Letters from Cyprus: A long weekend in Beirut

B'charre, birthplace of Kahil Gibran (the Prophet)

Last week we took the family to Lebanon for a 4-day visit (a country so close that the plane from Cyprus hardly starts climbing before it is descending again)! It's also a country which Ross visits quite often for work so it was an opportunity for the children and I to see some of World Vision's work there and meet some of his colleagues and our sponsored child.

As you can see from the map, Lebanon sits right in between some of the 'less peaceful' places on earth. Bordering with Syria, it has taken in more than 1.5 million refugees since the war, increasing it's population by 25%. Issues of overcrowding, unemployment and a lack of education facilities have all become critical in this tiny country.

Lebanon has a long legacy and history of refugee intakes resulting from conflict or displacement in neighbouring countries, and in addition to the recent influx of Syrian refugees, Lebanon continues to host approx 500,000 Palestinians who have resided across Lebanon in ten refugee camps since the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Lebanon has significant internal challenges, and the country is facing ongoing political uncertainty and a looming possibility of a return to civil war.

High above Jounieh, to the north of Beirut

And so it was with some trepidation from the kids that we set off. Jessie was the most vocal of our brood, loudly stating before we left, 'Daddy, you are taking us to a country where we are going to be shot!' Nothing like words of reassurance from the eldest child to her 3 siblings. But alas, we had a great visit, and it was a real eye opener for the kids to see such a different context. Lebanon is a spectacular country, and the visit was a mixture of sightseeing and visiting some WV projects. We managed to see some really beautiful parts of the country, including Jeita Caves (a favourite for the kids), Jounieh, Byblos, B'charre and of course downtown Beirut.

B'charre. high in the mountains of north east Lebanon

Our trip to B'charre, in the north east part of the country, was a particular highlight. The car seemed to climb forever and the views got better at every turn. It was great to get away from the heavy traffic and the densely packed apartment blocks of Beirut. I loved looking at the enormous traditional Lebanese homes; most of them built with remittance money from relatives living abroad.

The cedars of God

From B'charre we were also able to visit to the Cedars of Lebanon. Located just above 2000m on the slopes of the highest mountain in Lebanon (which is more than 3000m high), in summer time it is a wonderful respite from the heat. The tree that is the centrepiece of the Lebanese Flag comes from this 2000 year old forest and it's a significant place for the local people. We tried to get through to the children how amazing it was that some of these trees existed when Jesus was alive but they just kept running ahead, avoiding photographs!

Look closely and you can see the ski lifts in the distance

Karim, the WV Beirut program manager. Somehow they

survived the chaos of the Piper clan for a day

On another day we visited one of the World Vision Area Development Programs in Beirut to understand more of the work being done in the urban areas. The staff there were both kind and hospitable in true Lebanese form. They even asked the Principal to come in (during his holidays!) to explain about the school which World Vision partners with and which our sponsored child attended. We enjoyed meeting out sponsored child and her mother and also learning more about the program in Beirut. The two goals for World Vision working in Beirut urban areas are about creating a safer environment and assisting children with life skills. Main programs include Peace Building, Disaster Risk Reduction and Economic Development. You can find out more: www.wvi.org/lebanon

Outside the school in Beirut area development program

Very basic, small classrooms. No technology to be seen

Home for a few days

Our accommodation was a beautiful family home in the mountains overlooking Beirut. It was built by a Lebanese family who are now living in USA. Their maid remains to provide B&B services to guests like us. Their German Shepard 'Skipper' was greeted keenly by the kids and was always up for a walk. We felt very safe where we lived, despite having to pass through a military checkpoint each time we entered the Montverde community. "Just checking for bombs" they said, as they passed a scanner over our car. The part in which we didn't feel safe was walking past a building site on our morning dog walks which was disposing rubble from a great height - hopefully to land a few metres away from the road and not ON the road. As for the locals and their feeling of safety - many of them are so used to the sound of explosions. Karim told us that he feels no more or less safe today than he did during the civil war. I thought that was an interesting perspective; somewhat philosophical perhaps? Many Lebanese live for the day - as that is what they have.

Running the gauntlet past a nearby
construction site. Rubble would be
regularly dumped from a wheelbarrow
on the top floor, so you had to time your
walk past the building site carefully!

Walking the dog Skipper

For Ross and I, this visit was a lovely reminder of when we were last together in Lebanon, which was more than 12 years ago when I was pregnant with Jessie. That first trip always left a lasting positive impression on us, especially for the overwhelming hospitality we received. This visit was no exception in this regard, and were touched in many ways by the warmth, openness and hospitality of all the Lebanese people we met. It was also lovely to be reminded of the multi-lingual approach to life in Lebanon, with every greeting being a blend of english, arabic and french: 'Hi, kiifak, ca va?

Here's a few more pictures of the visit......