A lovely day

Ah, after rain comes fresher air and a brighter sky. Lovely! Today I got up eeearly to take my dear “wife” (Trude) to the airport. The clock rang at 05:30. A bit early maybe, but what won`t you do for your loved ones? :) After spending every day together for three months it will be strange not to have Trude around for three weeks. But probably it`s healthy for our relationship to have the time to miss eath other a bit. Now I have four days “alone” in Beirut, and then I`ll be home in Norway together with my family. How I`m looking forward to it! Saturday is by the way a working day here in Lebanon, so after the airport mission this early morning I went to the office to execute the tasks of the day. Since I`m traveling on monday I thought it would be nice to spread some Christmas joy to the employees and the volunteers, so I brought some candle lights, some norwegian crackers and our traditional brown cheese. A culinary (?) experience that was well appreaciated. On my way home from work I dropped by a second hand store which is run by this increadibly nice elderly gentleman. We talked about this and that, and nice to see you again, and acctually I dropped by to ask if he had an old guitar to sell. He didn`t, but as it was he gave me his own guitar to borrow with me home. He thought it would be appropriate since I was alone in the appartment now and then had the time to play. He showed me an old and yellowish program for a guitar consert he had done at the American University in the city in 1957, and he told me about how he started playing the guitar in his younger days. What an increadibly nice man! Almost confused from happiness and gratitude I continued my walk home with a well played guitar in one hand, and a beautiful red flower for 3 norwegian kr from the shop at the corner in the other. Tonight I`ll visit some friends, and we`ll eat chicken and enjoy ourselves even more. What a lovely day!

Stormy weather ahead

Help! Tonight it was again so much lightning and thunder that I thought the whole building would collapse. The rumours say that we should prepare for three days of storm. This I can believe. Yesterday one of the windowglasses in the kitchen blew off it`s track and was left on the floor in a thousand pieces. Something which was possible because these windows are not normal closeable windows, but rather some sort of Venetian blind in glass. Quite charming actually, but I admit that I am a bit sceptical regarding how this is going to keep out the cold this winter. I guess I`ll bring another wollen sweather back from Norway after x-mas, and then it will be just fine. Three days with storm is likely to mean three days without internett (which we`ve finally gotten installed at home – hurray!), and possibly also without electrisity, but I`m not too concerned about this since I`m spending all Saturday and Sunday in a workshop a thousand and something meters above sealevel. (And here it will probably snow!! :)) The Humanitarian Law program of the Lebanese Red Cross Youth is going to test out some new activities for their internal trainings this weekend, and I`m going to facilitate the semi roleplaying game Raw War. The volunteers will do the “combating” part of the game outdoors, wearing costumes and armypaint. And I`ll make angels in the snow:) Weehee! For sure this is going to be a whole lot of fun!!

December

It`s starting to get colder now, and the winter is obviously around the corner. On a mission a few hours drive from Beirut I recently discovered one of the most typical signs of spring in Norway. A Tussilago farfara! It is in other words not a typical norwegian winter that`s waiting for me, but rather a combination of spring and autumn, I guess. At least in the capital city, where snowfall is not common. However, the houses here are not very well isolated, and when the temperature goes down to 12-13 degrees celcius and the rain is pouring down, I feel increadibly thankful that I decided to let the wollen underwear and grandma`s wollen rugs take up some space in my suitcase when leaving Norway. Up in the mountains the first snow has already paid a visit, and there the cold is being kept out of the homes with paraffin stoves and fireplaces in the rooms.

A few days ago Beirut started decorating the streets for Christmas. The arrangements of lights are modestly placed in shrubs, windows and across the streets, and in the shelfes in the shops a number of red and golden Santa Clauses, stars and other typical X-mas stuff have appeared. Suddently it hits me that December is here! As opposed to the norwegian context you don`t find Christmas marzipan on display in October i Beirut, and this might be part of the reason why this obvious fact has missed my attention completely. It`s almost X-mas! I have decided to spend the holydays in Norway, which I`m looking very much forward to. Without doubt it would have been special to experience the lebanese celebration, but so be it. Holydays are best spent together with those you love the most, and this is what I intend to do. I really miss my familiy.

Independence Day

November 22nd, 1943, Lebanon was granted independence, having been under French ruling since the establishment in 1920. today, 64 years later, it is remarkable quiet in the streets of Beirut, compared to the Norwegian celebration that I`m used to at home. Nor can I see more Lebanese flags waving than what I do on any other day. Normally this day is celebrated with big public military parades, flags, fireworks and a lot of happy people in the streets. Today, however, there was no following up on this tradition. Many Lebanese probably feel that this is not the right time for great celebrations, due to the awaiting presidental elections and a situation which is starting to reach a state of political vakuum. Tomorrow`s parlamentary sessions were tonight again announced to be postponed, and it is now very uncertain what is going to happen next.

The president is elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term. Last elections were held in 1998, and Emile Lahoud, the outgoing president, were supposed to leave office in 2004. His term was, however, extended by three years. According to Lebanese Constitution the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the National Assembly is a Shi'a Muslim. The PM is appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly, and the Cabinet is chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly. (Source: CIA World Factbook.)

Political tension..

