Church Choir

Since the priest of our church had asked us to contribute a German song to mass, we sang "Groß sein lässt meine Seele den Herrn" last Sunday. The church is to 99% attended by little Philippino ladies (the 1% is us) who welcome us always very warmly in their midst.

For some reason they liked our singing and invited us not only to sing the last song with their choir but also to prepare another song by ourselves - next time in French!

Outing with the elderly

Another event organized by the Lebanese Youth Order in which we participated: an outing with elderly people from a day center in Beirut.

In the morning we drove to the church St. Rafqa (a Lebanese saint) with a big bus. Whoever thinks that elderly like to sleep on a one hour drive is terribly mistaken. We had a small bus party with clapping, singing and dancing.

Once we arrived at the church we took a small break to enjoy the quiet and holiness of the place and then had a mass. After the spiritual program we drove to Surat, a small village in the mountains. There we had a delicious lunch at Dr. Issa’s house. And after a wonderful day out we drove back home (this time sleeping J ).

Operation Big Blue

Last Sunday, Nayla, our professor about Islam at university, invited us to participate in a big event where many different youth groups join to clean up the Lebanese coast.

Of course we said yes and had a very funny day cleaning up a very dirty beach.

Sports at Jamhour

In order to shake off the daily stress, we have the opportunity to go to a school called “Jamhour” and use the sports facilities there. Just so there is no misunderstanding: This school has amazing sport facilities-it is not like any other school. It's a fitness center. Everything you could wish for is present.

Squash , table tennis, a fitness center, a swimming pool, basketball courts, tennis courts, a sauna, showers (where the water pressure is better than at our apartment) – whatever you can think of… Jamhour has it!!

Twice a week we take the chance to go there. Often we play a little team sports first, before separating to the different activities. It is always a lot of fun!!

While some are being active, others simply hang out in the cafeteria and eat a muffin. :-)

Holy Valley

On Saturday May 8 at 7 a.m. the Camels headed to the Holy Valley with Dr. Issa and other Lebanese friends.

The Holy Valley was founded by the Maronites to flee from persecution. The untouched landscape was breathtaking to all of us. We hiked on the steep slopes heading to one of the monasteries where we slept for the night. For dinner we were invited to a local family’s house, where the view stretched across the valley and into the Mediterranean Sea.

Sunday we attended a beautiful Maronite mass in Arabic, had our breakfast and headed out for the second day of hiking. We first stopped to see the only hermit in the valley and probably the only one in the world. Unfortunately we were unable to see him. We continued our journey down the valley and over a river. We visited the chapel of Saint Marina, it’s a quaint little chapel. We persisted with our journey until the end, where we rested under a tree and had our lunch before getting back onto the bus. On the way back to Beirut we stopped for a celebratory ice cream, which was a great end to our weekend.

Trip to Syria

We went on holiday! To Syria! Our week started at 6:30 in the morning with the bus ride to Damascus. This involved a great on the road breakfast and a minor adventure at the Lebanese- Syrian Border (little did we know that we would be spending another 2 hours 40 minutes at the border on our return journey). We spent two intense and exhausting days in Damascus and Palmyra, exploring both contemporary and second century culture.

However, the highlight of our trip was by far the six day stay in the amazing monastery of Deir Mar Moussa. Lying between two mountains in the middle of the Syrian Desert, the monastery is one awesome sight.

Following the somewhat exhausting 500 step climb up to the monastery we were rewarded with yet another breathtaking view. As far as the eye can see the harsh, yet elegant, Syrian desert stretches towards the horizon.

We thoroughly enjoyed the unique physical and spiritual opportunities that our desert retreat provided. However, the sparse diet of khibiz (bread), zatar (a mixture of thyme and sesame seeds), and olive oil was not missed once we returned to Beirut.

Another highlight was our return to Maltese roots: the Crac des Chevaliers. However, it was nowhere near as traditional as our Maltese ancestors must have once experienced it! In fact, we found ourselves amidst a chaotic Egyptian film set featuring monkeys, gold thrones, and fabulously costumed actors.

In Damascus

... on the road to Palmyra...

The first view of Deir Mar Moussa

After saying goodbye to our guides ...

... we enjoy the last meters of civilization ...

... before climbing up to our home of the next days

Apparently, the desert is not that deserted - and bedouins turn out to be very hospitable!

The Crac des Chevaliers - in the middle of a bavarian-appearing landscape ...

... and an egyptian interior!