Taekwondo Tournament

Both of my kids have Taekwondo lessons. They love it.

Recently they were invited to participate in a tournament that involved several Taekwondo schools from around Beirut.

I was excited about it. Competitions are fun, they're a vital part of learning a sport, and it's just a good experience. But the kids didn't see it this way. They had reservations--deep, sever, serious reservations. There was nothing we could say or do to persuade them that the tournament would be fun, a good experience, something they'd like. They insisted, tearfully even, that they wanted no part of this.

So, instead of forcing them to participate, we attended as spectators. We noted the table covered in medals, and the safety helmets and gloves. Watched as little kids put on their gloves and fought it out on the mat, noting that falling over or getting pushed off the mat resulted in a serious loss of points.

It was pretty cool. There's another tournament in September. Maybe by then the kids will have come around.  Maybe next time, we'll be cheering for one of our own.

The Mail

Some of our family and friends mistakenly believe that there is no mail service in Beirut. They're not entirely correct. See this drop box? It belongs to the Lebanese postal service. And, in theory, if you put an appropriately stamped letter in the box, it will be delivered to its destination.

That's the theory anyway. Over the years, we've had some remarkable experiences with the Lebanese mail. I'll share a few stories:

1. There is no standard residential postal delivery. But, in 2006, a friend who lived in Hamra posted a letter to me in Ain Mreisseh. She used the street name and the name of my building, and listed the floor where I lived. A postman delivered the letter to me within the week. We were both astonished.

2. During the first week of July, 2006, I mailed a baby blanket to my sister for her anticipated newborn. Then, a week later, the airport was bombed and the war started and I forgot about it completely. Months later, October, I think it was, the package arrived at my sister's house. Neither of us could believe it.

3. Last year we mailed children's books about Lebanon and stickers to family and friends. About half of these packages never reached their destinations. This is the same experience we've had with holiday greetings that we've sent by mail. This past season, we opted for an e-card, and that's likely to continue.

Today, bloggers all over the world are posting photos of mailboxes in their city. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Work With It

When I see big piles of scrap lumbar, I can't help thinking off all the things I could do with it. It's fun to contemplate the possibilities.

AUB Archeology Museum

A few days ago I took the kids to the AUB Archeology Museum. I'd been there before, but it was several years ago. Back then, the kids couldn't read and the museum's renovation wasn't yet finished.

This is another museum that doesn't allow photos inside. That's why we gathered the kids for a photo before we went in.

The museum has a website that goes into detail about the collection. We decided to visit during our kid's spring break because the museum's operating hours (M-F 9-5 in the winter, 10-4 in the summer, closed on holidays) make it difficult to see the museum during the school year.

The displays in the museum are presented in an attractive accessible way, and even though it isn't a huge museum I could tell that my kids had seen more than they could take in all at once. So we'll go back when we have another chance, which I hope will be soon, and see it all again.

With Friends

It's Spring Break for our kids--has been for a week. And we've been fortunate to spend days here and there with friends.

I took this picture at a friend's house. She had invited a small crowd, shoes came off at the door, and everyone had a fine time playing (the kids), talking (the grown-ups), and eating (everyone). It's a nice feeling to look at that collection of shoes and remember the day.

Another Oddity

I took the picture for the rusted out parking sign. I liked that.

At the time, I didn't notice the little graffiti bomb with a heart on it (on the right in the middle). Now that I've seen it, I like the photo for that that little oddity too.

Fate

Here in Beirut there are quite a few buildings with tiled exteriors. They're all from another age and most of them are really run down these days--they've become ruins. I'll have to start photographing and sharing the facades of these places because they're amazing. They're also doomed. Someday, they'll be razed and nobody will regret them.

This tiny wall isn't one of those ruins. This isn't some relic of an over-and-done-with architectural fad.  When I look at it that isn't what I see.

I feel like I can see the owner of this tiny section of wall by the gate. As I imagine it, every time one of the neighbors re-tiled a floor or bathroom or kitchen, a furtive inquiry would go out about any excess, any remaining and perhaps unneeded tiles. And, if fate would have it so, the leftovers ended up right here.

Happy Easter

Smiling Yellow

I love this picture for a lot of reasons. It's a serendipity shot, one that made me feel lucky in a right-time, right-place kind of way. I like the remnants of stairways hinting at the building's history and former neighbors.

And I love the smiling yellow plastic chair, perched on the blue blanket thrown over the balustrade edge.

Flowering Stairway

It stopped me in my tracks, those remarkable wildflowers growing upon the stairway.

There's no sign of abandonment more telling than plants springing up and thriving where they wouldn't normally. It's such a lovely little house and I can't help feeling fond of the flowering stairway.