Sorry for the protracted silence. Hopefully, I haven..t offended anyone. I..ve been letting myself get wrapped up in life here, and spending lots of time working on school matters. it..s been interesting to move from New York, where I felt at times that my cell phone was glued to my ear, and I always had e-mails to manage, and come here, where all my communication happens face to face. It..s certainly not due to ay lack of technology here in Beirut, but there just hasn..t been the same need for constant, instant communication. I think after the flurry of activity that marked my last days in New York, I..ve been welcoming the silence here, and throwing myself avidly into establishing my life here. So, life sent me a message, and I..m home sick with the flu today. And ..silence.. isn..t quite the right term.

There is a lot to listen to these days. With Ramadan happening, there are often broadcasts of Qu..ran verses heard throughout the city, in addition to the regular calls to prayer that punctuate the day. Lots of screeching tires and cars horns, as well. Last Friday, I went with a group of colleagues to hear a local songwriter / oud player perform. And, of course, I now have my students to listen to as well.

School started last Monday. I..d been doing a lot of work to get ready for them during the preceding week. I even spent both days last weekend in my classroom, preparing the space and planning activities. I didn..t mind all that much, though. Teaching here seems to be my main focus. I missed that back in New York, somehow, working as a musician, community organizer/artist, etc., etc., etc. It..s felt good to put so much work into my teaching here, and I..m afforded lots of flexibility from my administration, as well. And last week made it all worth it. My students are terrific. They very enthusiastically cam along with me in the activities I had planned for us. I think it..d be funny for people to see what my time here last week was like. Any sense that I..m living in some exotic location would have been obliterated. My students have the latest in western fashion, and speak English as though from birth; most of my time has been spent at work .. a school which, on the inside, could be located anywhere .. and my apartment. But I..ve been very happy with all of it.

I have found some time for exploring. Two weeks ago, Carine, who teaches kindergarten, took Todd and me to Byblos, where she..s from. It challenges Damascus.. claim to being the oldest continually inhabited city on the earth, with records of people living there going back 7,000 years. As we were walking through the old city, it was great to see two young children, brother and sister, laughing and playing on the swing in the little yard outside their ancient home. I thought of Beth and me on the swing set on Shasta Street in New Hampshire. Carine then took us to her home, where her mom treated us to an assortment of local sweets, including fresh guava from their grove of fruit trees.

This past weekend, I took some time to explore the city by myself. I walked from my neighborhood in the western part of the city over to Gemmayze in the eastern part, which seems to be aspiring to become the East Village of Beirut. It made me nostalgic for New York, where I..m sure fall is now discernable (while temperatures still reach up into the 80s here), and I wished I could meet up with friends for a beer on Ave A. Perhaps in answer to my wish, later tat day, I had a chance to meet some of the teachers from International College, the other international school here, which shares space with ACS. It was funny to head out around our neighborhood that night to a local bar with it..s resident DJ and overpriced drinks. Felt a little like being back in New York.

On Sunday, Andre, the outdoor education teacher, organized a faculty trip to the Tannourine Cedar Reserve in the mountains. We were a small group. It was a welcome break from the city, hiking through the rocky trails, looking out over the valleys. On the drive back down the mountain, we stopped at several roadside stands to pick up some local fresh figs and tomatoes. I remembered autumn trips to pick apples back in New England and upstate New York.

So life here is still good, though generally far from exotic. I hope all of you are happy and well. Now that the all the pre-school prep work is over, I hope to have more time to write back to people. I..d love to hear from you all about how life is back home. Maybe someone can even go apple picking for me. I..m sure there are folks who already have beer in the East Village covered for me.

Be well
Much love
Joe