Arab Fest: Huge Success!

Here is the write-up from the Arab Fest organizers about how it all went down:

15th Arab International Festival

A HUGE SUCCESS

The record breaking 15th Annual Dearborn Arab International festival, June 18-20, drew over 350,000 people from around the country and parts of Canada. The expanded festival that stretched over 1.5 miles on Warren Avenue continues to be the largest street festival in the nation.

In an effort to promote the festival, American Arab Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Fay Beydoun, decided it was time to highlight Middle-Eastern cuisine live on the metro-Detroit airwaves. Lebanese delights were featured on Fox-2 Detroit's weekend news with hosts Deana Centifonti and Jay Towers. Beydoun was a guest on their live cooking segment as she explained to hundreds of thousands of viewers how to make hummous. Accompanying Beydoun was Greenland Super Store Executive Chef Bilal Masri who tantalized viewers with authentic cuisine. The food included breakfast meat and cheese pies, chicken and lamb schawarma sandwiches, fruit smoothies, vegetarian grape leaves, stuffed squash, potato and lamb stew over rice, and other delicious items.

Another new event was the first annual hot dog eating contest sponsored by Leo's Coney Island. There were eight contestants who were given four minutes to down as many hot dogs as possible. The top three winners received cash prizes from Leo's. (You can see me to the far left in the photo below. I am wearing the shades. I was deemed "the lead person" on organizing the event. It was so fun and I learned a lot about promoting a hot dog joint that day:)

There was also an expanded carnival, children's interactive tent, adult main stage, artisans tent, international food booths, Arab merchandise, henna and psychic readings. As the organizer of the event, the Chamber would like to extend its gratitude to its presenting partner Ford Motor Company and in cooperation with the City of Dearborn and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) for their financial and logistical support. Also, a heartfelt thank you to the over 150 Impact International volunteers from the deep south who come in the name of promoting cross-cultural understanding. They have embraced the beauty of the community just as we appreciate all their volunteer efforts and southern hospitality.

It was a great trip and I will be posting more soon! Thanks for all your thoughts and support.

desperately wanting

i am up late.

can't sleep just yet i guess.


there is a song that we used to sing in Girl Scouts. it was sung in rounds and go something like this:

make new friends, but keep the old
one is silver and the other's gold


for some reason this song has actually come up a lot in my mind in the last several years. these years have been full of old friends, new ones, and some that fall somewhere in between. i also think of the popular forward that gets sent around every once and in while that talks of the friends we have that come through our lives for reasons, seasons, and i forget what else. i feel like my pastor back in NA when he says that pastoring an international church is like watching a parade go by...waving goodbye to those who have been and waving hello to those to come.


as i lie awake after watching another three-episode installment of Dawson's Creek Season One (please keep snide remarks and comments to yourself) and was reminded of the time in my life when i watched this series as it was being released, i can't help but think of the people, the friends from that time in my life. a majority of them i know at least where they are in life thanks to myspace, facebook, and phone calls, but still we will never have that community we once shared. many of those parts of my life from early high school have died off and are buried.


since coming back from NA i have been processing a lot just how different the States are in comparison to well...the rest of the world. i went to a counselor this week to talk through some of the feelings and adjustments i have been going through these past several months. he quite assuredly let me know that i may never fully be assimilated back into the American way of life. never. really?


tonight, as the song referenced above was dancing through my head, i thought of the life i had in NA. how different it was. then i went onto thinking about the gold friends i have. you know, the ones that i have had from before i left for my two year adventure. where are they? many are doing what any person has done while a friend of theirs has been physically absent for the last 22 months or so...they have lived their lives. gotten married, have had children, have a new job, have moved, and of course: found new friends, new communities, new fellowships.


in an effort to try and be a "normal" 20-something in the southern US i decided i wanted to do something "normal" for this saturday night. it has been interesting trying to spearhead this outing since the one person out of the group that hasn't done something like this in quite sometime on many ways is the one trying to organize and plan (well, i guess that part of me hasn't change so much) this "normal" affair. i think we may end up with dinner out and a film from this weekend's local film festival. sounds normally good, right?


but you know what i am desperately wanting? community. fellowship.

how many more new friends that are silver-like and how many old friends that are gold-like will i have to have to have this community? does the community always keep changing?


