Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Well Americans, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all planning on filling your bellies with delicious food and shopping excessively the day after (boost that economy people!!)! Obviously, we don't have Thanksgiving here seeing as tho it is a day to celebrate the coming of pilgrims to the US and the minor details of killing off thousands of Native Americans in the process (great holiday, we are so nice!). No, no, I like to think of the positives and forget history! It is a day to be thankful for the friends and family around you, for the food you get to eat and for anything else in life you appreciate! I will definitely be celebrating that part of Thanksgiving with good food I get every day thanks to my amazing aunt, I just won't be having the traditional food of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and more!! I will be having spagetti tho...I think thats what Siham is making today! :)

There is so much to be thankful for in my life, the list would go on and on. But a few things I am especially thankful for today are of course my amazing friends and family back home and the huge family network I have here in Lebanon. The support of my friends and family back home has given me strength to come all the way around the world to pursue something I have wanted for a really long time, and almost didn't do it out of fear. Getting to know my huge family here has been such a blessing that I am so thankful for. It is so different and wonderful to have a large family around you all the time (altho sometimes it gets a bit annoying, but thats neither here nor there). I am so thankful for my position in life and being given so many opportunities that I take for granted every day that so many women are not given around the world. This is something I am increasingly thankful for the more I read and here about the conditions of women and girls around the world. I am thankful that this experience here is giving me new goals and passions to drive me towards helping other people in whatever capacity I can.

I hope you all have lots to be thankful for today! If nothing else at least you people get turkey! ;) (which is something I know for sure my dear FATHER is taking for granted right now since he doesn't particularly like turkey...what a waste!! Maybe you guys can ship his slice to me?? hehe)

Much love,

Sasha

Independence Day, Halloween and Christmas...

Three holidays (in that order) that are back to back here, unlike the very spread timeline we have in the US. We just celebrated Independence day on Sunday, the only secular holiday in Lebanon I should point out, but not with fireworks or barbeques. Everyone put up Lebanese flags and called that good. Independence is an important historical date for this former French colony but since the civil war in the 1970s-1990s the very small country has been torn into so many different sects that it is hard to say exactly what they are independent from--aside from colonialism. The sights this weekend of Lebanese flags triumphing over the sectarian flags that symbol particular religious and therefore political beliefs (here your politics is your religion and your religion is your politics...) reminded me a lot of the weeks after Sept. 11, 2001 in the US when everyone had a US flag flying from their home, their car, their window, wherever. But is flying a flag just to fly it a show of national pride and independence? In the case of Lebanon, I would argue no. It is a fundamental problem here in Lebanon--the lack of national identity. The end of the civil war is only 10-15 years old and people still feel the sting of the open wound. Maybe with time it will heal and everyone can move on, but for now, "independence" can only speak of the break of Lebanon from colonial rule, but not of national celebration and pride.

Next up is Halloween which is next Friday, Dec. 4th!! Weird....I can't remember the story as to why it is in December but it has to do with one Saint or another...I guess big kids don't dress up much, maybe a mask or something. Mostly the tradition is for little kids, and they do a trick or treat sort of night as well, but these kids get money!!! Not a lot obviously but little coins! We'll see what is in store.

And finally, Christmas is just around the corner! We put up our Christmas tree last night, and if you are friends with me on Facebook you can see the pics (I'll work on getting pictures up on the blog soon). My aunt was saying this is the first year that Beirut decorated the malls and streets this early! We were visiting my cousin last week and the mall was all decorated like in the US, only they use purple and red for their colors. Everything was so pretty and festive!! I love Christmas!! I am excited to learn all of their traditions, I've never been here in the winter time before! Should be fun!!

In other news, I am working on finalizing my paper topic proposals with my teachers, a process that is taking a lot longer than I wanted because while they (profs) are encouraging us to get started we don't HAVE to have them done until like next week or the week after so when I present them things they are slightly nonchelant about them. I am trying to pin each of them down individually and get them to give me feed back on what they want and what aspects of what I'm proposing they like....its a difficult process! Never the less, I hope to have all my topics finalized and start some writing this weekend...Its a four day weekend for us from school so no class on Friday or Monday (even tho I never have class Mondays). I can't remember which one but it is a Muslim holiday this weekend! I kind of like the four day weekend the same week I normally get a four day weekend for Thanksgiving back home!!!

