I've been home in Edmonton for the last week and a half and the time has flown by. It is hard to believe that I will be on yet another airplane in two short days. I feel like I just got here; yet this has been the longest period of time that I've spent at home since the summer of '01.
I've been taking pictures of friends and snow and other Edmonton-related things that I have missed since I have been away. Of course, I forgot the cord that I need to upload the pictures onto my parents' home computer, so you will have to wait a few days (until we get back to Beirut) for the photoblog. Just more to look forward to.
During all of these months in Beirut, I thought that my homesickness was due to an over-romanticization of the comforts of home. And though some of my home-related neurosis has returned, being home has only reinforced my affinity for the things that I have missed since I have been away:
Stepping outside first thing in the morning to get the newspaper and taking a big breath of the cold, clean air. Wide roads, lanes and drivers stopping for traffic lights. Quiet walks outside. Long showers in clean water. Turning on the radio to a classic rock station. A TV listings channel for my time zone... in English. Internet connection that works all the time. The endless Alberta sky. Being around people who survived the nasty teen years with me. People who are equally, if not more crazy about the Oilers. Insane Dexter.
It could be a while before I get back to Canada after this. The next time might be for Vince and Connie's wedding in September of next year! And in the long run I will certainly be away from Canada for long stints. But I'll always come home -- I can't really imagine wanting to be any place else!
Hope all of you who are reading this have had a great holiday (no matter what holiday it is that you celebrate or didn't celebrate!). See you in the new year!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Syriana, Part 2
A couple of weekends ago, Glenn and I escaped Beirut to make our second trip to Damascus. Once again, we stayed with Mona and Stephen. We hit the market in the old city and this time entered the massive mosque. I wasn't covered up enough, so we were forced to rent some really drab garb for me, complete with ridiculous velcro closures! It was hard to walk and it was super warm.
The art on the walls outside of the mosque itself (inside the square of the compound) was quite impressive. Stephen, Glenn and I went inside enormous carpeted prayer area, where we saw a large, roped-off display encased all around in green glass. We came over to have a closer look, and saw a shrine and and a tomb. I had no idea what I was looking at, so we checked out our guidebooks... and found out that we were looking at the place where the head of John the Baptist was entombed! Apparently, back in "the day", the Muslims used to allow Christians to worship there, but they don't anymore. Some people were taking pictures of this area, but we thought it was sort of bad form to snap pictures where people were in mid-prayer.
We topped off our couple of days in Damascus with a group dinner in a restaurant on top of the mountain overlooking the city. We heard that somewhere in the mountains there are caves where Cain and Abel (of biblical fame) were allegedly buried.
Here are some of the pictures that we took from that weekend.
The art on the walls outside of the mosque itself (inside the square of the compound) was quite impressive. Stephen, Glenn and I went inside enormous carpeted prayer area, where we saw a large, roped-off display encased all around in green glass. We came over to have a closer look, and saw a shrine and and a tomb. I had no idea what I was looking at, so we checked out our guidebooks... and found out that we were looking at the place where the head of John the Baptist was entombed! Apparently, back in "the day", the Muslims used to allow Christians to worship there, but they don't anymore. Some people were taking pictures of this area, but we thought it was sort of bad form to snap pictures where people were in mid-prayer.
We topped off our couple of days in Damascus with a group dinner in a restaurant on top of the mountain overlooking the city. We heard that somewhere in the mountains there are caves where Cain and Abel (of biblical fame) were allegedly buried.
Here are some of the pictures that we took from that weekend.
Monday, December 4, 2006
Syriana
A few weeks ago, we made our first trip to Syria. It is about 2 hours drive from Beirut (depending upon the length of time it takes at the border crossing). We stayed with our friends Mona and Stephen who are originally from the Montreal area and are now living and working in Damascus.
I've posted pictures from this visit to a web album. If you click on the image below, I think it will take you to a slideshow of our pictures.
I've posted pictures from this visit to a web album. If you click on the image below, I think it will take you to a slideshow of our pictures.