i remember my first time at a church service back here in the good ole US of A. i had landed back here on a Saturday afternoon and went the following Sunday evening. i wasn't sure what to expect as i had never visited the church. it was funny later to me as i had this expectation in my mind that i might get some phone numbers or email addresses while i was there that night. see, at my international church in NA, if someone new came to our church, we would be very intentional in introducing ourselves and immediately try to get their phone number to try and set up a coffee date or tour of some part of the city for that week. i think i was thinking that might happen at my first time back in the US church. it didn't. and that is okay. i did fill out a card where i could list my contact info. and i was contacted later that week about various opps within the church, but it just wasn't the same. and i don't think it ever will be.


i guess i am coming to grips with that. trying to figure out how to deal with life in the transitional stages of life...specifically this one i am experiencing moment by moment. i have friends, but.

even though my Arabic was not that great, i feel like i was able to connect pretty deeply with some of my NA friends. and the connection, the fellowship, i had with other expats while there was just so unique. we all had a few important things in common: Christ and being an expat/international. for some reason this brought many of us together on many different occasions. so many walls were never put up because our lives were so different. it didn't matter where we had come from or how great we spoke our second or third language. we were in it together. it wasn't a big, dramatic deal. just toast with cafe' creme, movies, house visits or walks around the city.
i saw a picture on a book today of one of the ladies that lives in NA now and it just made me miss so much. isn't it ironic that the very things that i, at times, had such a hard time adjusting to in NA are the very things i miss the most?

but one thing that i hope could be found anywhere on the globe: community/fellowship/life with life/gold is what i am desperately wanting these days.

lenses

for as long as i can remember i have had problems with my ears. since i have inner ear issues, i have seen many doctors throughout my life trying to assess and deal with the different problems that have come up. i remember the first time i had tubes put in my ears...it was a surgical procedure. the last time i had tubes put in i was able to remain awake and had the procedure quickly done right there in the doctor's office. technology is amazing and i have seen it progress so much already in my lifetime. since i have always had ear problems, i have always wanted to have something more normal wrong with me...like needing glasses.
i used to poke the sun-glass shades out of my sunglasses just so i could have frames to wear as my "glasses". later, i saved up money to buy fake pairs of glasses...i have had an array of glasses over the years. my sister still rags on my for the Sally Jessy Raphael pair i loved to wear around the house. for some reason i thought having glasses would be way more normal than having to explain to people at the swimming pool why i had to wear ear plugs and a swimmer's cap. my sight is actually really incredible...guess i can thank my not-so-great ears for that. i got good eyes.

the other morning as i was sitting with the Lord, i realized that my recent struggles intensify when my lens is zoomed in way too tight. it is like the lens is right up on my face...nothing else. all i care about is my problems, my worries, my...my...my. God was reminding me that i have to zoom out. i have to focus not on just my face or my latest fear or struggle, but be willing to let others in the picture. let others' lives be a part of mine. allow myself the privilege to use my experiences to help others has they go through theirs. and vice versa.
at the retirement party i went to last week i noticed a young lady taking lots of photos. i have seen some of her work before and was excited she was able to couple her talent with her day-job. later, she asked if i could take a photo of her work team. i gladly took the challenge of capturing the perfect shot of all five of them...making sure all eyes were open, smiles were on point, and backs were straight and tall. she warned me that the lens was really best for portraits, so maybe try and take a shot to see how it would really turn out. when i take photos i try to make them as un-needy of cropping as possible, but this portrait lens was tricky. it gave me a different shot than what i was seeing on my side of the lens. the gal said that the lens is best used for up close and personal shots and not so great for group shots (like the one i was trying to take for her and her team). this whole scenario came back into mind during my time alone with the Lord that morning. what if i took the portrait lens of my camera and was willing to attach the wide-angle, landscape lens? what would i see? what would that capture? possibly some heart-ache, possibly some trials, possibly some victories, possibly laughs, and so on and so forth. but most likely allowing the lens to capture the depth and width of life would allow me to experience loads of what God really cares about...love. not in the mis-construed sense that the world is all wrapped up in these days, but good, pure, holy L-O-V-E.

this article below is a helpful piece that reminds me of what i am really here for.
http://www.mygazines.com/issue/9197/68

not to [me], but to your Name be the glory.

watching an armadillo decompose

so, instead of trying to catch you all up from my lack of updates, i figure it is best to go ahead and start anew.

