My parents hope to leave soon but they're waiting to leave with my grandmother and the rest of my moms family. My grandmother is 85 and was hoping to die in Lebanon and never travel again (she used to live in houston). So, her american passport had expired. My uncle took her to the american embassy and they were treated like animals. They refused to even give her an emergency passport so she can at least cross over to Syria or go to Cyprus to get it renewed there. Does anyone here have any state department leads here that we can follow? My family really can't leave her there on her own! She can barely walk!
Also, other extended family members made it onto the ships, only to be told moments later that it was full, and to get off and "come back again tomorrow."
I should add that my family does not live there, but they spend all their vacations there. My parents usually go there in the Spring and leave after the fig season is over. I really hope they make it here sooner, and of course I hope the bombing ends.
A generator fell on my dads foot and aparently that is why they haven't already left, still hopping around from doctor to doctor. This happened a few days ago, but I just got told today. They don't tell me everything. I'm glad they're all still alive, all limbs intact, but I feel terrible that everyone is going through this. It really is such a tragedy.
Here are some blogs I've been reading that have kept me sane: kerblog by mazen kerbaj and beirut update by zena. I really wish both of these artists had started blogs before this war, and in fact I had just talked to zena about this a few weeks ago while I was there and all was peaceful.
thats all for now.
15 comments:
Since I read your 'Yikes' post, every time I hear something on the news, I wonder about your family. Strange because I don't even know you right? I guess it's a sisters in blogging type of thing. Anyway, I'll continue sending your folks warm wishes and pray they make it out safe.
thanks so much, sweet! i really wish i'd be posting about all the artsy stuff i'd much rather be consuming my brain waves with, but, alas, thats too hard to think about at the moment.
You've been in my thoughts since all of this started - I wish the best for your family.
I hope your family are all o.k.
The only thing I can advise is, go to the top - go to the newspapers, go to your local political rep, go to your president and make a huge huge fuss, I'm sure you know this already, but it's true.
Good luck, let me know if I can help make a fuss.
I'm so sorry that all of this is happening, and that your family is being put through such an ordeal. Is there a Lebanese community here in DC that might have advice on how to work through the State Dept?
i'm wisking shoofly to our studio today.
no news, just art!
yella shoofly, lets go!
oh god oh god oh god, you must be worried sick. thinking of you and your family, and sending all safe, peaceful, best best vibes their way... and yours.
.xxxxxxx.
i know i said this on sean's blog already, but your family is in our thoughts, and we're hoping they all make it out safely. it's just a horrible thing, and i hope for the best with the whole situation...
I would be out of my mind with worry, too. Thinking about you with much concern, hoping the awfulness will stop sometime soon.
I'm thinking good thoughts for you and your family. Take care!
rania- what kind of help are you looking for? i'm sure i can find someone.
love
beth
Thanks sooo much for all the thoughts and prayers, and good vibes being sent out...everyone planning to leave has left (including my grandmother yay!) and my parents will be leaving tomorrow finally!
Wow -- I've been a bad blogger lately and I knew you'd been to Lebanon recently but I had so many of your posts to catch up on. I read from bottom to top, and was first absolutely enthralled by your amazing photos -- what a gorgeous country! And now, to know your family is still there, I'm horrified -- even though I don't really know you, reading your words makes it easier to give a sense of reality to the horrible things that are happening in Lebanon. I am so sorry to hear about what your family is going through, and your grandmother -- and the way she was treated! I am so deeply ashamed of the role the US has played and NOT played since this whole crisis began.
Even though I've never been to Lebanon, we lived in Southern Italy during the '82 Marine barracks bombing and my father's ship (he was in the US Navy then) went to Beirut in the aftermath... and now I find myself wondering more about that time and what he did there, and also more about now. I hope hope hope peace can be restored soon, and that that amazing city will not be destroyed again. I would like to travel there some day. Your trip sounds amazing. I have my fingers crossed for your family -- though crossing fingers sounds so pathetically inadequate right now.
[also, thanks for the shoe link. Wow. AMAZING shoes. Now I feel ridiculous to talk about shoes in the context of your moving post.]
My heart jumped to my throat when I read your post. I glad to hear that you familly is getting out safe now. I hope you'll let us know how it goes. That must have been so scary for you. I'll be praying for this to be over soon. I can barely watch the news anymore because I wish there could just be peace over there.
Sorry, I haven't been back on your blog earlier. It's hard to believe what has happened to the beautiful place that you just been to not too long ago has been destroyed. In the name of what? Love, peace? It's babaric. Why they want to kill innocent people?
I pray that the war will be over very soon. It's madness. Look what happen to Afghanistan? Iraq? So so sad. Sorry, I am getting a bit emotional here. I cannot help worrying about your family's safety. I pray that the ordeal for them and you with be over soon and you will reunite with them in a safe place. Take care, my friend.
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