Being in Beirut

Dear Reader,
Laura and I are enjoying visiting schools in Beirut. The teachers and principals are warm and welcoming, and love the Superkids! We are meeting teachers at the "nursery" level (3-year olds), KG-1 (4's) and KG-2 (5's), as well as Grades 1 and 2.  We are being driven to school by Haruit (whom Laura has nicknamed "Triple Trouble"), and it is a good thing he is driving, because traffic here is crazy and congested! Drivers are careening through the streets, honking indiscriminately and frequently.
Here are some other interesting things we have learned on our visit:
If you want to get around Beruit without driving, you can take a taxi, or you can also take a service. The service cars are heading in a particular direction; you flag them down and get in, often with other people, and take the car as far in that direction as you need to go for about $1. The driver will pick up other people as you are traveling, so you need to be willing to share.
The food here is marvelous:  tabulleh, souboreg, manti, labeneh, hummus, Arab bread, many different types of olives and fruits. Foods are often seasoned with red pepper. Fresh mint is also prominent. And Lebanese pastries are like none other. Cass would have a blast here!
Most people here live in flats (apartments) so Beirut residences are primarily apartment buildings. Everything is very modern here, and you can find anything you could possibly want; neighborhoods are designated by their markets. For example, our hotel is in the Zalka district, which has small shops of every kind. There are also huge malls, wonderful restaurants, cinemas, grocery stores, and every modern convenience. The electricity here is somewhat unreliable so it will go off throughout the day, but most places have generators which kick in, so there is only momentary lapses in electrical service.
There are some television stations which broadcast in English with Arabic subtitles, but of course most television is in Arabic, including "Arab Idol."
Laura and I went to a musical called "On the Land of Gypsies." It was very good with lovely singing and dancing. It was completely in Arabic, so it was an interesting experience to figure out the plot! Icky would have loved it.
Our experiences in Beruit have been wonderful. The people are lovely, the hospitality unsurpassed. We hope the children here will love the Superkids!
Your trusty correspondent,
Alf