Well I better get back to work!

Much love,
Sash

A year in the life of a blog....already??!

This actually doesn't have to do with me....BUT....I was reading my cousin's blog today and he posted on it because (usually his wife does all the posting) it is the year anniversary of his wife creating it! For those of you who don't know, my cousin Jim and his wife Stacy in MN have been on an incredible roller coaster that turned into a true miracle this past year. A little over a year ago they came to WA and told us they were expecting their first child and we were all soooo ecstatic! He would be my grandparents first great grandchild and the first baby in the family! She started their blog a year ago to keep everyone posted on her pregnancy and their changing life. But life changed dramatically right after Christmas when Stacy went into early labor. It was SO scary for everyone in the family, especially the two of them, their parents and siblings. We were all on the edge of our seats if you will, I don't think I ever let go of my phone (which isnt really anything new I guess....haha) just in case Jim called me with updates. Finnegan, their son, was born January 6th weighing only 1lb and 15oz!! He stayed in the hospital for four months (right?? 3 or 4 months at any rate) in an incubator like crib getting nutrients he needed to continue to grow. He is now 10 months old and the cutest little guy you will ever meet!! I got to meet him in July and it was the best two weeks ever! Even though he was technically 6 months old, he couldn't support his own head and other things because physically he was just over 3 months old. He has been such a little gift to his family! It is so fun to watch him grow! He is sitting by himself now!! Its been months since I've seen him and he looks soooo different already!!

Thank you so much Jim and Stacy for keeping your blog! It lets all of us share in your family memories, which is especially meaningful for us (like me) who feel worlds away from you! Finn is so precious and I love being apart of his life through pictures and stories on your blog! After all, it is hard for "Besties" to be apart for too long! I love you both so much and love Finn even more!! ;) hhaha

Anyway.....reading my cousins post now brought back all those memories thinking about what they've been going through, i thought i'd share! Things here are pretty low key. I submitted 2 of my 3 paper proposals and am hoping my professor tomorrow will have time to discuss my paper with him after class. I just want to move past this phase and start writing!!!

This wkend my aunt, uncle and the boys and I are going to this dinner thing with a bunch of people from our village...Im still not sure what it is, something with the church, maybe for Independence Day, Im not sure! haha but its going to be quite fancy and we get to get all dressed up! SO Sunday I will definitely have stories!

For now, life is pretty normal, reading, hanging out with my family and sleeping is about all I do....OH well and Eat...but...we all know that! hahah

Much love,

Sash

2012--the movie

Let me just say that I was quite rattled by the movie. On a cinematic front it was the best special effects and action movie I have ever seen! It had you holding your breath, laughing out loud, screaming at the actors to run faster, crying when the US President stays behind to die with his people, it was beautiful.

On a "real life" front it does an amazing job at highlighting the great might and beauty that our world is. It also has kept me thinking for about 12 hours now about life and what I should do if the world is really going to end in a little over 2 years!! And of course, I have been making all sorts of conspiracy theories based on the plot of the movie that I find totally plausible!! haha For instance, in the movie they make these huge arcs and charge people who want to get on them 1 billion EUROS!!! SOO Heres my conspiracy theory: the economic crash this year- due to the fact that all the richest people in the world just pulled all their money from the market and put it into this arc making project to get a seat!! AND the national healthcare policy that congress is in such a rush to pass? A cover to spend millions and millions of dollars on the arc project with out people asking where the money has gone!!! Brilliant.

Haha I get WAY to into my movies!! :) It was a really good one! I am really excited to see if it grossed more than Titanic. Although, the 8 of us who went last night didn't contribute to the box office since we went for free!! :) hehehe It is a really good movie, even if you aren't as gulible as me and think the world is going to end as we know it in 2 years (actually the world doesn't end, its a massive plate techtonic shift that re aligns the poles as well changes the placement and the make up of the continents. Actually, Africa rises thousands of feet and the big mountain in South Africa becomes higher than Mt. Everest!! So its not like Earth gets destroyed, it just shifts, like when Pangea broke up!! ANYWAY!! haha aside from such nonsense it was a really intense movie with amazing picture, sound, graphics, everything! Oscars, get ready to be monopolized by 2012 and Michael Jackson's "This is It" (which was also a really beautiful movie! Sooo moving!!)

