My 9 Lebanon Posts… Enjoy :D
Lebanon. Day One: 6/8/2004
I’m typing up this blog post on my laptop in Microsoft Word, so that later on I could copy paste these posts onto my kashkha web log 
I woke up this morning realizing that I’m going to Lebanon with my aunt in about 5 hours. I got up, washed up, got all my things together, and waited for my dad to go to the airport with my suitcase for the whole “wazen” thing. I left the house at 1:30 to the airport with my aunt, and the plane left the ground at 3:00 to Lebanon.
Now, I’m lying on my tummy in front of my laptop with the sound of Lebanese people next door, sitting on their balconies and enjoying a family dinner together, and chatting away. Every once in a while a car passes by and makes a very loud and disturbing (VVVVVVVVEEEEEHHHHHWWWWWWWW…. BBBRRRRRRrrrrr….) noise, and every car has to have a different soundtrack, which can be either the Lebanese radios or 3mro Diab’s, Nawal ElZughbi’s or Wa’el Kfouri’s albums, and sometimes even Mil7im Zain’s album.
I’m about to go to the soug in ib7amdoun, and I’m expecting to see a lot of Kuwaitis. I’ll post when I get back… Toodooloo
Alright, I just came back from the soug and it was so much fun, I got to see a lot of really nice bags and shoes there and some different weird styles. And of course, u could really tell between the Kuwaitis and the Lebanese people. The Kuwaitis are the people with over the top fashion statements and the Lebanese are the people with the simple, out-to-the-shops jeans and top.
We were walking around for about three hours, from 9:00 to 11:00 pm, which wasn’t noticeable since we were having so much fun doing what most women like to do. SHOP. And we had botha to walk around with and then we went home. And that was it.
Lebanon: Day Two: 7/8/2004
We (me, my aunt, and my grandma) only noticed how tired we were from last night when we got home and lied down on our beds, which is when we all fell asleep right away. No before-bedtime-chit chat, no checking out what we bought b4 bed. Just “ZzZzZzZz” right away.
We woke up this morning fully relaxed with only a tiny hint of jetlag on me and my aunt from our flight the day b4.
Today we’re going to Beirut to do the usual female gezzing and shopping.
I’ll post ya when I get back. 
Alright, I’m back. We had the usual fun time that we had last night except this time we had some lunch from a restaurant in Beirut called “BarBar” which seems to be really popular cos it was bulging with people, we even had to eat in the car. We did more shopping and then me and my aunt split from my grandma to go into a library. As soon as we were done we waited outside the library for my grandma to show up. What we noticed was that a lot of people were giving us weird looks, as if they haven’t seen two girls in panjabi tops, and jeans with 7ijabs and sneakers b4. Some guys even stared, whispered between themselves and laughed at us. We didn’t know what was going on until this old lady came up to us and was approaching us really slowly.
She was short, her eyes were level with my stomach, she was wearing all black, with a 7ijab around her tiny face, she was really pale and white, with gray eyes, but oddly she had her whole set of teeth. And this was the conversation we had (if u can call it a conversation):
Old lady: elsalam oo 3alaikum
Us: oo 3alaikum elsalam
Old lady: (after staring at us with a smile on her face) Ana enbasat6 inkum labseen el 7igab elsara7a.
Us: (smiling stupidly) mashkoora
Us thinking: what is that supposed to mean?
Old lady: hatha edel 3ala el eman… bidna el eman, ha?
Us: he he, enshalla (still thinking: wth?)
Old lady: Into min wain?
Us: El Kuwait.
Old lady: el 7amdulila
Us: huh?
Old lady: el salaam (slight wave of the hand and then she walks away with a smile on her face)
After that we burst out laughing and as soon as we saw my grandma, we told her and she laughed. It was a weird/sweet/nice/strange thing to go through, really.
Then we saw a weirdo guy with a huge moustache walking around with a camera, who I could only take a picture of when he wasn’t looking, and when my grandma asked him if he would stop for a while so I could take a clear pic of him, he showed us his camera and said: ib 10,000 LL. We left him there and said: No Way, Dude! (not really), cos if he had a problem with hygiene and shaving, then he should be paying us, not us paying him. We went through a few more shops, and then headed back home.
Lebanon: Day Three: 8/8/2004
I woke up at 12:00 and my aunt, grandma and grandpa were gone. I got up, took a cold shower (cos I didn’t know where the 7arar was, don’t think dirty), dressed and sat at the balcony.
I’m sitting here and typing my blog posts on Word, cos I can’t find an internet café. And even if I found one, my grandma won’t let me go in for sure since me and my aunt are just staying here for 10 days, oo tabe teshba3 mina gabel la enred el Kuwait.
We just had lunch and everybody’s asleep. So because I woke up late and my aunt and grandma were out in the morning, ana basically shab3ana nom.
I’m gonna go read a new novel while listening to the DJ Crow remixes that Jackie made me.
Now I’m done with my novel, and I’m checking out the pics I took while on the road to and from Beirut, while cropping and resizing the pic of the moustache guy so I could show my fellow bloggers.
I’m gonna go get ready to go see some old Kuwaiti people my grandparents know. I’ll tell you what happens when I get back. So BRB for now. ;p
Just got back, met some old Kuwaiti ladies that my grandma apparently knows. It was okay other than the fact that it was as boring as hell :pwe’re staying in tonight, gonna have dinner and watch some Lebanese TV. LoL
Alright, so we didn’t end up staying in. We left the apartment for some dinner with a Kuwaiti friend of ours, we saw some shops but then rode this small train-like vehicle which was really fun. And that was it, we called it a night and now we’re home.
