A common project in the north district

As I have mentioned earlier in my blog, I have focused my work in the north region in the Lebanese Red Cross Youth, in addition to follow up the youth center in Balamand, I work with a common activity for the whole north district. The district has three centers, Koura, Balamand and Tripoli. They want to execute this activity because they want all the centers in the north to be more integrated with each other, to share their experiences and knowledge, and get a more collected and strong north.

The background is that they see a big need to collect the children and youth more together. There has been a tendency that children and youth are being separated in to which geographic area they come from, which also often tells you which group or religious belief you belong to. The Red Cross Youth wants to gather them with play and fun, at the same time tell about the Red Cross work, and do recruitment.

The activity is named velo paper, and it is a bike run within a given geographic area, where you bike a road which has been planned by the Red Cross youth volunteers, and where you meet different Red Cross stands on the way, on these stands there will be competitions and it will be told what the Red Cross Youth is. This is going to be executed twice, once in Tripoli and once in Koura. It is planned to be in the end of May, and I sit in the committee with center representatives so together this can be executed in a best way as possible.

A girls trip to Syria

Camilla has had for the past week visitors from Norway, so we found out we wanted to point our noses to the far east and explore the neighbour country. We left Friday morning each one with their back pack on their back, and we were on our way with our private taxi driver. The trip took a little bit longer time than expected due to the unexpected weather. The past days the sun has been shining, and suddenly the heavy rain came with fog over the mountains. It took around 3 ½ hours to get from Beirut to Damascus, where we were going to spend our time the next three days. We spend around 15 minutes on the boarder to Syria where they asked all kinds of questions. “Where are you going to live, how long are you staying, what are you doing there?” And so on…I got a flash back from the role play On the Run an activity which the Red Cross Youth in Norway has, and I laughed for myself, finding many similarities. To read more about On the Run click on this link: http://www.rodekorsungdom.no/English/Activities/The_Roleplay_On_the_run/

Text: Lunch in restaurant Leila with traditional Syrian food. On the pic from the left: Camilla, Leila, me and Kajsa.

Our plan was very simple, first we were going to find a hotel we could stay, find a restaurant to eat lunch and then explore the medina in the old city. This went smoothly, and we found a three star hotel (after some searching and help by the hostels we passed by), 100 dollars for to nights and for four persons, included breakfast, and this was not bad. Syria is much cheaper than Lebanon, and you can expect a very good dinner for only 3 dollars, you can also shop a lot of Arabic things for a cheaper amount of money than in Lebanon, so I had my shopping list ready already before my departure.

Text: Me in the old city, with the mosque of Umaayad in the background.

Damascus is one of the oldest city in the world, where there continuously has been living inhabitants. Totally there lives around 6 million people in the capital and the desert sand is floating in the wind. It was a different experience to walk in the street of Damascus than in Beirut, Syria is been seen as a more conservative country if you compare it to Lebanon, and it was exciting to see all the contrasts and to see maybe a more representative picture of the middle east.

Text: Me, Camilla and Kajsa inside the mosque of Umaayad , pay special attention to us looking like fishermen from the village.

We took the trip to the mosque of Umaayad, this is said to be the most famous and the biggest mosque of Islam. We were covered with very beautiful uniforms that was going to cover us. Look at the picture next to the text. This mosque is also rumoured with that the head of John the Baptist is lying inside the mosque, but that I did not see, so I have my suspicious mind.

Text: Me with a big coffee can where you can make turkish coffee. In the background you can see some plates that can be used as a table.

We walked in the old city all Saturday, and this day was dedicated for shopping, and not at least to try Syria’s best ice-cream, which has a very good reputation, “we just had to try that!” I came to obtain a very charming Arabic table, which consists of a copper plate with beautiful decorations and with separate wooden legs. It was absolutely beautiful, in addition I bought silk scarf, jewellery, fresh spices and some other small things.

