Friday, September 10, 2010

Siena memories

Dear Friends,

I am finally able to sit down and start typing away at my blog. Many of you might have been disappointed at the lack of entries this past month, but I couldn't imagine how busy I got while I was in Italy. Siena is a spectacular city and my class kept me waking up early in the morning to enjoy the early rays of the sunrise over this magnificent city.

I will keep updating my blog post over the next few days to write about the different activities and field trips we went on during the program. Week one was spent in Siena and biking through the Chianti region that surrounds the city. Week two was spent in Tuscany as I left for Florence and came back to Siena, only to have a blast with some friends over the weekend in Florence again; as well as Chianti wine tasting and heading to the San Giovanni hot springs. Week three was jam-packed as the Palio took place on that Monday and we had our first overnight field trip in Rome, while my weekend was spent in Cinque Terre (which Bea has recommended that I visit; in reality it was amazing). Week four was spent in Siena and Venice where I met up with my cousins on holiday; and then it was Elba for the weekend. Week five was my last week and it was mainly spent in Siena touring the Campo and Palazzo Publicco. Week five was short and it was the week where we had to hand in our papers and saying our goodbyes to each other, to the city, and to the country that has graciously hosted us University of Toronto students for 5 weeks. For now, I'll mention that it has been roughly a week since I left Italy and I can't help but wonder at the scenery that I experienced, the food I ate, and the people I met. Italy and Tuscany, in general, have left a lasting impression on my consciousness.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Lubnan El-Akhdar

Lubnan El Akhdar, simply means 'Lebanon the Green'. This is a local proverb among the Levantine Arabs that emphasizes the forests and the lush valleys of this Eastern Mediterranean mountain range. The climate of this region and the streams that emanate from the snow melt of the mountaintops will probably be similar to some parts of Italy and I am curious to find out which ones are. The fact is Italy and Lebanon have shared similar histories from the Greek colonizations of both areas, to the Roman domination and acculturation, to the influence of Italian knights and Christian pilgrims prior to and during the Crusades, as well as the role that Italy played in the trade exchange between the East and the West during the Venetian Empire's heyday. This trade centre has largely shifted East and Lebanon now plays that role between Europe and the Near East. In other words, it can be regarded as the Eastern gateway for the West and as a Western Bridge for the East. As the weeks pass and my travel date comes closer I can't help but draw vague similarities between these two regions who share similar histories. My course deals with the construction of the nation in Italy and the diversity I see in Italian regions and dialects is all too often familiar to the Levantine peoples whose recent histories saw the emergence of separate nation states. I would love to analyze the reasons for these differences between Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean once I get there and I am able to fully emmerse myself in the cultures and the communa that make up Siena, Tuscany, Central Italy and the Italian peninsula. So far, me professor has sent a lot more articles to read up on. I'm starting to get anxious about all the reading material that I already have to research up on, so I'm definitely going to go through them by the end of this week.

On the similar note, I came across this article one day and I was really impressed by the message, so I thought that I'd share it here: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2010/07/protecting-the-planet-is-a-sacred-and-scientific-duty/

Lebanon has for centuries been considered a place where sustainable forestry practices dominated, especially under the rule of local Druze emirs during the 15th to 17th centuries. The fact is most of the trade exchanges of that time was through Italy and the Tuscan city states of the period had a large role to play in the development of clean water infrastructure that didn't destroy sensitive environments. Some of these aqueducts still exist to this day and it would be awesome if we could find a way to reinvest in these local water management systems that take just enough from the environment to fuel our basic needs and reserve the rest for the plants and animals that live there.Unfortunately, rampant development has been occurring in many parts of the world over the last four decades and that has damaged local environments. I long realized that Lebanon is also suffering from deforestation and the effects of rampant ignorance of the environment's health. But a recent trip to the mountaintops of Mount Lebanon gave me some hope. These reserves are micro-managed by local groups who get volunteers from around Lebanon to help them reforest strands and groves of local Cedar, Oak, Cypress, and Pine trees. I hope that some of you would donate some of your time to such groups in other regions of the world so that we can alleviate and reverse a century worth of habitat loss. Some web resources in Lebanon include:
http://greenlebanon.org/
or
http://www.undp.org.lb/ProjectFactSheet/projectDetail.cfm?projectId=134
or
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/mediterranean/about/forests/forest_fires/help/

Let's save our Earth for the future and invest in our grandchildren's generation and their children's. It only takes a couple of weeks of hard work to replant a grove that will can last for centuries.
Think about it.

Regards,
Hisham J.

P.S. All pictures were taken on my most recent trip to Niha which is located in the upper reaches of the Southwestern flank of Mount Lebanon (i.e. the Shouf mountains).

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

World Cup Fever is over

I'm starting my blog a week into my vacation in Lebanon. It's amazing to come back to connect with my roots and I've enjoyed my time with the family, as well. I've been to the beach twice already and only once to the mountains.

I was able to catch the last two games involving Spain at a place called Public between Dbayyeh and Antelias, close to Beirut. Amazing atmosphere and it got really crowded. However, it got a bit annoying during the finals when the big screen kept turning off because kids kept stepping on the wire and unplugging the power to the projector. I wasn't supporting Spain nor Holland or Germany as I was slightly heartbroken at the fact that none of the African teams made it. But I figure Africa's turn to shine will be in Rio de Janeiro in 2014. I'm sure that Camila will likely be able to host some of her friends in Brazil if we all plan a trip there. I'm definitely happy that Spain won, however, especially with the high unemployment in the country and the negative economic growth that the state is undergoing during this tough transition in the European Union's history. The Spaniards definitely need a reason to celebrate and what better way to do that than by winning the world cup? Cheers to that.

The beach is an amazing place to start on my course readings. Siena is going to be really hectic, I presume, so I need to plan out a plan of action before I leave. I have three more weeks left and I will seriously miss Beirut. Lebanon is a green paradise in the otherwise arid Middle East with beautiful sun soaked, Mediterranean shores and imposing snow-capped mountains in the winter. Where else can you get a mixture of European, Arab, and African cultures (besides Brazil, that is)?
I would also love to visit another green, fertile mountain called the Jabal El-Druze (i.e. Hawran Mountain, in reality it is an extinct volcano with wet, snowy winters and hot, dry summers located east of the plain of Hawran in Southern Syria.). This is the place from which my family originated from before our 70 year/3 generation-long residency in the West African megapolis, Lagos. I have only visited the region twice before and the last time I went was in 2006. Truly breathtaking scenery as there are rows upon rows of Apple, Olive, Peach, and Almond trees interspersed my rocky wild grape groves. Seeing as I'll be in Rome this summer, it would have been nice to visit the Roman ruins in that region too.
Personally, I enjoy the relaxing mountainous atmosphere and the people that make it worthwhile (i.e. my relatives and my grandmother). In Lebanon, I visited my mom's hometown of Qobey in the El-Metn District of Mount Lebanon yesterday. My grandmother's grape vine has grown wonderfully sour grapes at this moment. It might require a couple more months before they mature and ripen. Which also reminds me that I will be in the wine country of Tuscany in three weeks. I'm thinking of booking a wine tour once I'm there.
This is where I'm going to leave you for now and I'll soon keep you updated on my life this summer.

Ciao,
Hisham J.