Up to the mountains and down to the sea

I was in Beirut.

I found a big, big, big, big, big, big, house that looked more like a museum than a house, but it was a house, and I knocked on the door but no one answered. So, I walked and found a cat sleeping on the staircase. I tapped it and then the cat woke up. I said:

 "I’m so sorry to wake you up but can you tell me who’si living here?"

Then the cat laughed, like this and said, in this really funny accent:

"Miu miu miu, habibti no one has been living here since 1975 ! Miu miu Miu"

I thought, that’s a long time. So I asked the cat if I could live there for a bit and she said she didn’t care. So I did.

The area I was staying in was called hamra (that means red in Arabic) and I thought that was funny.

I ate 346 falafel sandwiches.

I got stuck in traffic for 657 hours. In one day.
I rode on a scooter with 7 other people, on the highway, without a helmet.
I heard 3 522 000 car horns. In one day.
Abu Elie showed me how to steal a car with a wire hanger.
I ate 85 man’ouches and 3576 pistachios

 

I learned a rap song from a boy selling flowers:

 

Flower Power, every hour, its sweet and sour !

Flower Power, every hour, its sweet AND SOUR !

Flower Power, every hour, ITS SWEET AND SOUR !

Flower Power, EVERY HOUR ITS SWEET AND SOUR !

FLOWER POWER, EVERY HOUR, ITS SWEET AND SOUR !

Do you feel the beat? I felt it. I loved it. Maybe Karl Lagerfeld will love it too.

Did you know that most of the things we use in our life are Lebanese? Like: Bebsi, Chiclets, Kleenex, Hot Dogs, Evian, Total, Burgers, ma3carona, Black Label.

Abu Mustapha taught me that.

I know it’s not my home, but it felt like home.

I know the people I met are not my family, but they made me feel like I was part of theirs.

 Can you spot me?

 The lady dropped a bag!