The internet cafe is not all it seems to be...

AHHHHH INTERNET IS SO SLOW HERE! I've literally been sitting for more that 15 minutes trying to load some pics to help describe what I've been doing with no luck. Rather unfortunate. If all else fails, I'll edit some posts when I get back to the states and sweet, sweet wifi and add in some pictures. For now, I guess I'll just look at my pics to help me remember what I did, who I saw, and what is worth mentioning.
So we've been here for about a week and to be honest, we haven't done very many exciting things. Life in the mountain villages of Lebanon is slow and there really isn't a whole lot to do. It seems that people fill their time sitting with different groups of people, drinking coffee and gossiping.
My mom and I stayed at my aunt's house in Chbenieh. Her house is gorgeous. It's 3 stories of apartments and she lives in the top apartment. [insert image here]. The porch is where most time is spent. We sit on couches outside (sorry ange) and watch people drive down the road. Then someone says "oh there goes (random village person)." And someone else says "oh didn't she marry (other random village person)?" Then a third person says "Yes, they live at ____ right by the ____." "Oh isn't that where (other random village person) lives?"...and the conversation continues like that until another car drives by. I've gotten really good at zoning out.

A few days ago, something wonderful happened. My cousin Naim's wife, Karen, and their 2 very adorable children, Sophie, 5, and Brooke, 3, came to stay at my aunt's house from Dubai. I had only met Karen once at her wedding in Australia 15 years ago but it didn't seem like that much had changed: she is just as sweet as I remember and so fun to be around. My mom and her sister have a lot of inside jokes that I don't get/aren't funny, and it was so nice to have another person to turn and talk to when they were off in another world. Another perk is that her kids are AMAZING. Probably the cutest children I've ever met and I work with kids all day! They are really sweet and play well together but they also have a way of making you feel like you're the greatest, most interesting person they've ever met. I was the apple of their eye for a few days...until Sami arrived. I'm pretty sure I've been replaced. They woke me up every morning at the ass-crack of dawn- they would very quietly tip toe into my room whispering to each other, tap me ever so softly on the arm and say, with sweet Australian accents "Leyla, can we get in your bed?" Then they lay quietly for .25 seconds and then wrestle me until I get up. The remind me of 2 different sets of movie kids: the kids in Love Actually that open the door when Hugh Grant is looking for his girl (wooooould we call her chubby??) and ask him to carol, begging "please sir" (as a result of this likening, I have Good King Wenceslas stuck in my head constantly), and the 2 little girls in the Holiday who want to push their beds together. Regardless of the weird connections I've made, these girls are really sweet and made my week in Chbenieh really awesome.

My birthday was last Thursday! and I thank you all kindly for your warm birthday wishes! We didn't really do a lot. Sophie and Brooke woke me up with cards and gifts and we sang in the morning. But we didn't really do anything special for my birthday. In light of recent events with the death of my cousin, it didn't really feel right to celebrate. But we did get my mom's whole family to go out to Shouf for a nice lunch. We sat outside all together in this secluded patio with a view. We ate delicious fries and hummus and olives and got to pick some fruit from the trees. It was really nice for us all to be together and laugh and have fun. There were swings and slides for the kids too, so I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.

Last night, finally, Sami and my dad got here. My mom and I went down to Beirut to pick them up from the airport. As we waited, I thought I found Sami about 5 times and it was never him. It's weird when everyone here looks like us....
When we got back, we moved from my aunt's house to my dad's house in Btekhney, which is a 10 minute drive down the windy mountain road. The second we arrived and opened the door, people started coming over for visits, which my dad really liked. His house in in the center of his town, so people always know when someone is home. It can be annoying, but it's nice to know that people want to see us!
The house is BEAUTIFUL. It's mad old and falling apart a little bit, but it's totally livable. We owe much to my dad's sister in law and my cousin who live nearby for preparing it for us. Sami and I are sharing a room because, let's be honest, I'm way too scared to sleep alone. There is a sort of in-room attic, like a loft, in the room where we are sleeping. Even though the house was cleaned and our room repainted, I still made Sami take the flashlight and check for snakes, bugs, and the boogie man up top. He's so patient with me even though he's laughing at me on the inside and making fun of me on the outside.
Even though he just got here, I'm already having so much more fun. Today we had lunch at my dad's sister's house. While the adults had a conversation about a political conflict that we didn't understand/know how to feel about, Sami and I cracked up about all kinds of random shit. Today's funniest moment was when I looked at Sami's profile and found one hair on his head that was about an inch longer than the rest; it just didn't get cut. I took a hilarious picture of the top of his head that I wish I could insert here that shows this hair. I laughed until I cried, duh, and rinsed all my make up off with my tears. When I show you the picture you'll die too. We are still laughing about it. Literally, I just told Sami and he cracked up. Also, my parents are sitting here and said that Sami's barber is in Lebanon and we'll probably see him this week. Sami says he will greet him with "Listen, I've got a hair to pick with you." Ahh, I'm so glad he's here.

That's all for today. Sami and I are going to the beach with Randa tomorrow near Beirut and I'm pumped to bronze. The only color I've gotten so far is red from mosquito bites...
Miss you all. Can't wait to talk to you soon :)