Text: I put a closure with a picture with Kajsa and I eating famous ice cream with vanilla and pistachio nuts. mmmm

All in all it was a very good trip, and it really temps for reiteration, it is still so much more I want to see of Syria, and not at least things to buy! We’ll see if there will come up a new opportunity in a later occation, inshalla.

Red Cross Youth in Balamand

My work has been focused in the northern part of Lebanon, especially in Balamand, which lays around 10 km south east of Tripoli. Balamand center is a Red Cross Youth club which is centred in the University of Balamand .The center has around 20 volunteers, and they do activities within and outside the university campus. So here I will spend a lot of my time, where I go north at least once a week, and spend the night if necessary.

I had my first meeting with the volunteers on Thursday where we planned the coming UNICEF activity which they were going to have the next day for children in the age of 8-9 years old in a school close by. It was preparations to far out in the night, where we wanted to make all the material ready for the activity the following day, it was an excited team who wanted to do a tremendous work for the Red Cross. I spend the night in the home of the president of the youth club, his sister lives in Denmark and there was a lot of chat about Scandinavia, I was invited for Danish honey on white bread and to see pictures from our neighbour country.

We got up in the sunrise the next day to meet the volunteers and to go jointly to Koura, where the activity was going to be executed. I had slept half an hour, because I had gotten an eye infection that kept me up all night, I took myself together and made myself ready to meet the 65 kids that waited for us, and who were going to go through a tight program of activities. They actively participated for knowledge about nutrition and hygiene. There were six stands, and I got the responsibility to lead 10 wonderful kids through all these. Luckily they spoke English and they were extremely obedient where they walked on a strict line. I had a great time with them, and off course I got some time to play a little bit with them.

The soundtrack of Beirut

This is a selection of songs that has a special memory function for me over here, many of them are songs I listened to a lot in the beginning, and which I have attached an extra feeling for. I have not got lost in the trance syndrome that is specially spread in this country. I was told when I arrived to Lebanon – just wait, you will like it in the end. But I have still not….

Concerning The Ufo Sighting Near Highland, Il - Sufjan Stevens
“When the revenant came down. We couldn't imagine what it was. In the spirit of three stars. The alien thing that took its form. Then to Lebanon. Oh, God. The flashing at night, the sirens grow and grow. Oh, history involved itself. Mysterious shade that took its form. Or what it was, incarnation. Three stars. Delivering signs and dusting from their eyes.”

Lemontree – Fool’s garden
This is a song I’ve not heard since I was a child before I arrived to Lebanon, it is a song that is frequently played, and it is a big hit on karaoke and radio. It always creates a very good atmosphere, people sing for full throat when it comes on in Moloko, the pub where we go to sing karaoke.

The road to freedom – Chris De Burgh

The first months I was here and got to know our good friend Elie, he played this song all the time, specially when the dark had set in and we drove on our way back home and took a little sighteeing in Beirut. This song brings me back to many memories of my first impressions of Beirut, and how I thought my life would be here in Lebanon.

Leaving on a jetplane – John Denver
This song is specially attached to the prepatory course before my departure to Lebanon where there were many tensed and eager emotions in me. And this song has been with me as a special friend on my journey. This is a song I think I will never get sick of.

Rat Race – Bob Marley
I never believed that I would ever become a reggae fan, those of you who know me from home know that I don’t listen that much to this type of music. But over here it has been played quite a lot of reggae music, where both Camilla and Elie are big reggae fans. And I have grown in my taste of music.

Regy – Arabisk song
This was the first arabic song I could recognize, there are not many of those, and all off course contain the words habibi and Hebak/ik. I remember when we went on a mission with save the children, this song was played many times in the bus, in the big excitement for the kids, where they danced and sang for us. So when I hear this song now, I get excited because I can actually recognize it and follow the song. Arabic song are specially popular in the nightlife of Beirut and when the clock passes 00 it is good to know some Arabic moves and lyrics (at least to hum a little bit).