I'll Be Home For Christmas
I haven't been very good about blogging for the past week or so. I was sick for a few days and then this weekend we decided to get ourselves out of Beirut, partly to avoid the protests which were scheduled to begin on Friday and partly to get some Christmas shopping done. So we went to Damascus to hang out with Stephen and Mona, who once again were so good as to put us up in their SQ and also to play tour guides for us through the old city.
The Christmas season is officially upon us now. There were all sorts of fake Christmas trees, decorations and toys being sold in the market in Damascus, and there was even a very Rockefeller Center-esque giant (fake) tree in a square in front of a Catholic church. Here in Beirut, the ABC (that's the upscale version of The Bay here) has a floor that is devoted to Christmas.
To be absolutely honest the whole thing is depressing to me. I can see that the time is going by and that somehow it is now December, but it certainly doesn't look or feel like December or like Christmas to me. It's 20C outside. I cannot complain -- I hear that back home it is -40C with the windchill -- but Christmas will not be the same without winter and family.
That's why I am so happy to be going home for Christmas. Glenn and I will be flying out of Beirut on the 16th. Here are the dates of our Canadian Christmas Tour:
Ottawa - December 16th
Home (Edmonton/Riverview) - December 17th to 31st
Ottawa - December 31st to January 6th
Inhuman weather conditions notwithstanding, I cannot wait to get home to Canada. I have been thinking of all of the things that I want to do out there. Here is a short list of them:
1. Go to the movies and see the latest films -- it takes a while before the big North American films get out here, and the selection is rather random. I want to see The Departed, Stranger than Fiction, and anything else that might have been released since I have been gone. Can anyone tell me anything about this Borat movie that seems to be all the rage?
2. Go out for some kickin' Vietnamese food. They have most kinds of cuisine here, but I haven't found any pho'.
3. Buy books -- a lot of them! I have been going through books at near break-neck pace and I need to replenish the stack.
4. Play in the snow.
5. Drink beer... anything other than Almaza and Heineken, which seem to be the only 2 kinds that are common in Lebanon.
6. Poutine. Poutine. Poutine. Poutine.
7. Hang out with friends and family, of course!
If you are in Canada, I hope to see you in a few day's time (12 days and counting!) Make sure to warm the place up for us, as we have grown soft from our time on the Mediterranean coast!
The Christmas season is officially upon us now. There were all sorts of fake Christmas trees, decorations and toys being sold in the market in Damascus, and there was even a very Rockefeller Center-esque giant (fake) tree in a square in front of a Catholic church. Here in Beirut, the ABC (that's the upscale version of The Bay here) has a floor that is devoted to Christmas.
To be absolutely honest the whole thing is depressing to me. I can see that the time is going by and that somehow it is now December, but it certainly doesn't look or feel like December or like Christmas to me. It's 20C outside. I cannot complain -- I hear that back home it is -40C with the windchill -- but Christmas will not be the same without winter and family.
That's why I am so happy to be going home for Christmas. Glenn and I will be flying out of Beirut on the 16th. Here are the dates of our Canadian Christmas Tour:
Ottawa - December 16th
Home (Edmonton/Riverview) - December 17th to 31st
Ottawa - December 31st to January 6th
Inhuman weather conditions notwithstanding, I cannot wait to get home to Canada. I have been thinking of all of the things that I want to do out there. Here is a short list of them:
1. Go to the movies and see the latest films -- it takes a while before the big North American films get out here, and the selection is rather random. I want to see The Departed, Stranger than Fiction, and anything else that might have been released since I have been gone. Can anyone tell me anything about this Borat movie that seems to be all the rage?
2. Go out for some kickin' Vietnamese food. They have most kinds of cuisine here, but I haven't found any pho'.
3. Buy books -- a lot of them! I have been going through books at near break-neck pace and I need to replenish the stack.
4. Play in the snow.
5. Drink beer... anything other than Almaza and Heineken, which seem to be the only 2 kinds that are common in Lebanon.
6. Poutine. Poutine. Poutine. Poutine.
7. Hang out with friends and family, of course!
If you are in Canada, I hope to see you in a few day's time (12 days and counting!) Make sure to warm the place up for us, as we have grown soft from our time on the Mediterranean coast!
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