A Breath of Fresh Air...
These days, if you live in a major city almost anywhere in the world, it may be very hard to honestly say you are homesick. Even in Beirut, I’ve been able to watch the same movies that I would have watched if I were still living at home. I could have kept up my (thrice) daily Starbucks habit in Beirut (I did not. I find Starbucks too expensive here but if I really needed it, I could). Three years in, I can find whatever I need at the supermarket, even erythritol My favourite sugar alcohol was the last holdout but it's here! I found it at a corner store. I’ve even been able to find stevia collagen drinks at the gas station for $1! The weather is grand, the food is tasty, the Mediterranean Sea is distractingly beautiful. What is there to miss about home? Some who know Lebanon and all its challenges well might be screaming at their screens right now: "24 hour electricity, water and gas! Infrastructure! Garbage pickup! WiFi!"
Yes, yes. I hear you and you're all right about those things but honestly none of that drives me crazy here (at least not always). You know what I miss? My best friend. Sure I have her on FaceTime, WhatsApp, Instagram, you name it. We are so lucky in this day and age to have this technology. Would any of us be expats without these things? The sacrifices we make when we leave our own countries these days are nothing compared with those that walked this path decades ago. Missionaries, soldiers that fell in love overseas, explorers.... when they left home, they LEFT! When I’m not strict with myself, I can find myself very lazy about making new friends here. Why should I when I’m carrying on the same conversation that I started in 2016 (in English! So easy!) with my brother back home. I digress.... the point of today's blog...
My best friend is in Beirut! She came just to see me! We have each other's full attention. This is not like my visits home when I’m home for three weeks and I get one evening with her and her husband in among visits with my family, hugs from my nieces and nephews, dinner parties and brunches with relatives. We have long easy days together, like when we shared an apartment together as young women in Kitsilano. Days we used to both call in sick from work when it rained so we could bake cookies and watch movies and talk about boys. Now she's here. Her eyes and ears and nose drinking in every detail of this new city that I’ve tried to explain to her so many times. I’m eager to hear her thoughts. Does she agree with me that the way the mountains crash right into the sea resembles home? Does she understand, now that she's seen Beirut, why I gave up so much to be here? Can she see why I don’t really think it’s a sacrifice to have left? What does she think of my new friends?
So far we have visited my beloved Batroun, the cedars at Tannourine. We have walked all of my favorite blocks in my neighbourhood (Hamra) in the hot, hot sun. We have been to Raouche. We have walked the seawall. We explored Byblos and today she and her husband went to my favourite: Jeitta. By themselves! We have spent time with some of my Lebanese friends and they have formed their own friendships with these special people. They have learned a few Arabic words ("khalas!" "Haram!" and, of course "Yalla!"). They tell me they see what I mean about how Beirut gets under your skin the way New York City or London might. They are finally able to understand my decision to come here. It feels good to share one of the new treasures in my life. My beloved Beirut.
*Hey guys, my blog is pretty new and I'm just trying it out as a hobby. I have signed up with Amazon Affiliates to see if eventually I could monetize these writings and, because of that, you'll see there's a link in today's blog to a product that I know and love. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. In the interest of full transparency to any readers I may have, my total earnings to date have been $0.00.
Yes, yes. I hear you and you're all right about those things but honestly none of that drives me crazy here (at least not always). You know what I miss? My best friend. Sure I have her on FaceTime, WhatsApp, Instagram, you name it. We are so lucky in this day and age to have this technology. Would any of us be expats without these things? The sacrifices we make when we leave our own countries these days are nothing compared with those that walked this path decades ago. Missionaries, soldiers that fell in love overseas, explorers.... when they left home, they LEFT! When I’m not strict with myself, I can find myself very lazy about making new friends here. Why should I when I’m carrying on the same conversation that I started in 2016 (in English! So easy!) with my brother back home. I digress.... the point of today's blog...
My best friend is in Beirut! She came just to see me! We have each other's full attention. This is not like my visits home when I’m home for three weeks and I get one evening with her and her husband in among visits with my family, hugs from my nieces and nephews, dinner parties and brunches with relatives. We have long easy days together, like when we shared an apartment together as young women in Kitsilano. Days we used to both call in sick from work when it rained so we could bake cookies and watch movies and talk about boys. Now she's here. Her eyes and ears and nose drinking in every detail of this new city that I’ve tried to explain to her so many times. I’m eager to hear her thoughts. Does she agree with me that the way the mountains crash right into the sea resembles home? Does she understand, now that she's seen Beirut, why I gave up so much to be here? Can she see why I don’t really think it’s a sacrifice to have left? What does she think of my new friends?
So far we have visited my beloved Batroun, the cedars at Tannourine. We have walked all of my favorite blocks in my neighbourhood (Hamra) in the hot, hot sun. We have been to Raouche. We have walked the seawall. We explored Byblos and today she and her husband went to my favourite: Jeitta. By themselves! We have spent time with some of my Lebanese friends and they have formed their own friendships with these special people. They have learned a few Arabic words ("khalas!" "Haram!" and, of course "Yalla!"). They tell me they see what I mean about how Beirut gets under your skin the way New York City or London might. They are finally able to understand my decision to come here. It feels good to share one of the new treasures in my life. My beloved Beirut.
*Hey guys, my blog is pretty new and I'm just trying it out as a hobby. I have signed up with Amazon Affiliates to see if eventually I could monetize these writings and, because of that, you'll see there's a link in today's blog to a product that I know and love. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. In the interest of full transparency to any readers I may have, my total earnings to date have been $0.00.
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