Benito: The Lebanese Mutt

It was a random and cloudy day, while everyone was acknowledging the fact that school will start in a couple of days, when something exciting finally occurred. Benito, a cute, wild puppy was the one who had the power to leave everyone smiling. Benito, most of the time is quite hyper, but he is a bright puppy with a sensitive side as well. Fostering a puppy is not easy. The hardest part is to let the puppy go to another family in the end, which I'm not such a genius at... Benito is a Lebanese mutt but doesn't look like one at all. If you're interested in adopting him please call (03 - 200 - 242) . After all the pets we have, I'm thinking that any house is incomplete without a pet... Benito is a really good puppy to have, so I assume that it will eventually be easy to find him a great home!

The Beauty of Icelandic Horses

When I think of Sweden, thoughts scatter around my brain; the majestic trees, the delicious strawberry cakes, the canoe trips, the endless roads, the bicycle trips, our amazing house, horseback riding... Lebanon has nature, rivers, and a beautiful sea. But Lebanon is not exactly an animal loving country. So the only opportunity to horseback ride is in Sweden since horseback riding in Lebanon is quite risky and not safe. They don't train or take care of their horses. I was all agog to go horseback riding since I didn't ride a horse in a long time. Another fact which made the whole experience more exciting was that we were gonna ride icelandic horses. The minute we arrived we realized that the horses were obviously trained well plus extremely calm. Well, the horses were stomping a couple of times because of the flies that won't leave poor them alone. When we got on the horses we were assured that we chose the best place to horseback ride. As the horses began trotting everyone was a bit worried, but at the end everything was fine. The second everyone was about to fall off the horse because of exhaustion we stopped and had a small picnic. Then, after about ten minutes, we continued the ride. When we finally got there everyone was tired and exhausted but at the same time content. It was amazing, and really fun. For sure, we will come back to the same place next year.

Sweden by Canoe

 The weather report is never one hundred percent accurate in Sweden because of their unpredictable weather. So, planning a canoe trip is not that easy... As the early morning began, I was a bit hesitant because of the grey clouds hiding behind the green skyscrapers (trees). We started by bringing huge jackets and ski clothes but when we arrived at Immeln Lake to canoe, the stormy clouds disappeared. And that is exactly what I mean about the weather. Then, the hard work of paddling began. As we paddled our hearts out, we kept an eye out for a perfect island, to swim, to BBQ, to fish, and to relax on. When we finally settled down on an island, we started to discover and found a small bay. Even though the sun was up and the sky was blue, the water was freezing... Which is not that much of a problem to the people who live in Sweden. But in the end, at least 4 of us jumped in. After that we directly began the BBQ. We barbecued swedish hotdogs and as usual they turned out extremely delicious. It was an amazing experience to be on an island with a forest full of life. As usual, we didn't catch any fish because they were too smart for us. We all had a blast, but that wasn't such a surprise because our canoeing trips every summer in Sweden have become a family tradition.

On the way back, we were exhausted, wishing we had chosen an island closer to the canoe shop.

Nature's Backyard... (Sweden)

I have been impatient and eager to visit Sweden all these days because Sweden is utterly different from Lebanon. In Sweden nature is everywhere. You can find a frog in your shoe. You can find a lizard on your hand. You can even see a torrent of moose crossing the narrow road extending between the spacious forests. The possibilities of nature are never ending... But if you want a garden in Sweden you have to make it yourself and that is exactly what we are working on. What's nice about Sweden is that you can have a house, with a beautiful forest next to it, without being in the middle of nowhere. We are quite lucky to have a quarry right next to our house, which is really exquisite and rare. The quarry is extremely huge and really deep. The only problem is that the water is freezing, which is not a big problem for the people who live in Sweden since they are used to it...

Chez Sami (Resturant)

The sea, the delicious food, the nice view... Everything fits perfectly, in Chez Sami, a great restaurant in Lebanon. The sea was quite rough, so don't imitate my silliness of getting in the sea... As the sun was going down, hiding under the crystal waters, we were have an amazing meal. It was really exquisite to have such an amazing restaurant that comes in a package, with tasty food, and a beautiful sea. I actually despise sea food, but my taste buds changed their minds with the splendid food. The best thing about Chez Sami is that it is close to Jeitta Grotto, which might fit perfectly in a tourist's schedule. It could actually be a fantastic place to swim, if you go there on a sunny day!

