Day 14: Makes Me Laugh

Tonight some of my roommates and I went to our friend Farah's house for dinner.  Her mom cooked and amazing Lebanese meal, and we sat around and laughed about how poorly we say things in Arabic.  It. Was. Awesome.  Thanks for having us Farah!

Day 10: Emotion

Last night and this morning I made some crafts for my wall.  They are a little nod to each city I've lived in.  Today's photo-a-day topic is "emotion," and these represent a certain odd combination of emotions I've been experiencing lately.

Sometimes when I'm traipsing around Beirut, I stop and realize I'm not in American anymore.  Odd as it sounds, some days I forget I'm in Lebanon.  Before you worry that I'm careless and hopelessly unaware, I don't mean that I literally think I'm in America.  I just forget I'm not in my own country, not "home."  I've adjusted, and Lebanon has become my new normal.

I felt it coming on about 2 weeks in.  One night I was brushing my teeth and realized that I was in a 'eap of trouble:  I was starting to love it here.  I have this obnoxious tendency to love everywhere I am.  So, every time I go somewhere new I add another place to the ill-fated list of places and people loved and left behind.  People are a little easier than places.  With Skype and Facebook and Whatsapp, I'm still very socially(ish) connected.

All the more reason to love being in Lebanon, right?  I literally feel like I'm starting to lose my English, and very poorly-understood Arabic words are flooding my head.   I can now tell you about classic Arab instruments and songs, perform a stage-version of the debke (the Lebanese national dance), and even cook a few traditional Lebanese foods.  I can order a taxi, arrange a trip, brief you on Lebanese politics, and refill the propane tank for our stove.  I have favorite places now, and not just restaurants.  Even more significantly,  I'm starting to recognize people while I'm out and about.  "Oh look, there's so and so.  Let's go say hi."  Aye, aye, aye.  When I leave here, I'll miss it all.   And I'll know what that feels like, because I already feel that way about several places.  

I miss Columbia, where I lived with one of my best friends in a quirky, adventurous, and craft-filled house.  I was 1 minute from my church, 2 minutes from my bank, 3 minutes from my grocery store, 4 minutes from Moe's, 5 minutes from my gym, 10 minutes from Chick-fila and Target, l5 minutes from my best friend and about a dozen more amigas, and 0 minutes from my dog.  Even if I move back to Columbia in July, I know I'll never get that life back.  The people may still be there (also the dog.), so the most valuable parts don't fade away, but it was a sweet time, and I was content.  It was bittersweet to go.

Heraclitus said, "You cannot step into the same river twice" (or some version of that), just as I can't go back to being a kid on the family farm in WV.  I can't stop by my grandmas whenever I like.  Now I have to pick up the phone and call.  How are we supposed to play Rummy that way!?  My mom, aunt, and cousins don't all live next door to each other.  On an average day, I can't look out my window and see a 4-wheeler go by with about 5 of my 2nd cousins hanging off of it.  I can't go for a run and smell the crisp farm air with cattle lowing in the background, and then go and ruin the whole workout by pounding down an entire order of douby douby bread from Angelo's.  I'm mean here in Beirut I have to do that with crepes...

You see what I mean?  I love where I was.  I love where I am now, and most of the places in between.  With each season there comes the wonder of  the new, and the wistfulness of the old.  These simple 12x12 canvases are nostalgic, but also telling; a little bit of my heart is in each of these places.

I'm sure the point of a photo-a-day topic about emotion is to show a photo that captures the emotion, and here I've done gone and done it with a few hundred words.  I'll try to do better tomorrow, when I aim to have an impressive "Something Close-Up" photo that both captures the experience of me running a 10k in the Beirut and celebrates my 100th blog post.  Pins and needles, I know.

Day 3: This Happened Today

Today, we got some visitors from America, and they brought with them (drumroll please)... gifts from home!  Different friends in the states sent some of my favorite goodies, along with pictures and cards.  When living overseas, even a few items from loved ones at home mean so much.  Thank you friends!

24 hours- Getting to Panama City Beach

Or, something to do when you are driving all day and there's nothing else to do.


