ANYWAY!
Today has been epic--and it's only 5pm!
So, this morning were the dreaded final exams.
Fousha (classical/written) Arabic wasn't great... but none of my weekly exams are either, so whatever. I'm hoping for a B in that class, though I would be happy with a C+ or B-. I was really behind at the beginning and never really caught up, though not for lack of trying.
3amiyya (dialect), on the other hand, went rather well. I'm not worried about my grade in that one.
Now nearly all of our responsibilities are over and we can really enjoy our last days in Beirut, guilt-free.
Today, we had an adventure.
Anoush and Kirsten had been wanting to go to the archeological museum at AUB and to check out the campus, so I decided to go along (by the way, if and when I return to Lebanon, I am studying there. No questions asked. Fucking amazing).
Then we stopped at McDonald's. Mc-Fucking-Donald's. In Lebanon.
I continued my "ice cream every day" vow, which Anoush broke yesterday, by having an Oreo McFlurry. It was so funny being in such an American place in the middle of the Middle East. And when I say American, I mean American. They played Shakira. No joke.
As we walked back, there was this little bookshop that caught our eye. So we went in. I'd been wanting to buy the book كوابيس بيروت by غادة السمان while I was here, but didn't know where to go/was really nervous about asking about it. I don't know, I have a strange shyness that comes out at random times, even in the US. But this shop was so small and had so much character and was so cluttered that I didn't think he'd know if he had the book (I mean, the Cosmo on the rack was from January), but when we asked him about it (uhhh I mean when Kir asked >.<) he walked over and picked it up and said "Ghada's a family friend." I was so thrilled! He also had ليلة المايار so I may buy that one, too. I asked him about بيروت 75 but he couldn't remember if he had it, so I'm going to back tomorrow by myself after he checks for it to just sit and talk with him for awhile. He asked what state I was from in America and when I told him Ohio, he told me that his brother was married to the daughter of the head of the Lebanese community in Toledo (though he has since passed away), so I'm hoping to go chill with this guy tomorrow and see what kind of information I can get (plus discount? haha). This is the kind of thing I should've been doing all along. The people here are so nice. I hope I get the chance to come back. I love it here.
Then we stopped at the liquor store so I could buy a bottle of Arak to share with Christian and his sister Jessie and her boyfriend Mason. Upon telling Sam the liquor man, with whom we have forged quite a friendship, that my friends had used my playing cards for drinking games and had completely saturated them with alcohol, he gave me a brand new set of cards for free! I'm pumped, haha.
On a more serious note, I keep noticing things about myself (besides the fact that I'm legitimately gaining weight and have a gruesomely distorted body image).
Today I noticed that I shy away from conflict a lot more than I used to.
And it's not because I'm really shy or something of the sort. It's because I see no point in making things more difficult for myself, because I know calling most people out will cause them to behave differently or be assholes and make my life difficult and not act the same way towards me. I'm not like that. I am civil no matter what. But that's how I am. If I know I'm in a situation where I can't avoid people who I know will behave in that way, I keep things bottled up, no matter how much I despise those people, until the time of close proximity is over or at least drawing to a close. This happened with a roommate last year at OSU, and it happened here with someone in my classes, and a more calm version is also occuring with someone else in my classes here. Oh well. I mean, I bottle up and explode. I have great self-control in most situations and am not nearly as confrontational as I used to be, but I do get to a point where certain types of people annoy me to a certain extent where I completely can't handle how they are treating other people anymore, not just me. I dunno. Just an observation.
Anyway, still thinking about that car thing. Also thinking that paying $700+ to have it shipped over to Ohio in a trailer is a much better idea than going over and driving back. I was looking at other used cars online, too, but I'll get a good deal from my cousin and I'll know that he took care of the car, as opposed to getting a shitty used car from some sleeze. But I'm kinda worried about having enough money to go study abroad or pay for school if I get that car. I can pay for it in full (most of the rest of my savings) and have gotten insurance quotes online and know I can pay those, but I'm still not sure. Ugh I dunno. Any comments and/or suggestions are more than welcome.
Well, I'm leaving very soon. I'm ready to go, though I do think it was just the program getting to me and not the city or country.
There's a lot of family shit I'm getting back into, though. I don't get along with my mom, so that's always a challenge, though I've been making much more of an effort. My dad's currently in Thailand and was supposed to get back tomorrow, but isn't anymore. Then he's being sent back out to Indonesia at the end of September, so that's really messing with my mom. And, to top that off, my sister's going to be on a church camping trip when I get back and doesn't get back until Sunday night... So I have all Sunday that's just Mom and me. Hopefully nothing bad happens... The night I get back, though, my plane lands at 7:15pm and I won't have slept for 2 days, so My Alyssa is coming over to watch Girl, Interrupted (since I had her read the book) to keep me awake until a good time to go to sleep, haha. I can't wait. Then Monday, I leave to go to PA until Friday, when I come back to DD Al around for his 21st birthday, then Saturday's family day (Dad should be back?), then Sunday, I start work again. I'm hoping I'm not scheduled morning so I can go to church to see Mary, then chilling with Christen to celebrate her birthday and do some epic catching up.
Haha random text I got from my mom today that I found funny: FyI we will b having dinner with Uncle Pat nonni poppi & Warrenon Sept 5. CHRISTIAN is welcome 2 come. Amanda wont b there.
Ok, well, we have a bottle of Malibu coconut rum, a partial bottle of Skyy Vodka, and a few shots of tequila left, so peace out!
Feel free to text my email before 5 or 6pm your time to get some crazy drunktexts back :-P
Hours left in Beirut: 32
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