Tag: travel

by jad

Remembering Dubai

“No matter how long an expatriate has been in Dubai, even if they are born in Dubai, they are not Dubaian. At some point, they must leave. This process of exclusion leaves these particular expatriates betwixt and between–they are not legally Dubaian and can be deported at any point, nor are they culturally of their countries of passport. For some, this uncertainty is liberating; it certifies them as global citizens. For others, it merely points out the dangerous condition of their liminal state.” (Dubai: Guilded Cage) Going through my old photos in that memory stick I found in Lebanon reminds … Continue reading “Remembering Dubai” →

by jad

R.I.P. Piper

I had a really good day on my last day in Houston. Everything seemed to flow well, like a gentle brook, all the way through to takeoff when the plane synced up with the on-board “house mix” I had playing in my earbuds. Everything felt right, even when plans changed or there were unexpected delays. I felt happy and whole. And that whole time I was feeling that way, our beloved blind cat in Lebanon was rapidly dying from a blood clot, unbeknownst to me. I’m thinking about that disjunction, now that Piper has passed. Was I being prepared for … Continue reading “R.I.P. Piper” →

by jad

Houston: Y’All Come Back Now

There’s a place in the mall where I’m staying (yes, my hotel is in the mall) that’s called the museum of illusions, which sounds a lot like how this part of Houston feels, especially in the early morning fog. I took these after breakfast yesterday. I could have stared at that thing for hours. It’s fascinating how much this part of Houston reminded me of Dubai, even in its muggy evening breeze that indicated to me that there’s a gulf out there somewhere around here. More street scenes from my first Texan morning. The first breakfast wasn’t included in the … Continue reading “Houston: Y’All Come Back Now” →

by jad

Kalama, Mt. St. Helens, PDX

We spent a couple of nights in Kalama, a whistlestop town on I-5 partway between Seattle and Portland. It was “basecamp” for our drive around both sides of Mount St. Helens. Our literal “base camp” was up in the hills above Kalama’s business district, on a homestead farm called Highland & Co Acres. The experience was like stepping into one of those Netflix design shows, spending two nights in a tiny cabin made from shipping containers. We had fresh eggs and wildberry jam for breakfast sourced from the property. A rooster literally crowed us awake in the morning. It was … Continue reading “Kalama, Mt. St. Helens, PDX” →

by jad

Must It Be? It Must.

Before heading to Lebanon, I wondered about how it’d feel to see just how much of what I’d known had changed, and Christine wondered back: how will it feel to see how much of what I’d known is still the same? The answer to both those wonderings was “yes.” Yes, a lot has changed, and much of it saddened me, but shockingly a lot had not. Even my old haunts in Mar Mikhael, so badly affected in the blast, still feature familiar sites and names, despite it all. This gladdened my heart. So many had bounced back. And Hamra, more … Continue reading “Must It Be? It Must.” →

by jad

Re-Witnessing Lebanon

I asked @ouroboros.community what the cosmic soup had cooking for me, and this is what she said: “You are closing the calendar year with a gorgeous full moon in your sixth house of day-to-day life, work, and health. Even though the world wants us to make New Year’s resolutions, the transits currently want us to reflect on the past. How far have you come regarding these areas? How much do you feel supported by your community?” x I found my old #CanonPowerShot A710IS while rummaging through boxes at my parent’s place and was pleasantly surprised to see a bunch of … Continue reading “Re-Witnessing Lebanon” →

by jad

Asteroid City

“But you can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep So go live your dreams and live them real deep. There is some countin’ money and there’s some countin’ sheep. Oh, you can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep – If you don’t fall asleep.” (Jarvis Cocker) I watched ‘Asteroid City’ on the ten-hour flight to Frankfurt coming here, and I don’t think I was fully awake to fully grasp it, but I think it’s a movie about grief and purpose and the stories we let ourselves to find purpose in grief, or grief in purpose, etc. “Asteroid City … Continue reading “Asteroid City” →

by jad

Welcome to Lebanon

After something like five and a half years and twenty-four hours of travel, I’m back. My luggage isn’t though, so here’s a liminal space for this liminal time as we wait to hear about the fate of half the aircraft’s baggage that also didn’t make it. “We had more solidarity with random strangers in one hour than on most days in Canada,”” said a young traveler to their mother, with admirable optimism. “Welcome to Lebanon,” their mother had told us while we scrambled to figure out what was going on. We laughed and said: “We’re going to hear that a … Continue reading “Welcome to Lebanon” →

by jad

Soon it will be Christmas Day

“City sidewalks, busy sidewalksdressed in holiday style.In the air there’sa feeling of Christmas.” I’m going back home for Christmas for the first time in five years. My mother asked if I’d be upset to see our old place decorated; she knows how I’ve been feeling for the past month or so, and even Bethlehem is canceling the festivities. I told her no, quite the opposite. Christmas joy is what keeps my hope alive. The last time the festive season found me this blue-tinged, we were in the depths of the pandemic, and now that feeling always reminds me of this … Continue reading “Soon it will be Christmas Day” →

by jad

Montréal: Kahnawake

St Kateri’s shrine was the reason we’d thought to visit Montreal in the first place, so, as you might imagine, standing here by the quiet banks of the Saint Laurent after months of anticipation felt pretty good. Our Lyft driver’s GPS had been acting up, which meant that I’d get a chance to have my longest exchange in French of the trip (which also felt really good). More significantly, it also led to experiencing this church from this vantage point first. I don’t know what was special about this tree, but it literally took my breath away. Christine was walking … Continue reading “Montréal: Kahnawake” →