Art at ACS

I am always astounded at the artwork that happens here at ACS. Each May there is an artshow for students 3rd through 12th grades. Last year I missed the show. I went to see it and there was a torrential downpour and the put everything away before I could get to it. This year I snuck in when no one was there. Here are some pictures from the show.

The view of the courtyard from a classroom above.

Another picture from above.  Frieda Kahlo and Einstein are permanent fixtures in the courtyard.

This one is Janna's!

More Elementary Art

I think the bright ones in the front are 3rd grade.

5th grade art. Treasure maps!

This one is Janna's Galaxy. The light was shining through at a sharp angle and we couldn't get rid of the bright spot in the lower right hand corner.

High school work.

More work from our high school students

Work from our 6th graders

My advisee from Australia made this one. I think it is outstanding. 8th grade.

7th grade Multimedia work.

This one is Delaney's work.

7th graders made pillows as well. They created their own stamps for them too.

This one is Delaney's. I love it! 

I found these interesting. They took a cast of their own arm and then created artwork out of it.

One of the many things I appreciate about our school, American Community School at Beirut, is the fact that the arts are very important. As a parent I feel that this is one of the best things that our daughters are experiencing here.  They both take art as well as music. They have also been involved in drama. Delaney has also done dance as well. They probably don't realize how blessed they are with all of this. Not only that, they are both learning Arabic and French. What an incredible place for our girls to learn!

The Armenian Neighborhood of Bourj Hammoud

Last weekend our friend and colleague, Talar, did us the honor of walking us around Bourj Hammoud which is known as the Armenian district. It was interesting talking with her about this historic place. During the Civil War, the Lebanese Armenians blockaded themselves into their neighborhood making themselves safe (I think of Switzerland) and yet in their own "prison" as well because they were completely surrounded by fighting. This is a strong community that is proud of their heritage. Many of the residents are descendants of refugees escaping the Armenian Genocide that occurred 100 years ago this year.

The narrow roads were difficult to drive in and therefore, we saw very few cars and many people walking as they were doing their Saturday morning shopping. We were greeted with smiles everywhere we went. Here are some interesting pictures of some of the shops and sights we saw.

As we were entering the labyrinth of the neighborhood I saw these traditional steps that we see all around Beirut.

One of the few cars trying to get through the neighborhood.

Did I say narrow?

We went to a nice restaurant that has a museum and heritage center in it.

Janna enjoying the artwork on the wall. Notice the needlework on the table. Traditionally, all Armenian homes have these on their tables.

The artwork she was looking at.

They have purchased this loom to teach kids and young adults the tradition of weaving.

This work of art was created by generations of the same family. Handed down from generation to generation, each daughter added a ring until is was done.

More traditional art displayed

Upstairs they had a display of calendars. When a community was able to create their own calendar it meant that they were established. 

This lovely piece shows the Armenian cross. Notice the points on the corners. Each points out from where it is believed Noah's Ark landed in Armenia.

Artwork of a family.

We then went on to look at the shops. It is always interesting to me how things are sold outside of the States.

Some sweets with chili paste and different flavored olives being sold in front of them.

Nuts and dried fruit are very traditional snacks here. What you are seeing in the front are walnuts on a string then dipped in thick grape juice and dried. We tried some and it was delicious!

How they sell spices in many small shops all over this neighborhood as well as in other areas of Beirut.

Dried grapes

More chili paste and grape leaves for cooking.

Another shop selling many things.

Sweets.

Arguileh shop.

This man was making handbags. Many things are still traditionally made in the neighborhood.

A shoe making shop.. Notice the shoe sizes behind Sharon.

Thinking these shoes were not made in the shop. I like the leopard skin ones. I'm sure you need some seriously strong ankles to walk in those!

These signs were display everywhere. This community will never forget!

 What a treat to see a small part of this incredible neighborhood that is rich in culture and tradition. Once again, thank you so much to Talar for giving us this experience we will never forget!

Cyprus - The Last One

Yes, we had an incredible time on Cyprus. We WILL visit there again. Such an easy trip for us. A 40 minute flight, relaxing locations and we didn't even get to half of the island! Here are the last pictures from our spring break.

The Paphos Archeological Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980. We spent about 3 hours walking around and didn't even get to see all of it! Here are just a few pictures of this incredible place.

While we have seen many mosaics in Lebanon the mosaics here were different.  Here are some of my favorites.

Many of the mosaics were outside but some were housed inside of a few buildings on the site.  In the middle of this building there was an enclosed yet open area for natural lighting. What a smart mama kitty to bring her kittens in here through the drainage pipes for safety!

Of course, there was more to this site than mosaics.

An incredible view to the west. This picture does not do justice to how beautiful the flowers were!

Not only a beautiful lighthouse but Delaney had fun going into the small cave that used to house a tomb.

Tim and Delaney going into the catacombs in another area.

 We then went north to the Paphos Zoo. While it isn't as nice as Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo it was a lot of fun.

Of course, how can you say no to feeding cute birds!

These two were sitting out on a walkway. We saw a family coming towards us and waited for them to go by but the older son (around 11 years old?) totally freaked out and thought they were going to kill him. He wasn't kidding! His little sister walked right by with her ice cream, we went past but there was absolutely NO WAY he was going by. He ended up going around in the end. I could tell his mom was not happy with him!

This big guy looked so happy to eat his lunch.

We couldn't say no to Delaney when she saw people feeding the giraffe. Definitely one of her trip highlights. I have to admit, it was pretty cool!

Here are a few final pictures that I thought I would add.

Thought Provoking

My final meal before we left! So tasty!

We weren't sure exactly what a "dang" was until a local explained that it is an ancient water reservoir. At first we thought it my be one of those signs where they get the English wrong.

Once again, an incredible trip!