Our First Full Day in Beirut

Our first full day in Lebanon was jam packed. We joined Fr. Andre at the school and met so many teachers…I know I’ll never remember all their names! I took particular note of Georgia, she teaches Chemistry and Miriam, who teaches 4th grade English was our host for most of the day. We visited the nursery, preschool, and elementary grades today. French, Arabic and English are all taught and spoken. The rationale is that the younger the student, the easier the language acquisition becomes; a well known fact that our American schools could do a better job of capitalizing upon. Lebanon, a French created nation, is tri-lingual, so having its citizens fluent in all three languages is critical. The young children danced and sang for us, and gave us their lovely gifts that they had made. They were so sweet! We shared a traditional Lebanese breakfast with our hosts, and then had a short tour of the school. As part of this, we also met with a parent who is part of a committee designed to foster sister school relationships such as ours with AIS. The possibilities seem endless, and I could sense the excitement and enthusiasm from all parties. The students joined us in the auditorium for a presentation on BBHS. They seemed to really enjoy the video of the school and were especially entranced with all the sports and activities offered, something they aren’t exposed to here. Fr. Andre tried to explain to them that since their school is so new (only 10 years old), they are still growing in that department. After all, BBHS is over 50 years old! That’s a long tradition. After a brief respite, we joined Mireille and her husband on a tour of Jeita Grotto, a fantastic network of underground caves with beautiful galleries full of stalactites and stalagmites. Jeita Grotto was nominated for inclusion as one of the seven wonders of the world, and as you look around you at the beautiful natural formations of calcium carbonate made by nothing more than dripping water, you can see why. Lunch, before we left on the boat tour of the grotto, was another feast. If we don’t all weigh 500lbs upon our return, it will be a miracle! Upon returning from the grotto, Jodie, Sheila and I went for a short walk up to the town, returning to share a lovely home cooked meal at the monastery. Father Johnny was the chef, and Fr. Andre joined us. Exhaustion seems to be the most serious threat facing us at this point, that or overindulgence in the fantastic food. If I hadn’t clumsily injured my knee this morning, I’d seriously consider getting up for a run before the food fest begins tomorrow!!