Much love,

Sasha

Thank you

How did I forget to put this in my last post?? Today is Veterans day in the US and I want to take a minute to say "thank you" to all those who have served or are serving in our armed forces. I have quite a few friends who have sacrificed their time and put their lives on the line serving in the military. I cannot express how much I admire and respect the guys and girls/men and women who are serving this country voluntarily, it is an amazing courage being willing to put your life on the line! The freedoms that those serving in our military are protecting are invaluable and we should never take any of them for granted! We can debate for hours over policies about war and conflict but when it comes down to it respect, no matter what you believe in, should be paid to people who are willing to go the extra mile we are not! Keep all of our soldiers in your thoughts and prayers today especially but really it is something that we should all be thankful for everyday!

Special thanks to my friends who are currently serving or have served abroad and at home! You are always in my thoughts and prayers!

Mallory Roelke- USArmy, currently serving in Iraq

Fabian Pulido- USMC, Iraq vet

Chris Mann- USMC, Afghanistan vet

Josh Diede- USArmy, Iraq vet

Mr. Pugsley- USArmy, Iraq vet

Michael Nadson- USArmy, Iraq and Afghanistan vet

Jesse Buffum- USMC

Ethan Smith- USAF

Julio Avila- USMC

Kelsie Roelke- USAF

Curtis Gilbert- USArmy

I feel like I am leaving people out!! Anyway, thank you!

Much love,

Sasha

Bad feedback yesterday, best in class today!

So, yesterday I gave a presentation about Iran and the effects UN/US Sanctions have had on its economy in the last five years that I worked really hard on and was really proud of. But, to my surprise, my professor still ripped on it like it was the worst thing he's seen in a long time, and trust me it wasnt, the two students before me were!! While I did raise the bar for students following me, I was a bit disappointed in his reaction. His points and critiques were very valid, but how much can one do in a 15 min presentation. It WAS as I hate to admit a really good learning experience for me and something that I will have to remember for when I write the paper for his class...which let me tell you how scared I am about that one!!! He is basically expecting us to write an economical analysis of whatever our topic is...something none of us have ever done and something that like an econ major who has 2-3 years worth of classes behind them does! SO its a huge challenge. AND I havent decided on my topic, since Im definitely not doing Sanctions again! haha

BUT Good news! Today we got our response papers back in my development class and I got THE HIGHEST GRADE!!!! which was an 88 but STILL HIGHEST!! Now, I am of course really excited but at the same time Im kind of like "well but what does that really mean? compared to the others of course I should have better writing skills this is there second, actually third for those who were French educated, it must be really hard for them!" But they all got 70s on theirs and I am sure its for more reasons than just technical language stuff! SOO I was excited! He even photocopied my paper and passed it around as an example of what to do, and pointed out my "FEW" errors as things that would have made it PERFECT! :) YAY ME!! haha I am really excited! As many of you know school, despite how hard I try (sometimes a little, sometimes embarrassingly a lot for the result) is not my strong suit, so for some friends or even family members, me deciding to do an MA was surprising, even for me actually. SO when I do well I get really excited! Because I know I am intelligent, but a lot of times it doesn't show academically!!

ANYWHO!! I should go Nancy will be done with class any minute (I am at university still waiting for her to get done and give me a ride home)

Much love,

Sasha

So much to do, so little time...story of my life

This is going to be a quick post, Im on my way to bed. I was reminded by my grandma I haven't posted in awhile! I will try to update you more tomorrow. I have a story about a presentation I gave today....FUN! Oh the woes of learning professors teaching styles!

I have got to get started on really looking into my final papers, making outlines, getting sources. They arent due until February but each of them are 30 pages!!!! Thats 90 pages to write from now till Feb all at the same time! I am not sure I've undertaken something like that before! YIKES!! Luckily, 2 of my papers I am pretty sure will be on Egypt, so maybe some things will overlap?....will I be so lucky??