Jack Johnson
This is Camillas cartrack nr one when we are out driving, and also mine. I memorize the time when we took a trip to Jbeil for the beach, and when we drove south from Tripoli to Beirut, tired after a long day out on mission, while we hum loud to Jack Johnsons velvet voice.

I build this garden for us – Lenny Kravitz
“In this garden. They'll be no war. No racial prejudice. You'll be my brother. Of any color.
You'll just be okay with us. We'll live each day in peace. In hope that we will one day reach
The rest of the world. When they are ready to be teached”

Official opening of the norwegian embassy in Lebanon

Picture taken on "by the way" here you see Camilla and I with the Norwegian flag in the back ground.

We were invited for a celebration, it was the official opening of the Norwegian embassy in Lebanon, the embassy was opened the 22^nd of October 2007, and the ambassador will be approved when the new president is elected and approved her, inshallah, I hope that this date will come very soon.

The opening took placee in a Norwegian owned pub called “by the way” where they actually sells Norwegian waffles. It was a big surprise for me that there were so many Norwegians in Lebanon, I guessed there were around 30 Norwegians in this country, but after I talked to the internship (that turned out to be from Ålesund) there are as many as 70 people here.

It was strange to be surrounded by so many people speaking Norwegian, and I must say it would actually be more comfortable to speak in English. It was served food with a loud speaking crowd present. We mingled around and tried as best as we could to talk to many people. The most people living and working here are on different missions through helping organisations, like for example Norwegian refugee council, the UN and ect. It was really nice to meet Norwegians again, and it temps for repetitions.

A trip down to south Lebanon

Tuesday was the big day, when Camilla and I finally could take the trip down to south Lebanon. We have been travelling around big parts of the country before, but unluckily we haven’t made it to the south. We were invited for a whole day where we first visited a school around a 15 minute drive away from Bernt Jbeil, where the Red Cross Youth had made a theatre about environment for the kids in the school. The school had been bombed during the July war and the Red Cross had helped the school with new equipments.

The trip went further on to Bertn Jbeil, where we visited a medical social clinic. They offered doctor and dentist services for the local community. This was the only medical clinic in the local community, because the hospital was not up running yet.

We went to a small village on our way back to Beirut to visit some relatives to one of those who came with us on the trip. There we got tea, sweets and fresh almonds, the hospitality in Lebanon is incredible, and specially when we come out on the countryside. I feel I am getting really good care of, and I feel warmth deep in to my heart.

On our way back to Beirut we stopped in Nabatiyeh where we ate some lunch. Then we once again were back in Beirut, where we spent the rest of the day babysitting a little puppy named Oleo, Ann Katherines dog.

A new bomb in the suburb of Beirut....

Published Friday, January 25, 2008

Many people ask me how it feels like to live in such a stable unstable country as Lebanon, don’t I get scared? Today there has been a new bomb in the suburb of Beirut. Where in this writing moment, 11 human lifes has been taken, and 16 more have been wounded. It is terrible, and my heart really goes to those who are touched by this. You can see that the Red Cross is really working hard to alleviate the human suffering. The red cross is shown in every news where they help the affected.

Many impressions the people at home in Norway have, is that Lebanon is under continuously war fighting in the street, something they often get reminded of in the news and other media. This is not my impression of my reality here. It feels just as surrealistic to watch the news on tv in our apartment in Beirut, to see what is happening in the same city you live in. I haven’t been directly affected by any of these tragically accidents, and I follow the security restrictions that’s been given. I feel very safe walking in the streets of Beirut, I actually feel safer here than walking in the street of Oslo one late afternoon.

To the question if I am afraid? I haven’t been afraid up to now, I feel my security has been taken very good care off by the International Federation of the RC societies. I really trust them to make the right decisions when it comes to our security, and if you in addition has a good common sense and do not take any unnecessary risks, you have a very good starting point. It is a different random crime you meet here then in Norway, but as long as you follow the instructions you are pretty safe.