Friday, March 2nd
5:45pm- While Christi is cooking dinner, the sink clogs.  #beginbattle
5:50pm- 1/2 Bottle of Liquid Plumber
6:20pm- Another Half Bottle of Liquid Plumber
7:00pm- Linds goes to Target. Returns home with more Liquid Plumber and rubber gloves

Saturday, March 3rd
12:30am-  Lindsay finally defeats the sink as we take off the trap.  It took 2 bottles of Liquid Plumber, a grilling utensil, plastic gloves, and a bucket.  #singleladiesvictory
1:15am- Go to bed
5:45am- Get tornado warning text forwarded from student.  "Are we still going?"  You bet we are.
7:15am- Linds and Christi leave house
7:30am- Meet students
7:40am- Stop at Chick-fil-a
8:00am- Get on road
8:06am- White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" plays on radio; ushers in first, second-wind
8:30am- Pass sign that says "Mass SunJOam."  After a little decoding, we realize it was supposed to say Mass, Sun. 10am.
9:25am- Christi accidentally uses the Men's Restroom in a Walmart.  #oops #disgusting
10:15am- Cross into GA
10:58am- A person in the car in front of us is beating a kid in the back seat.  As Christi is reenacting it for Lindsay, who didn't see it, the students in the car behind us text us:  "Stop beating Lindsay."
11:36am- Stop at Cracker Barrel.  This Cracker Barrel had the worst water ever.  It tasted smokey/chemically.  We all got new drinks, except Grant, who thought it was fine.  #chemistrymajor
11:41am- Elliott, a guy,  goes to the bathroom and comes back and says, "You know how I've been following Christi in everything she does lately?  I just walked into the Men's Restroom too."
12:45pm- Back in action.
12:47-pm- Pass bubble-gum pink fire truck.
12:57pm- Cross into FL.  There was a notice under the "Welcome to Florida" sign:  "Not a Photo Opportunity" We wanted to get a picture, but...  #googleimagesfailedme
12:58pm- Begin incessant rain.
1:47pm- Pass yellow sign that says "Fog Smoke." Don't know what that means.
2:34pm- Pass a slew of police doing a man-hunt on the interstate outside of Live Oak, FL. #cantfindinthenews
2:41pm- Enter into what can only be described as "Fog Smoke."  We decided this is where they make the Cracker Barrel water.
3:00pm- Still waiting on our second, second-wind.  #nevercomes
3:46pm- Home stretch.  Christi takes the wheel, empowered by Diet Dr. Pepper and Sour Patch Kids.
4:10pm/3:10pm- Cross time zone line
4:53pm:  Begin speed limit kaleidoscope:  65, 55, 45, 35, 45, 55, 65, 55, 45, 35, 45, 55, 65, etc.  On and on for 45 miles.
5:37pm:  Arrive at the Edgewater in PCB!  Incessant rain intensifies for the rest of the night. #cold #wet #whydidwedrivealldayitwasnicerincolumbia

Mrs. Cresty

My friend Ethan (age 7) was throwing paper planes tonight at church.  He had a mini one that said "Ethan's Plaine" all over it.  I played with him a little, and later found this sweet gift in my office:

Now, there are three options (and really only 3 options) for interpreting the spelling of my name, and the 'Mrs:' 

1. There is someone else in my church actually named Mrs. Cresty, and Ethan left this plane on my desk for her. (Unlikely)
2. I've married and changed the spelling of my name from Christi to Cresty.  
3. I've married someone with the last name Cresty, making my name Christi Cresty.

Now, on the left-side Captains window it says Mr. Cresty.  I think this makes option 3 the most viable.  You?

My One Goal for Today

I had one objective to accomplish today- grill a pork loin for the first time.  I came across it on sale, and I've been trying to get that sucker on my grill ever since.  Tonight I made it for me, my friend Meg, and her 2 ridiculously cute little girls.  That's right, 4 women grilling and eating a pork loin.  We're liberated.

So I randomly got this as an 'Easter Present' once from my
 mom and her husband.  In all reality, I think they took pity
on me trying to grill on a tiny little charcoal grill, and
felt like doing something nice.  I've fed people from 4
continents on this thing.  It also may or may not have
used to go USC tailgating every Saturday.  I love my grill.  

A little top-rack cooking should do the trick...

About 45 minutes later I moved it to the bottom
to get a good flavor on the outside, and tossed
some onions on too...

And then these guys showed up... :o)

Dinner was yummy, and afterwards we fired up the,
well, fire pit and made some s'mores.  

The adults may have had as much fun making s'mores as the kiddies...

Well, maybe not.  When we asked the girls to help carry the stuff back inside, Anna came out and said that she ate 6 more (big) marshmallows, and Hollyn had so much melted marshmallow in her hair that Meg thought she was going to have to cut it out.  Ain't no party like a s'mores party!

Congaree National Park

Today I went to the Congaree National Park, which marks the first SC park I've made it to in the 4 years I've been living here.  Where does the time go?

I enjoyed the 4 1/2 mile trail, but coming from WV, it did seem a little anticlimactic that it was so flat.  I did have fun with some pics though:

At the end of the day, it was a nice treat to have kabobs with these crazy people:

Keep up the good work Jason, Abiel, and Megan...
I'll stand over here and take pictures.  

I meant to get a pic of these once they
were grilled, but they didn't last very long. :o)

Not a bad way to spend my Saturday!  Don't forget to vote for what book I read next in the poll to the right.