Lebanon: Day Four: 9/8/2004
Woke up at 10:30 which is my usual wake-up time during summer if I don’t have class. Ugh, class. Took a shower, had breakfast, did my hair, sat and read a new novel. It’s called “The Sands of Time” by Sidney Sheldon, I read the back and it seems nice. It’s full of romance, politics, rebels, nuns, Spain, Madrid. I think u get it by now.
Had lunch, kept reading the novel, then fell asleep (great lunch, 7ajia). Now I’m up and fixing up my posts so they’d be acceptable and readable, and really long for Jackie since she loves reading everything I have to write, chena katba qusat 7ayati, sa7 Jackie?
Just got back from “Aleih” where we saw some really cool shops. I found a pair of comfortable sandals, which means it was a good shopping trip. I also had some botha…AGAIN. But, hey, it’s me! I don’t mind ice cream everyday at all! hehehe ;p I mean, who does?
I heard that in Lebanon, in the winter when there’s some snow, that the snow can actually reach about one meter. I just wish I came here in the winter, cos I love the cold. I prefer to wear some fancy winter-wear to keep me warm and covered up, than to sweat in the summer really. But summer in Lebanon is actually pretty cool, with some light breezes which can be very nice. Even the sun is pretty cold!
Now the time is 12:22 am, so it’s the 10th of August 2004. My birthday’s on the 12th, and I can’t wait … (insert evil laugh here)…
I’m going to bed. I’ll try to post 2moro. The guy who’s driving us around thought of some cool places to visit. I forgot their names, but as soon as I get there and take pics and stuff, I’ll get back here and type it all down with some ready-to-post pics
Lebanon: Day Five: 10/8/2004 (properly)
Today we went to Faloogha, Bait ElDeen, and Qal3at Mousa. It was so cool and the things that I saw were incredible, and I enjoyed it a lot. I wanted you bloggers to feel as if u were with me on my trip to Lebanon, so I took as many photos as I could. Displayed here are pics from the Kamal Junbela6 museum in Bait ElDeen, and a pic of Qasur Mousa on the inside and the outside. Enjoy
Oh, and don’t ask about Faloogha, we didn’t do much there, and the weather was a bit foggy, so it sorta ruined the mood. But great scenery, though.
Next time we’re going to J3aita, I think. My grandma sez it’s a great place, with beautiful scenery but I’m not allowed to take pictures in there… dunno why :/
But I guess I’ll just buy the CD or the book, they can be a substitute to the pics I could’ve taken, and a great thing to remember Lebanon by as a souvenir
Two days left for my birthday… I don’t know what I’m going to do. Stay in, go out and spend my grandparents’ money lol, or just stay quiet and see what happens… I’ll go with the third choice.
Lebanon: Day Six: 11/8/2004
Today was a bit of a bore, and I didn’t feel like doing anything at all. I stayed home all day while my grandma and aunt checked out some shops and made sure we were going to Syria 2moro. I hope it would be as fun as I think I would be. Oh yea, and it’s my birthday 2moro, so I can’t ask for anything else lol, so I guess I’m just gonna shut up for the day Hehehe, and just enjoy Syria. And I WILL take pics of course to show them off
I finished a novel 2day, and started another one. The last one I told u about, Sidney Sheldon’s “Sands of Time” was pretty good. I still don’t know if this Sidney person is a guy or a girl. But I have my doubts that it’s a girl, because if she/he was a female writer, she would pay more attention to surrounding and places. This book explained places but not in detail, and the romances weren’t as good as a female’s romances. I’m certainly going to read some more of Sidney Sheldon’s stories, and I’ll keep u posted.
I’ll tell you wat happens in Syria as soon as I get back… Seeya
Lebanon: Day Seven + Eight:
I just got back from Syria. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t like it at all. Sorry to all the Syrians, but it really stinks. Maybe it’s because we ended up staying at a poor side of the country and didn’t really see any of the great things that Syria is known for, but I didn’t like it. The guys there are really scary. Almost all the women there were wearing 7ijabs, but because my 7ijab was slightly different than the ones they were used to seeing, they kept staring. It was freaky b’cos it was as though they weren’t Arabs or Muslims like us at all. Why would they be weirded out by us :/
Anyways, I got to go to dinner at Bawabat Demashq and it was GREAT! They surprised me by placing a pink candle on my strawberry botha hehehehe, and it was a surprise because I considered the trip to Syria good enough as a birthday present, so I stayed quiet for the rest of the day and they surprise me with that. Then I realized I was really tired when we got to the hotel, and went to sleep immediately. The next day I woke up totally refreshed, had breakfast, went out, had lunch, and then got on the bus back to Lebanon. Here I am, typing up this post while sitting on the balcony I’m pretty happy and satisfied, even though I’m a little homesick. I miss Kuwait, (surprisingly) my bros, my own bed, internet connection lol, and posting up these blogs for immediate comments, and of course, reading your blogs and commenting on them. So my fellow bloggers, I just want to share this sentimental moment with you… (Long Long pause)… (Cracks up laughing) hehehehe, sorry couldn’t help it lol
Lebanon: Day 9:
Went to the shops in b7amdoun yesterday and it was fun. Today we’re resting for tomorrow’s flight. It’s gonna be at 6:00 pm and I might be in Kuwait at about 8:30 or 9:00 pm, depending on the jamarek and such… I guess I’ll be posting this as soon as I get back to Kuwait. So this could be my last blog post on Word hehehehe. So, I’ll seeya as soon as I get home.
Swair signing out