Important news I haven't blogged about yet: My roomate and cousin Zouzou moved to Beirut for school on Sunday. He is my best friend here and I miss him so much, which seems odd cus he drove me crazy most of the time! haha Now my youngest cousin Elie is my roomate and I am getting used to his sleep schedule...in bed at 11pm up at 7am ...it is a FAR MORE PRODUCTIVE schedule by far! BUT its been a hard transition since Zouzou and I used to stay up watching Friends DVDs till 2-3am! haha This week I have been far more productive though for sure! Up between 7 or 730, drink my tea and eat my breakfast, do some yoga, get ready for school, at school by 10, study until lunch at 1, hang out with friends, class at 330! :) YAAY a ROUTINE!! Haha But I miss my best friend, thats for sure!

Gotta go to bed, its past my new bedtime! ;)

Much love,

Sasha

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Have an excellent day today! Hopefully mom figures out a good place to take you for lunch...I feel like I don't remember whats in Wenatchee besides McGlinns and the Wok About anymore! haha

I do not know what I am going to do about taking care of myself when I get home! haha I had this realization today when I came home and the electricity was out (meaning no microwave) and it appeared as tho know one was home, and I was STARVING having not eaten since breakfast. My first thought was "seriously? Know ones home? What am I going to eat!!?" As if I havent been on my own since I turned 18 and completely capable of making food! Ahh what it is like to be spoiled!!

Not too much to say today (wow what?? haha) Just relaxing now, maybe going to an old friends house for the evening. I have a presentations on UN/US sanctions on Iran on Tuesday which I was really pleased to get a lot of it done today! :) So that and some reading (always reading) are my two projects this weekend!! After this presentation its basically all reading and focusing on my papers! YIKES!! 3, 20-30 page papers all due in February! I am not sure I've ever written such long, detailed, research oriented papers all at once before...this should be fun! ;)

Take care!

Much love,

Sasha

Arianna At it Again

If you haven't noticed from all the links to articles I post here...Im a little addicted to the Huffington Post these days! And actually, I forgot to post it yesterday but our WA Senator Maria Cantwell had huge press on the Post yesterday! The big "front page" article and picture was of her! It was great! The electricity went out right as I was loading the video so I can't tell you what it was about but Sen. Cantwell has been criticizing Wall Street lately and getting lots of great press! Thanks for putting WA on the map Sen!! Keep up the hard work we love you!!

Anyway! Arianna Huffington herself (founder of Huffington Post) wrote an article today that I just LOVED! Its is about a new book called "The Audacity to Win" about the epic campaign that was the Obama campaign. It looks soooo good! And of course, I am going to need to read it one of these days for inspiration for my own campaign! Seeing as though if I want to run in 2024 its going to be a similar lead up (new in town, little experience type election) haha. ANYWAY! She asks the question "What would candidate Obama think of President Obama?" And uses sections from the book to highlight the historic awesomeness of the Obama campaign and what can be done now. I thought it was going to be a critique of the President's performance thus far, which it was, kind of, but rather it was almost a motivational piece where she argues Obama's admin needs to look back at what inspired their campaign and use that to fuel their decisions in the White House. It is quite good! Check it out:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/obama-one-year-later-the_b_343209.html

I find all the criticism about Obama very interesting, especially since I voted for him not only because I believed in him but really...because Hillary didnt win the nomination! Hehe :) Anywho, it is interesting to see people act as though they are shocked he didn't cure America in on year. I mean, that was my problem during the election...people vested EVERYTHING in him and acted as though he was Christ re-incarnated. On that front I feel kinda bad for him, because of course hes going to look like hes not doing enough, even though on the small battle front, hes won a lot of them. But on the flip side, I really think Arianna Huffington brings up good points about his timidness to govern. A lot of peoples critiscisms have been that once he has to step up to the plate and hit a home run, he strikes out and then blames the pitcher (aka Bush in this metaphore...I keep using baseball metaphors for things lately...huh). Anyway...I get tired of hearing him blaming Bush, whether they were his fault or not...just step up and hit the ball you are thrown. If something doesn't work the way you want, fix it and try again...anyway. Food for thought.

I am going to go play cards with Elie then finish writing my mini paper on development! I finally chose my final paper topics for my development class and for my econ class! I am SOOO happy!! Wanna know what they are?? OF course not but you're going to find out anyway! :) For my development class: “Obstacles for Development: Examining the relationship between the prevalence of sexual violence and current underdevelopment of Egypt”. And for my Econ class: “Punishing Government or Citizens? Analyzing the impact of UN sanctions on Iranian Women.” I am very excited for my research!!

Talk soon!

Much love,

Sasha