On Sunday, after much fretting and expensive texting and checking flight statuses online, Mom and Dad arrived in Beirut! When I saw them at the airport, of course, I teared up. It was SO good to see them, as I had started to feel homesick here. And it was amazing to be able to spend time with them in Lebanon, like I had always dreamed of. However, they came during one of my busiest weeks here! I had two exams and one quiz. So I sent them on a few day trips, and then on the weekend, we got to go around the country together. Mom might post something with some of her pictures and her thoughts on being here, too! Anyway, we hung out and went out to eat several times, tried some new restaurants, introduced them to some ones I knew already.
On Saturday, the driver they hired (and thank God they did hire a driver! I kept picturing Dad driving just as crazy as all the Lebanese, and Mom clutching at her seat and pressing her imaginary break and yelling "JOHN!" at every turn...), Jean, a great tour guide who knew the country so well and was hilarious and very friendly, took us up to the Cedars and Hamat (the town where my family is from). We knew it was a long drive, but it ended up taking us much longer than we expected to get to the Cedars. Once we got to Becharre, a beautiful region filled with mountains, we kept stopping to take pictures.
Like I've said so many times before, my camera couldn't possibly capture the vast beauty of the land, but Mom's did a little bit of a better job.
Here are some of her pictures (put up more, Momma!!) and
here are mine, again. The mountains were just amazing though. I was so happy to finally take this trip because it was what I pictured Lebanon like. I could spend weeks up there -- it was so peaceful and the land was so beautiful. I couldn't stop staring, and feeling so satisfied, so blessed, so complete.
This was the area Khalil Gibran grew up in, and was buried in. We visited the Gibran Museum tucked into the mountains, and spent some time looking at all the original paintings and drawings of his. The museum is in a cool building, too. It was originally a monastery, but Gibran had his sister buy it so that he could be buried there when he died.
Next stop -- the Cedars!
Against the backdrop of the mountains, it was another sight that was just indescribable. It was much cooler up in the mountains (which was nice because I heard it was a hot day in Beirut!), and it was, again, so nice to be able to share this experience with Mom and Dad. Perfect day. I just wish the rest of the family could have been there!!! Next year, inshallah!!
We continued on through the mountains...
...until we got to the Monastery of Qozhaya, in the area where St. Anthony supposedly lived (or maybe it was just built in honor of him? Not sure now...). The architecture was beautiful, but you really didn't need that as a source of beauty when you're in mountains like this. They called the valley it was in "Holy Valley", and I'm sure it wasn't just because of the monastery. :)
By this time, it was about 6 or so, and we hadn't even visited Hamat yet!! We had originally planned to visit for lunch and be back in Beirut by evening, but that obviously didn't happen. However, we got to see the sun set in Hamat (here's a picture of Hamat from the road -- it's on this plateau.)
And we got to meet some of the family, and I got to see the house where my great grandmother, Mae Khoury, lived. Again, Mom's pictures are better than mine, but here's one of the most important: all of us around the kubbi mixing bowl!!
Also, our little cousins are the most adorable things ever. Of course I'm convinced that all Arab babies are the most darling babies in the world, but especially ones that are a part of my family! And Mom mentioned that it was fun walking around Lebanon because she kept seeing people who looked (and acted) like they could be in our family. It's interesting, because I have definitely felt the same way. Even though I know I probably stick out as an American, and a lot of the language goes over my head, I don't feel particularly like an outsider. I think it's probably because everyone looks like family! It's really fun.
After visiting our family and the house (please look at both Mom's and my Picasa's for more pictures!), we visited the Saidet el Nourieh Monastery in Hamat. It has another amazing view of the Mediterranean. It looked like the gates of Heaven were going to open up at any moment.
And then we returned finally to Beirut. It was such an amazing day, and I know that is really a short synopsis of it all, but I can't wait for me and my parents to tell you all the rest of the stories! The rest of their visit was just as great. It was so hard to believe I was actually there in Lebanon, and there in Hamat (!) with my parents. And Dina arrived on Wednesday! So we got to spend time with her and Adib and their parents too. Dina took us to some little shops in Hamra on Friday afternoon and then we went to the gold souq (market)! How fun. Though Dad and Dina were convinced that it really is a global market now, it was still fun to go shopping for gold in Lebnaon.
And on the last night of my parents' visit, we all went over to Dina and Adib's house. Their mom cooked us a DELICIOUS feast with kibbi, quiche, meat and eggplant, tabouli, and creme caramel, and probably more that I just can't remember! Everything was delicious, and we were all stuffed by the end. It was such a perfect ending to a great visit. Just wished they had stayed a little longer and that I wasn't so busy! But next year, it will be even better. :)
Now that I've spent about two hours blogging, it's time for me to finally do some homework. I miss you all and love you and can't wait to see you. I'll be home soon, it's so hard to believe! I return on August 7, which is just 2 and a half weeks away, and I know it will fly by. I'll try to be better about blogging, and post another post this week, so that I can include more of the day to day details. Until then, I'll keep eating Lebanese food for all of you.
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