there is an armadillo at a busy intersection near the street i am living on these days. this armadillo was hit and i assume killed upon impact. i have been watching the dead life of this armadillo. dead-life. his or her body is no longer full of life as we would call it, but a lot it still happening with this animal.
first off, i didn't realize that armadillos lived in urban areas. i was surprised to see one hit so close to this well-traveled street. the armadillo was left actually in the street, but the next day when i passed, someone was nice enough to move the 'dillo from the street and onto the grass. maybe two days ago the metamorphosis began. from life-life to dead-life. this 'dillo was now providing many insects and maggots food. it was interesting to see as i would pass by just about every time i left the house. soon, the stench came. then the shell was moved off the body and the stench stenched on.
yesterday as i was waiting to pull out at this busy intersection, a man was coming down the street walking on the sidewalk. i was wondering what he might think of this 'dillo and he didn't seem to notice it at first, but then when close enough was startled maybe my the stench and/or the sight of it.
today, i noticed the 'dillo's body almost entirely gone. wow. that was fast. the hard shell does remain. i haven't ever seen anything like this so up close and personal. it has made me think of several things: how quickly life (whether full of death or life) can pass by, what is eating away at me these days, how fast it seems that my emotions can cause me to crumble, how much i have changed since coming back from north Africa, what will my life-life be like in the future.

i was telling my sister this weekend that i find myself being very reflective. she made fun of me a bit by saying that the thought going through my mind must be: "oh, these humans..."
it made me laugh, but i do sometimes feel like i am from another planet. tonight as tears were welling up in my eyes, i found myself thinking and wondering furiously: "why did i have to experience what i have experienced? why do i have to care so much?" it makes me think back to a bold exhortation that will never leave me nor forsake me: "you have learned this truth, and now you are responsible to share it, apply it, live it." it is funny how i yearn for some ultimately responsibilities in my life, yet i tremble at the idea of actually being responsible.
i want to be married, yet easily dispel the fact that with this covenant comes much responsibility. i hope for God-fearing children, yet can quickly bypass the lists of responsibilities that comes with giving birth to a family.

this morning i had the opportunity to attend the retirement party of a great man. he has labored for over 40 years within the great state of AR and beyond. i laughed through many of the remarks that were given in his honor, but appreciated what one final remark exuded: his life-life isn't over. we were not at his funeral, but honoring the incredible ministry he has had and will continue to have in the future.

i find myself needing more down-time these days. i am not sure how this started to happen, but i have realized that i can't fight it anymore. i don't know if i am more of an introvert now or an otter or whatever label some may want to put on me, but it hasn't come easy. i find myself struggling to be rested. is that a bad thing? i was extremely challenged earlier this week when i read a blog entry of woman i deeply respect and hope to possibly be like one day. she talked about the day of rest. when she described (i read the follow-up post that included pictures first...i love pictures) what this day could be full of, i smirked and thought to myself, "yeah, right." but why am i so cynical? rest is something the Lord commands of us. two ladies told me today that they took a cruise earlier this year. why don't we take more cruises? a mentor of mine told me a little while back that one thing he has learned is that he shouldn't have been so worried about what others thought and how hard (meaning how many hours as if hours equals actual work) he should be working. is it ridiculous to feel burnt out already, while feeling like i haven't really done anything? yuck.

so, these are some thoughts...as i watch an armadillo decompose.

southern France

I decided to go out with a bang on my last trip out...I went to southern France and then onto London. I have decided that I really like France since getting to travel there three times during my overall time here. I would love to go back to spend more time there in the future. I enjoyed meeting several NA folks while I was there! How cool! I even got to speak Arabic with them. It made my heart happy for sure. I enjoyed loads of good food, which I didn't post a load of pix of this time, but trust me...it was yummy! Hope you enjoy this post! Thanks for staying tuned.

mio and the city! it was a great view from the cathedral for sure. we took a bus up and then jogged back down. it was fun for sure. welcome to my southern France adventure!

