Our Reason for Going 

THE SHORT ANSWER:  We had friends going to Beirut and we were invited to go along. The airfares were reasonable and the timing and interest was right for both Patrick and Keith.

THE LONG ANSWER:  Keith spent a year in the Middle East when he was in the service many years ago.  He was assigned to a special military mission in the desert capital of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1960-61. (See "Old Military Photo Albums")  While there he was able to travel to many different countries.  He visited Lebanon twice, met friends there and fell in love with Beirut and surrounding areas.  He always wanted to return but events in his life (like education, family & work) and events in Lebanon (like years of war and turmoil) prevented such a return.  He had fond memories but never thought he would be able to visit Lebanon again.  He had loaned out all of his 35mm Lebanon slides to a family (Samir & Marla Khayat) that lost all of their pictures in the war; contact with the Khayat family was lost and these precious pictures were never returned.  Some of his memories were becoming faint after 42 years.

Meanwhile, Keith's son Patrick and his wife, Karen, were living in the San Francisco Bay area.  They became acquainted with a neighbor who was Lebanese, Nada Abbas.  Nada had her sparkling 90 year old mother, Fatimah (or "Fatmeh"), visiting for several months from Beirut.  Once while Keith was visiting Patrick and Karen, all were invited to dinner at Nada's home.  As Keith was met at their door by Nada and her mother, he was able to dredge up from foggy memory banks some of his long ago learned Arabic words and phrases.  It was a most enjoyable visit and the memories of Lebanon were beautifully stirred.  Keith was so happy to learn that Beirut, often called "the Paris of the Middle East," had not only survived very hard times but was starting to thrive again.

Sometime later, Nada mentioned to Karen and Patrick that she needed to take her mother back to Beirut.  Karen suggested that Keith might want to go along.  When Keith heard of this invitation and opportunity - and with the support of his wife Peggy - he quickly made the decision to go.  As Patrick was between jobs and finishing up his MBA studies, he was also interested in such a trip.  Patrick had grown up hearing his dad tell stories of the beauty and marvel of Lebanon - he had the time and needed a break from his routine - so he invited himself to come along.  

Nada helped with the flight arrangements and assured them that Lebanon was now a safe place to visit.  She agreed to help them with some of the in-country arrangements (this generous lady actually did way too much!).  Patrick and Keith frantically started reading up on Lebanon on the Internet, the tourist books (our favorite was Lonely Planet's Lebanon) and related historical and political books.  They were soon ready and anxious to travel with these delightful folks.  They and their family are now the dearest of friends!

Return to Lebanon Index Page
 

Brought to you by a member of  Veterans for Peace,   Chapter 56