We spent a lovely morning at the beach again today, but sorely missed our playmates, Michel and Nadia. They, of course, had school. But we enjoyed Rania’s company, and I even managed to capture a small sand crab before he disappeared down his little hole. On the way back to the monastery, Rania treated us to some delicious Lebanese treats; baklava, znoud el sit(my personal fav) and h
alawet al jeben. I’ve acquired a cookbook here, so at least I’ll have the names and pictures, even if I can’t follow the recipes! The afternoon and evening was spent at Maya’s. Rania and her two children joined us and we had a lovely time just relaxing with a Lebanese family. They had a darling Persian k
itten named Sushi. I mentioned I needed a trim, and before you could say “Hey. Presto!”, Maya had me down in the salon below her apartment getting my hair done. Sheila was transformed as well and Jodie got her toes done, so we all had our “girl fix”. One of the things you learn quickly here, is that if you are a friend, you’re like family. The generosity and kindness showered upon you is both unending and SO heartfel
t and sincere! Sometimes it overwhelms you, and you are so moved and touched that words simply escape you. We even had a chance to meet Maya's older brother, whom Maya obviously adores. Family is everything to the Lebanese. Children rarely leave home before they're married. It's quite uncommon, unlike the United States. Maya is obviously proud of both her mother and big brother, and she has every right to be! They were both charming. We were facing an early morning the next day, including Maya, so we all headed back to the monastery to begin packing and getting ready for our last day in Lebanon.
We spent a lovely morning at the beach again today, but sorely missed our playmates, Michel and Nadia. They, of course, had school. But we enjoyed Rania’s company, and I even managed to capture a small sand crab before he disappeared down his little hole. On the way back to the monastery, Rania treated us to some delicious Lebanese treats; baklava, znoud el sit(my personal fav) and h
alawet al jeben. I’ve acquired a cookbook here, so at least I’ll have the names and pictures, even if I can’t follow the recipes! The afternoon and evening was spent at Maya’s. Rania and her two children joined us and we had a lovely time just relaxing with a Lebanese family. They had a darling Persian k
itten named Sushi. I mentioned I needed a trim, and before you could say “Hey. Presto!”, Maya had me down in the salon below her apartment getting my hair done. Sheila was transformed as well and Jodie got her toes done, so we all had our “girl fix”. One of the things you learn quickly here, is that if you are a friend, you’re like family. The generosity and kindness showered upon you is both unending and SO heartfel
t and sincere! Sometimes it overwhelms you, and you are so moved and touched that words simply escape you. We even had a chance to meet Maya's older brother, whom Maya obviously adores. Family is everything to the Lebanese. Children rarely leave home before they're married. It's quite uncommon, unlike the United States. Maya is obviously proud of both her mother and big brother, and she has every right to be! They were both charming. We were facing an early morning the next day, including Maya, so we all headed back to the monastery to begin packing and getting ready for our last day in Lebanon.
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