Snow

So I went snowboarding on Saturday. After a six-year hiatus, Admas was back on the slopes. I fell over so much (and so violently) I think fellow snow-cruisers began to suspect I was some kind of ski-slope-masochist. I cut something of a clownish figure as I queued for the ski-lifts amidst all the impeccably chic Lebanese skiers with their stylish all-in-ones and Gucci sunglasses. My ski-clothes were rented and didn’t match. I was covered head-to-toe in snow from all my falls. I looked like some kind of badly-dressed snow-monster.

In the end I only managed an afternoon on the slopes. My sampling of Lebanon’s ski scene coincided with the best snow so far this year AND a weekend, so me and my host had the pleasure of being joined by half of Beirut’s ski-ready population (i.e. half of Beirut) on the roads. So what should have been a 60-minute drive took three hours. Also, (the usual disclaimer preceding racist comments applies) Lebanese people are bloody awful drivers, so every traffic-related difficulty was invariably exacerbated by about ten cars trying to go up the one-way road the wrong way at once and blocking the route both ways. Ahhhh.

After passing my Level 1 exams with flying colours, I have just embarked on Level 2 Arabic (each level lasts four weeks and we get a little break in between) and it's great. It really feels quite different from Level 1, which was rather cuddly in comparison. This time, we have two teachers; one focuses on new grammar and vocabulary while the second does speaking and listening. With both teachers there is a noticeably steeper learning curve; far less time is spent going over new material than in Level 1, but both teachers are excellent so (speaking for myself) it feels pretty comfortable. Needless to say, I still feel a million miles away from expressing myself properly in Arabic but, I am told, some things take “time”. A lot of it. In fact this may well prove to be one of the most useful things learning a language is going to teach me: patience. The notion of taking, say, an entire year to do one thing has always generated a fair bit of scepticism in yours truly. 'Surely there's some inefficiency somewhere?' is usually my first thought. No better antidote for such crass impatience than learning something that has to take a long time. One year is the bare minimum for learning a decent chunk of Arabic, I am repeatedly told. If this patience thing goes well I might learn to play an instrument too.

So what else has been going on? I am soon to move in with a Syrian family in Old Damascus. Plus points: lots and lots of Arabic practice every day. Minus points: living in tourist-central and away from the snack-heaven that is Souk Sarouja (my current area).

Some readers of this blog have scornfully inquired as to why there aren't more photos. I have put aside the visceral distaste for photography that can only come with having studied it full-time for long enough to snap a few pics of Beiteddin, a beautiful village in the Shouf hills southeast of Beirut. Some people call this place home...