Morning Coffee

It is 6:00 AM, and Dad is in Lebanon.
I have to wake up early and prepare the coffee, because this is the only way to drink coffee with the family.
Mom is busy preparing Bibo, Dad is preparing our sandwiches, Hinno barely have time to get dressed, and Rima was too young to make coffee at that time.

This is the only case I wake up early fully energized, and with pleasure.
This is the only motivation that takes me out of my bed too early, drinking coffee with mom and dad.
How I miss those days...

خاطر عبالي

الله يرحمك يا ستو...

جاي على بالي آكل منقوشة زعتر،

بس مش حياللا منقوشة، 

منقوشة بزعتر وبندورة وبصل من ايديكي،

وحتى الزعتر مش حياللا،

 من الزعتر اللي انت بتساويه،

اللي ملحه خفيف، 

وسماقاته شوي كتار،

اي والله على بالي...

عذراً وألف عذراً...

الإستنكار والغضب ضد الفيلم الذي أساء لرسول الله (ص) هو الموضوع الذي احتل المراتب الأولى ضمن العناوين في الصحافة المرئية والمسموعة في كافة دول العالم.

ولكن لمَ انتفض المسلمون فقط عندما قام الأميركان بالإساءة، ولم ينبس أحدهم ببنت شفة طوال هذه السنين التي يتعرض فيها الرسول (ص) للإساءة من قبل المسلمين أنفسهم؟

فالإساءة لا تنحصر بتشويه صورته فقط (ص)، بل الإساءة أيضاً تتمثل بعدم اتباع سنته ومخالفة أوامره.

فلم لا ننتفض حين نرى أغنيناء العرب (أهل الخليج بشكل خاص) لا يدفعون زكاة أموالهم،

ولم لا ننتفض حين نرى المسلمين يجاهرون بالمعاصي من شرب الخمر والزنا واللباس الفاضح للفتيات سواءً كن محجبات أو غير محجبات.

ولم لا ننتفض حين نرى الشباب لا يغض بصره

ولم لا ننتفض حين نرى السارق يترك سواءً كان شريفاً أو ضعيفاً

ولم لا ننتفض حين نرى حرمات المسلمين تنتهك في الدول ونقف مكتوفي الأيدي

ولم لا ننتفض حين نرى الجار يؤذي جاره

وإذا كانت إماطة الأذى عن الطريق صدقة فما بالك باللذي يرمي الأذى في طريق اخوانه

ولم لا ننتفض حين نرى الغرور والتكبر مسيطرٌ على البشر

ولم لا ننتفض حين نرى الرجل منا غير قادرٍ على تحصيل حقه إلا بيده

ولم لا ننتفض حين نرى الحق يزهق والباطل ينصر

ولم لا ننتفض حين وحين و اللائحة تطول...

فعذراً رسول الله لم يسء الأجانب فقط، لقد كنا نحن من بدأ بالإساءة، ولكننا غفلنا عن أنفسنا، فسلط الله علينا من لا يخافه ولا يرحمنا.

عذراً لأننا لم نسع لنكون مصلحين في الأرض فكثر الخبث.

عذراً وألف عذراً...

Unforgettable Memories

Distracted memories flashing by, more than an organised post

More than once per month we used to go to the nearby coutnry to spend the weekend there.
Since Hotels and restaurants are expensive in Lebanon, and since our fmaily is a 7-member family, we used to go to Syria to have some fun in summer.

During my first visit to Syria, I discovered some things I still remember till now. One of which was the cactus fruit. We saw a wooden selling wagon managed by a 12 years old boy. Jiddo Adel asked the boy to peel some, quickly and without asking how many he started peeling them, and what is still stuck in my memory is that he did so with his bare hands, didn't this hurt? Or is getting money much more harder than pain itself?
Those cactuses I ate were just delicious, and I ate till mom said enough, ur stomach will hurt now...

Another memory still in my mind is the Tamarind juice. We saw in Souk El-7amidiye a Sous and Tamarind guy. The one we see on TV, carrying a couple of large silver bottles on his back, one containing Tamarind and the other Sous. And since we didn't know what Tamarind was Jiddo asked this guy to give us each one a cup. He washed the cups by pouring some water in them then he threw the water in the air, the awkward moment was when he collected the water drops again. This moment was so nice as if we were at the park, and as if I was in the air and someone catched me again. Oh and the Tamarind tasted great, from that moment till now each time 3mo Adnan makes Tamarind I remeber that moment...

