I have finished week one! It honestly feels like I have been here for so much longer than that. As I have previously mentioned this week has been filled with meeting tons of new people, teaching and diving headfirst into this culture.

On Fridays we take the students on trips or excursions. This past Friday we took them to a river in the South. There we swam in the river (and the kids pushed us in ;) ), had some teacher vs. student “splash fights”, played soccer and danced the Debke with the kids. It was a great day for the kids and teachers…although it was a bit exhausting for the teachers.

Something that I have noticed since arriving in Lebanon: these people LOVE to dance! I have had hesitations about my ideas and visions since I know that the Middle East is a more conservative society and culture. But Friday showed me that these people not only love to dance but understand the joy and community that comes with dancing. The Debke is a folk/cultural dance and like most folk dances it evokes community and wholeness with others. The children loved teaching me the dance (I think they also got a kick out of teaching their TEACHER something.) I literally danced for more than an hour with those kids and loved every second. Any hesitation I had about these people not loving dance is gone. It reminded me a lot of what I felt in Uganda…that dance brings about community and brings people together. However, the challenge that I have realized exists is evoking creativity. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I have been trying to come up with ideas to have my students use their creativity more in class and it is a definite struggle. It’ll just take time.

Later on Friday night, the teachers went out to downtown Beirut to hang out and experience the nightlife in Beirut. What a contrast! I did not feel that I was in Lebanon but in Soho/NYC or in Paris. It was such a swanky, chic and classy environment, so different then what I was experiencing only a few miles south in the refugee camp. This is another aspect that I am struggling with in Lebanon, the contrast and segregation between the two worlds. Downtown Beirut is very materialistic, consumerism is thrown at you everywhere and women walk around in high heels just to go to the beach. This was very much illustrated at the end of the night as my friend and I got into our cab. We looked at each other and said “guess it’s time to cover-up” as we pulled out our cardigans to hide our tank tops for when we arrived back home at the camp. This is how it is here, women walk around in the most stylish, fashionable dresses in downtown while in the camps (and in the South) women need to worry how much of their neck is showing, if their pants are too tight and if their pants reach down to their ankles. Although it somewhat blows my mind, I also draw a unique parallel to life in DC. I teach in Southeast in which my students live below the poverty line, many go home to houses that lack electricity, come to school with empty bellies and feel that they are stuck in their own neighborhood for the rest of their lives. They feel oppressed by their own situation in life. Whereas in downtown DC, just a few miles north, there are some of the richest people in our nation living, there are some of the best schools in the nation and consumerism is also very overwhelming. I have noticed the segregation in DC and my experiences here are reminding me of it. It’ll be interesting to see how I work through this and process everything. But more on that later…

Today, the teachers had an excursion of their own and without the kids! We went to the Jeita Grottos up in the mountains of Lebanon. These were beautiful caverns which we were able to walk through but also take a boat ride through the grottos. Afterwards, we traveled to Byblos, a town on the coast north of Beirut. This town was where the first Bible was written and where the Phoenicians once lived. It was beautiful! It is a seaside town with ancient ruins and walls. There was a marina and also many restaurants right on the water. We ate dinner, walked around the town and relaxed on the shore of the Mediterranean.

Tomorrow, I’ll get to see my friend Joanna who just moved back to Lebanon from DC a few weeks ago. I’m excited to see her and experience more of Lebanon!

Week one has been a full week with many challenges, highlights and “growing moments”. I’ve started to learn how to navigate the streets of the camp, my stomach is still getting used to the food (although, my appetite LOVES the food), and I am beginning to understand the language, just a little more.

Here’s to the next few weeks….


PS: just a note from my "perfectionism-too-much-journalism-classes-self", if my grammar, spelling or writing is a bit choppy in these posts it's because I am writing fast in order to get it updated before the electricity goes out...again. So no judgement! ;)

PPS: I am writing this post while my team members having a very heated political debate in the internet cafe we are in. And somehow I finished this and did not get distracted or involved. That is my dedication to writing this and to you all.