Adonis Diaries

Diary of a potential volunteer day-work in Rashaya (Lebanon): Or May be Not!

Saturday, Sept 17, 2011.

I woke up at 4:30 am and got busy preparing a large bag for a volunteer day-work in the village of Rashaya in west Bekaa Valley.

Rashaya is the gateway for hiking expeditions to Mount Haramoun (Hermon) or Jabal al Rab (over 3,500 meters in altitude), where Jesus supposedly was transfigured and showed up alongside Elias and someone else…

I have another larger bag for sleepover occasions that I used once in the last 10 years.

This program is a grant from Italy and coordinated by the ministry of social affairs.  The project is to refurbish all the 140 doors of the shops of the Old Souk…The program is for a series of 3-day volunteer works until the doors are done…

Ironically, this project was delayed twice. Why?

Every week, the minister Fa3our is either sick or busy to show up in Rashaya to have his picture taken. A few NGOs got pissed off and refused to participate any longer in that project. We have hundreds of NGO: They train people on how to fill and complete forms for grants…and very few other “useful” things…

I wore the T-shirt for this targeted project.  Let me think; I guess this is the only T-shirt I have that says “volunteer work”.  As if I am that stupid, at his advanced age, to physically get on my knees to rub and paint stupid doors…

I have been witnessing horror stories: University graduates in their late 20’s and 30’s, not finding steady jobs, or even temporary paying jobs, registering for volunteer projects with promises of free outing and free food…

I was supposed to be on the road around 6:15 am, but without warning me, Cedric decided that this time is too early.

I got in the car by 8 am and headed up toward Majdal Tarshish (1,200 meters in altitude), another road that links the seashore to the Bekaa Valley, beside the “Arab Highway” that passes by Aley, and has not advanced a single mile in the last two decades.

We crossed two dozen heavy trucks carrying loads from three big quarries in Majdal Tarshish.  I wish these trucks will dump their cargoes at a very useful public work, in order to justify these unlicensed quarries to keep functioning freely outside laws and regulations.  The trucks are either Abil Lama3, MSC, or non-marked.

We stopped at a small restaurant in Majdal Tarshish that serves breakfast of manakeesh, fresh vegetable, cheese, eggs, bread on saj… It turned out that the owner is the uncle of Father Simon, director of the private and religious school of St. Joseph in Cornet Chehwan.

Father Simon was the rector of the private Christian Maronite school of St. Joseph in Kornet Chehwan; he is now managing the religious association Caritas targeting needy communities and families: I am not sure this organization is transparent enough to verify that donated money is reaching the proper destinations.

We got back on the road at 9:30.  Ten minutes later, we had a flat tire. We used the spare tire that was not suitable to continue our trip.

I always warn people to borrow new cars for long trips.  We could see the Bekaa Valley down there; we saw a huge column of black fumes reaching 100 meters in the air: Was it a fire or an industrial complex…?

On our way back, we had to bypass the trucks.  The speed signs on the return way said 30 km.  I guess the signs were meant for the trucks, but we had to deal with this ugly reality since nothing was specific.

Cedric saw a tire shop in Bikfaya and got a deal to change two tires for $105 each.  Cedric dropped me home and went ahead to withdraw money…

The day was not a total loss: Days are never a loss to me, as long as I manage to post articles, read books, tend my garden, and do house chores…

Adrea is at the beach: She returned from a 3-week vacation in London, visiting her sister Joanna.

Chelsea refuses to study and joined the scouts’ activities this afternoon.

Raymonde is beside herself on how to control this Chelsea, the latest of 6, who dreams to be an actor in Hollywood…

I posted two articles and working on two other articles. Saturday, Sept 17, 2011.

Note: I almost forgot: I had my head shaved yesterday.  For over a year, I grew long hair and attached a ponytail.  I feel relieved, light, and energized.

I wake up looking as I looked before going to bed, no fuzzy hair every which way…. Many think that shaving my head was a drastic statement, sort of “I am still daring community common opinions...”.

This idea of shaving head was not originally in the plan: I am not an artist, or in the art business. It was a split-second decision, but I certainly love the interpretation.  I believe that extreme behavioral statements, Not political opinions, are the salt of mankind life.

Actually, I had my head shaved for a couple of weeks, three years ago, just to see how my head looked like, and if it was round enough and in nice shape…People didn’t like my head, my shaved head, and I was unable to get impartial feedback. (I think my shaved head is ugly and Not fit for esthetics)

At least, the skin of my head recovered health and got tanned for a while, for the first time in my long life. I intend to keep shaved the sides of my head, for the time being.