- I`ve just entered my door at home. (Actually it was a few hours ago, but some technical problems occured, and yes, well, anyways. Just pretend it`s still 5:30 PM) Another working day is over. The last hour was spent having security briefing with the Head of the Federation Delegation down here. We shall use the existing communication line, and from now on report all our movements after dark. And we`ve got stricter restrictions to where we can and cannot move. Tomorrow the governmental talks needed to go through with the elections for a new president in the country was supposed to take place, but earlier today the meeting was announced to be postponed. Again. The elections have already been postponed twice due to lack of consensus, and now it`s starting to be dangerously little time to act on. Saturday is the deadline for the sitting president to leave office, and by then the new one should preferably be on place. It`s hard not to notice the deadlock. There`s a lot of tension in the air, and I can feel it myself as well. I`m a little extra on guard when I`m out walking or driving. Hopefully nothing will happen, but still I try to notice little details like strange sounds or where the police has consentrated it`s guarding, and I`m constantly analyzing the situation around me the best way that I can. It`s not paranoia, but a blend of instinct and common sense that`s driving me, I think. And in a tense situation like this there is unfortunately reason to be worried. Everybody remembers the tragic carbomb that killed a minister and several civilians in Beirut just two months ago, and up through the years this county has not been blessed with too much peace and quiet.. The civil and military state of readiness has been tightened up the last days, and there`s more uniformed and armed men and tanks in the streets in my neighborhood. Serious faces with inquiring eyes. Even though people around me would rather avoid talking too much about the situation, and try to go on with their everyday lives as if things were completely normal, there`s no doubt that they are worried, and fed up with the whole political issue. “Will we have a new government?” “Are we ending up with TWO?” “A military one maybe?” It is difficult to predict to outcome of this week, but I dare bet that what most Lebanese want most of all these days is peace and quiet, and political consensus. Inch Allah, they will get what they wish for. As for myself, I`ll keep a low profile, and limit my movements to the Arabic school, nearby coffeeshops with internet connection, and the gym right across the street.

Arabic

- after two weeks we started attending our first arabic classes, and since then we`ve had lessons three hours a day, four days a week. The first lessons I didn`t really understand much, but after a while it became oh so much easier. Our teacher, Shirine, tells us that we`re doing great. I`m sure she tells all her students, but I choose to consider this irrelevant. So far we ARE doing great (in my own opinion of course), and it is a lot of fun to learn arabic. Marhaba? Ahlein. Kifik? Mniha. LHamdella! W 2enti? Lebanese is a fascinating language, and not quite like “regular” arabic, for those who might be deceived to think so. Without going in depth one could say that it is some sort of lovely mixture of arabic, french and english, and with a touch of the ancient phenexcian language (which the lebanese by the way were the “inventors” of some xx hundred years ago). The written language is however standard arabic, and the “internet language” a third version. Why make it easy? From the beginning we decided to learn both the spoken and the written language, something which I didn`t regret so far. It is fun to be able to read the signs on the buildings, and actually recognise some words. It is also fun when I can impress a few of the lebanese that cross my path with various rehersed words and sentences. Not unexpectedly there is also room for both decent and less decent words in my continuously increasing vocabulary, creating much joy for myself and the close surroundings. (Some of my new friends have even adopted a couple of expressions that clearly have a different accent than the ones they normally use) La wlo? (Nooo, really, are you kidding me??)

Anyone mentioned work?

When you`ve managed to find your way to the office, it`s time to start working. When my colleugue and I came down here in the middle of September, we had no spesific work description, and together with our contact person we decided to spend the first month getting to know the organisation, and then create our own work description. This first month has been quite hectical, and filled with meetings with different departments, committees and other institutions. We have been introduced to the different programmes that are run by the youth department, and we have already participated in several workshops with volunteers from these programmes. It`s been an educational and useful introduction periode, and I do feel that I now have a certain overview over the Lebanese Red Cross Society, and that I`m better equipped for the continuous work. So, what exactly am I going to work with? Well, from home I am quite used to having a little finger involved in many projects at the same time, and it seems that this may be a solution also here. Hurray! No reason to break a good trend, right? Since the whole organisation at the time is in the middle of a comprehensive prosess of strategic planning, we have decided together with our supervisors to focus most of our energy on the holistic planning prosess in the youth department, instead of solely choosing one or two spesific programmes or youth centers to work with. I hope and do believe that we`ll manage to create many good things together with the volunteers on this area. This is the fifth and final year that the Lebanese and the Norwegian Red Cross is exchanging youth delegates within this programme, and it is important for all parts that our resources are being used in the most useful and sustainable way possible. Organisational development is a field that both my partner and I are experienced and interested in, so concerning work the next 8 months may very well turn out to be very exciting. I`m looking forward to it!

E7teramet!

- Finally, my blog is up and running. My very first blog! Sorry to all uf you back home that all this time most probably have been dying to know how I`m doing, and what`s really going on down here. My only excuse is that the days have been long, and the nights soo, so short.. Now, however, no more waiting. So, where to begin? There is so many impressions! Lebanon is without doubt a fantastic country, and so far I haven`t felt bored for a second. On the contrary, I wish the day had a few more hours. (This is appearently not something that only occurs in the motherland, believe it or not.) Meetings, language classes, introduction rounds, workshops, eating (!), sleeping, getting to know new colleagues and friends, aclimatising... all in all a lot of things to administrate. What I espescially notice is that down here I get tired so much faster than what I normally do back home. I somehow expected this to happen, but still it`s interesting to actually experience it on my own body and mind. Those of you who know me well know that my sence of directions is not one of my best developed qualities, and you can only imagine how much energy I`ve spent trying to figure out my new neighbourhood. Now I can proudly say that I`m able to find my way to the office, the language school, my favourite coffee place AND the organic food store, all on my own. (And as if this wasn`t enough, I even know the way to Jbeil and Tripoli!) E7teramet! ( For those of you who are not too educated in arabic, this means Respect!)