five on a scooter and right next to them a brand new Mercedes. We have noticed that the Lebanese people want to be seen and they want to live life. The city is hectic, but some things just have to be taken slowly, like dinner. They are as content to dance or simply sit quietly on the porch. They are a people that love their country, most are quick with a smile and are more than willing to help if you ask. We have also found that you can buy almost anything in Lebanon, today we did our first big shopping trip and were able to buy Kirkland brand groceries. We also saw some more interesting things, that at the time we are not wanting to try!!! We have had some very great meals in our short time here and have learned that the Lebanese love food. Within a 10 minute walk, we can probably find 30 different restaurants, from Chinese, Italian, the Hard Rock Café, Subway, McDonalds, Burger King and the local Swarma shop. What is interesting is that all of these places will deliver to your house for about $2. We have really enjoyed our first few days and are looking forward to our next adventures. PLEASE leave us comments, as we really enjoy hearing from you and answering your questions. The one thing we are really missing is our family and friends.
Beirut is a city of contrasts, from the very wealthy to extremely poor. As many of you know Lebanon was in a 16 year civil war and the city still bears many of the scars. It is not uncommon see buildings with mortar and bullet holes. Yet you walk 20 feet and you will see a modern building that rivals anything in the states. Parts of the city are very beautiful and just seem to encourage you to take a picture, yet walk 20 feet and garbage is left unattended and graffiti covers a wall. Shopping is from the very modern to buying your simple groceries in a tiny shop that may hold only a couple of people. It is not uncommon to see a family of five on a scooter and right next to them a brand new Mercedes. We have noticed that the Lebanese people want to be seen and they want to live life. The city is hectic, but some things just have to be taken slowly, like dinner. They are as content to dance or simply sit quietly on the porch. They are a people that love their country, most are quick with a smile and are more than willing to help if you ask. We have also found that you can buy almost anything in Lebanon, today we did our first big shopping trip and were able to buy Kirkland brand groceries. We also saw some more interesting things, that at the time we are not wanting to try!!! We have had some very great meals in our short time here and have learned that the Lebanese love food. Within a 10 minute walk, we can probably find 30 different restaurants, from Chinese, Italian, the Hard Rock Café, Subway, McDonalds, Burger King and the local Swarma shop. What is interesting is that all of these places will deliver to your house for about $2. We have really enjoyed our first few days and are looking forward to our next adventures. PLEASE leave us comments, as we really enjoy hearing from you and answering your questions. The one thing we are really missing is our family and friends.
A random Beirut
street in our area.
part of our walk
to school
One of the
entrances to our school
Our cafeteria
Yes, part of what will be school lunch!After our work day on Friday, we went to get cell phones, which is a long process here. This is Janna in the cell phone store!
This is Delaney after the cell phone store
We all crashed on
Friday night.Today’s shopping pictures. Yes, a mosque over stores. Notice the “Obama” references in the store sign
There were stores under where this picture was taken
This is the store
under the last picture
These just looked funny to us! Sausage in a Jar!
Glad to hear you guys are having a good first few days... so much to see, so much to explore... looking forward to more pictures and stories! and nice to hear there are food options for you guys with cheaper delivery too!
ReplyDeletebig hugs to all of you!!!
It is so fun to hear from you and to see pictures!! I hope your updates keep coming! It all looks very exciting/exhausting right now. (I LOVE the picts of Janna and D) We miss you already but are excited to continue to follow your journey. Love, Jonna
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you are settling in. It sounds like you'll be in a routine sooner rather than later. I have heard that a fantastic breakfast is Flufendorfers and Bock Wurst. Keep the pictures and posts coming when you have time. Nothing new here except we got a free piano that we put in the computer room, so I apologize if this post might be incoherent. Take care. Nate
ReplyDeleteNate, what is the french word for Flufendorfers? Apparently we have been eating a lot of croissant type Flufendorfers here but no one will tell us what they are called.... Please! Let us know! :-)
DeleteSo excited to know that you have finally arrived and are ready for a new adventure! Glad to know that Pumpkin also made the journey. Can't imagine that much time a cage. Love the photos and learning about the culture! Keep me posted on wine tasting throughout Beirut. Can't wait to hear about school. Yahoo for your family! Warmly, Steph
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Steph! I miss you all in the library lands of the Muk! Buying any kind of alcohol is interesting here but we found two bottles of white in our fridge as a gift when we got here. Have been kept so busy that we haven't had time to even try them. Apparently there are 3 famous vineyards here in Lebanon and I think I heard someone say that they are all run by monks but I could be wrong. Take care!
DeleteRemembering just how much I hate the Blogger UI ...
ReplyDeleteLooks like you went to the Costco that isn't really a Costco. Costco doesn't have a trademark in Lebanon, so they just use the name. Apparently they buy Kirkland brand products from the real Costco and import them. I guess they make enough profit to make it worthwhile. All good since they probably have things other places don't.
The bottled bock wurst aren't too bad. I bought a bottle and three rolls for a train ride from Wiesbaden to Munich. Not exactly delicious cold, but they did the trick.
Enjoy!
@ Paul...If anyone had tried the bottled bockwurst we knew it would be YOU! We were also warned to check the expiration dates on the kirkland brands because a lot of times they are outdated...
ReplyDelete