The River in Yahchouch

Instead of being obstinate and stubborn, insisting on staying at home, watching TV, we decided to take off to Yahchouch, (a small village in Lebanon) to look for a waterfall and a river. We all thought that we knew exactly how to get there, but I guess we were utterly wrong... When we passed the highway, we started to get lost. So, we climbed up and up, all the way to the top of a mountain. But then we started to get puzzled, thinking that we were not even on a road. It took us one hour more than it was supposed to take us, to get there, since we were clueless and went the long way. When we finally got there, our dogs did not wait a second and leaped into the river. Well, we did not find a waterfall... It was fun, playing in the river with one of our dogs having a blast, splashing everybody with water. An old bridge went across the river; it was quite beautiful but I had a feeling that it could collapse any second. We had to jump from rock to rock, to catch my dog who was having the time of her life, since she was swimming, nonstop. It was a good experience and a lesson: Whenever you decide to go somewhere (specially in Lebanon) you have to have CLEAR instructions.

The POSITIVE + The NEGETIVE

Have you ever visited Jeita Grotto? Well, I highly recommend it, if you're on vacation in Lebanon. Jeita Grotto consists of two huge limestone caves, which are nine kilometers long. I was quite content when I saw the beauty of the fragile stalagmites and stalactites. To me it was a natural splendor and a fascinating sight. The lower cave, actually had water in it. So, we went in a small boat around it on the icy cold water. The upper cave did not contain any water, but it had a small path going around the whole cave. Jeita Grotto is still attempting to become one of the 7 wonders of the world. When I saw the two magnificent caves, I had a feeling that I was going to vote for it. But as we walked out of Jeita Grotto I changed my mind. I saw a sight that made me sick to my stomach. There was a small monkey locked in a small cage trying to escape. Sorrow filled his face... And sadly he was not the only tortured animal over there... Two porcupines were kept in one small cage which can barely fit a hamster. I despise the thought of putting tortured animals in cages. Despite the tortured animals, it was an amazing wonder.

The Golf Club

The morning, the most advantageous time of the day to go and swim in the Golf Club. At that time the pool was clear with no crowds. Well, as the day passed by, more people started to come and that was when the whole pool was utterly crowded. The sun was blazing hot, so eventually all of the chairs emptied as the sun shined more beams on the pool. It was the only thing to do, in that kind of weather. Well, the people weren't the only ones having fun, small birds were pleased with all of the chips next to each chair. That was the highlight of the day... As everybody was having fun, on cloud nine, the cars were roasting in the sun. So, you can imagine what happened when we got back. We had to rush to get back home, because of our tight schedule. Well, paradise can't last for more than five hours. The Golf Club has everything, a pool, a golf course, a tennis court and probably much more. What else can it have?

The Planet Needs Us (poem)

There are a number of issues,

which we could take action on,

like the garbage surrounding the sidewalks,

the garbage in the sea,

it is evident, to me, that all the issues lead to refuse,

My dream is to have a country,

with the light beaming out of the clouds,

with a clean sea, that shines in the morning sun,

Everybody is trying to coax the world on saving the planet,

with posters,

with programs,

with systems.

Garbage should be whisked out of this green planet.

Well, you can't just say that you care about the planet,

and stay still...

The Planet Needs Us!

The Hubbub of Adventures

My earliest memories of the past are a confusion of discovering Lebanon's beauty. Well, after the days faded away, I remembered all of the places I have been to, the caves: the forests, the fields, the rivers and the ruins. As you can see, the previous years have been somewhat of a hubbub for me because of all the wonders I have been to... This time we went in the other direction, to the South, to Tyre. It was a lengthy drive full of bumps and turns. And tell me how you would feel as you pass "Mount Garbage," a stack of junk, which I think will soon reach the height of Mount Everest! It was shameful to see all of the garbage, from not only the people living in Tyre, but also us. Well, as we passed that shameful sight that I despised, we got closer to the bright side of Tyre. We finally arrived at the restaurant (the only break that we got before we visited the ruins). I was absolutely impressed with the restaurant; it left me quite content. While we were waiting for the waiters to bring the food, I went with my aunt, who has the same personality of discovering like me, to explore the restaurant's surroundings. An old man, was building a boat, the old way, and he claimed that his son just made a boat much bigger than the one that we were amazed at... After, we finished eating at the magnificent restaurant, we went to the ruins. The ruins were really interesting. They made me realize how much history Lebanon has. The thought of people from a long time ago standing on the exact tile, I was standing on, left me speechless. What would happen if all the history in Lebanon got erased?