Now Syria is being destroyed, but my memories there will last with me till I tell these stories to my children nshalla. The nearest picnic now is to Turkey, which will cost a lot per visit. This means we can't go anymore each Sunday have lunch and return home, or even go for few hours with Jiddo Ahmad to buy some meds for the pharmacy near the border because it was cheaper...

We have much more adventures there, and I intend to write about them in later posts. This was the first post, and more to come.

OGERO... My Phone number is WRONG!!

It was 7:00 pm. My husband was standing with the electrical technician that came to connect the generator's electrictiy after we had lost hope of the EDL (Electricité Du Liban).

The phone rang, and I had to answer the it. It was a women (W*) in the 50's, but from its voice it seemed to be pretending to be a lady. Her phone number started with 07, so I supposed she is a neighbor living nearby.

I: Hello;
W*: Hello, do you have a generator to lend us electricity?
I: No sorry, but I can give you the number of the generator's owner if you live nearby.
W: I live in Jiyeh.
I: Ah, we live in Saadiyat, I guess it is not that near.
W: Saadiyat?
I: Yes, Saadiyat.
W: But your number starts with 995 code, I am sure your number is WRONG!!
(for moments I didn't realize what she was saying, but my words preceded)
I: WRONG? How could that be if I answered? Shall I call OGERO and tell them, sorry I have a problem my phone number is wrong, could you please replace it so that you like? What numebr do you prefer?

Then I hang up.
I realized, why don't people say: "Sorry, I am wrong, I dialled this number wrong."
Why don't a person admit he has mistaken?
Are we all angels, and what we do is the right thing always, no matter what others see, or think?
Or is this in Lebanon only, or in Arabs?

This is not true, everybody has his mistakes.
Why don't we know how to say "SORRY"?
Why is it when you talk to a certain mother and tell her watch your son (He is smoking), she always says: "Leave him, my son is a grown-up (Ibni sar Shab)."
Why don't we shout at our youngs and teach them what is right or wrong?
Is it inside us, that we are never wrong?
Am I always wrong when all people are right?

I guess we need to be more educated at schools, seminars, and many other meetings to learn and teach the coming generation to be more aware of such tiny things that make us transcend high, and make from us better people. And dont forget that "Admission of guilt is a virtue", even if it wasn't a guilt, a little mistake, coz mistakes happen everywhere and everywhen. (الاعتراف بالذنب فضيلة )

Minimum Demand

Everyday, inside or outside my house, all I am afraid of is the lack of security in such a country.

I live in a country that lacks of any sort of human respect. Humans have no rights here, even the simplest, which is to feel safe.

In the house, the door is always locked, and the keys are still hung in the lock, so that nobody enters a metallic wire and opens it. When a beggar knocks my door, and since I am married and live alone, the first thought that comes into my head is: "Perhaps she has a knife, or an anesthetic and wants to rob me", so I always answer: "My mom is not here, thank you."

When we go out in the car, I always put my bag between my legs (when my husband is driving), close the windows, and even lock the doors, always afraid that at any moment a motorcycle or even a passing-by human will open the door, steal my bag, and run away before I even realize what's happening here.

While walking on the street, if I was alone, I hold my bag on my shoulder, then hold my bag with my hand again. I think people seeing me think that I have diamonds in my bag, but the fact is that I am afraid of losing my official papers, coz they will never return, and the government will make nothing to fetch the burglar.

Now, if I was walking on the street with my husband or someone else, I hold his right hand with my left hand, while holding my bag on my left shoulder, so now my bag is in the middle of the two of us, and the probability for it to be stolen is less than usual (Insha'Allah).

These are some of the precautionary measurements that we do during our day, we are not that naggy kind, but nowadays you see and hear things that come onto no bodies head.

I believe that in all countries there are robberies, but at least if someone filed a complaint againt a theif, some actions are done to try to catch him, not like we live, the number of theives here are more than the normal guys and nobody cares, nobody says a word, and the people are seeking for their security by their own. Each one of them has its own gun at home, placing it under his pillow, in the closest drawer maybe, the easiest way to reach it, because nobody asks about his securtiy, and nobody is judged.

This is how most people in Lebanon live, they wake up everyday and say: "May evil people stay away of us" (Allah yeb3od 3anna wlad l 7aram), hoping to return their homes with the least damages, and life is still going on in this country.