Notre-Dame de la Garde is a basilica located in Marseille, France. This ornate Neo-Byzantine church is situated at the highest natural point in Marseille, a 162 m (532 ft) limestone outcrop on the south side of the Old Port. As well as being a major local landmark, it is the site of a popular annual pilgrimage every Assumption Day (August 15). Local inhabitants commonly refer to it as la bonne mère ("the good mother").Commissioned by Saint Charles Eugene de Mazenod, then bishop of Marseille, and designed by the architect Jacques Henri Esperandieu (1829-1874), the church was built between 1853, when the foundation stone was laid on September 11, and 1864. "The basilica was built in the 19th century in the same style as the Cathedral of Sainte Marie Majeure on the opposite side of the port." The church was built on the site of a 13th century chapel, also dedicated to Our Lady of the Watch, the traditional guardian of seafarers. It shared space atop the hill with a 16th-century fortification established for Francois I, built in 1525, whose own salamander badge is to be found within the present basilica's north porch.The basilica is surmounted by a 60 m (197 ft) belfry topped with a huge statue of the Virgin and Child, visible across much of the city and for miles out at sea. Construction of the basilica took five years and required 170,000 tons of material, including 23 shiploads of marble and porphyry from Italy. The interior is decorated with inlaid marble, mosaics and murals. Many of the walls are covered with hundreds of ex-votos, including paintings, plaques, model boats, war medals and even football shirts given by players and supporters of Olympique de Marseille, the local football team.wikipedia.org

i thought taking a pic of this would help me for my blog...so here you go! enjoy the stats!

inside of the cathedral, the nave. it was quite a hodge podge of items in there. wooden boats hanging down, plaques, trophies, etc. very interesting for sure.

this was a beautiful mural we saw on the way back down from Notre Dame. i just loved it. what do you think? it is of the port and so fabulous. loved this street with the lights hanging up. happy holiday! :)

the Notre Dame de la Major was huge!! seriously. it was right on the water, too. very interesting inside and out.

there were loads of candles in both of the cathedrals we visited. it was interesting. i thought this pic came out really well. the prices of the candles ranged with the type of candle you bought. this was on our way back from the cathedral and in the distance up on the hill is the first Notre Dame we visited. i thought it was a nice shot to get a pic with and thought my mom would be happy to see mio with the city:)


The Palace is has three main parts:*A central building built to commemorate the construction of the canal in Marseille *The East Wing, the musée des Beaux-Arts *The West Wing, the museum of natural history The central feature from the front of the palace is a magnificent fountain. The central part shows four large bulls and three women (one who represents grapes/vines, one who represents wheat/fertility and the central one who represents the Durance river). Behind the women, within the building, is a man made stone grotto decorated with carved stalactites and nymphs. From under the three women, and from the bulls, water pours outward into the secondary basin, and then into the first pond. After the water washes out of the first pond into underground pipes, it comes out into twelve ornate bronze fountains lined alongside a waterfall like structure to the front.

it was so great to be with my lovely friend! she was such a great hostess and it was a pleasure to be able to experience her life in France. lovely. just lovely!



this one is for my sis!
Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. The French and English form bouillabaisse comes from the Provençal Occitan word bolhabaissa, a compound that consists of the two verbs bolhir (to boil) and abaissar (to reduce heat, i.e., simmer).
Bouillabaisse is a fish soup containing various kinds of cooked fish and shellfish and vegetables, flavored with a variety of herbs and spices such as garlic, orange peel, basil, bay leaf, fennel and saffron. There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse, typically scorpionfish (fr: rascasse); sea robin (fr: grondin); and European conger (fr: congre); and it can also include gilt-head bream (fr: dorade); turbot; monkfish (fr: lotte or baudroie); mullet; or silver hake (fr: merlan) It also usually includes shellfish and other seafood such as sea urchins (fr: oursins), mussels (fr: moules); small crabs (fr: etrilles); spider crab (fr: araignées de mer) or octopus. More expensive versions may add langoustine. Vegetables such as leeks, onions, tomatoes, celery and potatoes are simmered together with the broth and served with the fish. The broth is traditionally served with a rouille, a mayonnaise made of olive oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper on grilled slices of bread.
What makes a bouillabaisse different from other fish soups is the selection of Provencal herbs and spices in the broth, the use of bony local Mediterranean fish, and the method of serving. In Marseille, the broth is served first in a bowl containing the bread and rouille, with the seafood and vegetables served separately in another bowl or on a platter.
wikipedia.org

The Old Port or Vieux-Port, the main harbour and marina of the city. It is guarded by two massive forts (Fort St Nicolas and Fort Saint Jean) and is one of the main places to eat in the city. Dozens of cafés line the waterfront. The Quai des Belges at the end of the harbour is the site of the daily fish market. Much of the northern quayside area was rebuilt by the architect Fernand Pouillon after its destruction by the Nazis in 1943. wikipedia.org