Friday, August 13, 2010

Wahj Al Hagr Blog #1

By Kelsey Thomas

Family ties present fascinating dynamics. You can see relatives everyday or once a year, and they still feel like family.

But what about once in a lifetime?

Family still feels like family. Meeting my distant relatives in their small village of Wahj al Hagr was an amazing experience. It made the world feel so much smaller. I am on the other side of the world, I do not speak the language and I have never met these people in my life. Yet, I instantly felt like I was among family. I felt welcomed and loved. Family works that way, that is how family is supposed to be. Family is supposed to accept each other regardless of how different each person may be. My cousins, aunts and uncles showed love and immediate acceptance. I also found that though we may have seemed so different, we are more alike. I think sometimes in America we have trouble imagining life somewhere like Lebanon. It is hard to humanize the numbers and names we see. In the media we don't get to see the regular person. My family are a few of the people that are making every day life here relatable to us. They are a few of the faces we will see when we hear about war or conflict. They are the ones that make us feel more like the world isn't so different. They (among many others) gave me insight to what connects human beings. It is not blood, it is love of the same people.

Looking back on my family tree and talking about members of our family that we both know and love gave us an instant bond. Family is not family because they share a bloodline. Family is family because you love each other and the same people unconditonally. My cousins Rabih and Ramona could have been any 22 and 28- year- old in America. I hope that one day they can come to visit and I can give the welcome that they gave me. It was amazing to hear their admiration and love for my great-grandfather because we talk about him the same way at home. We got to talk about our family here and our family back in the States. When we get home I am going to try and call them once a month, or at least continue to talk on Facebook!

The day was bittersweet for me. I wish my grandpa could have been there with me. I know when he sees all the pictures it will be so special to him. He is such a loving and kind man, he deserves to do this one day, too. I wish my Uncle Louie had been there as well. He is so into the history and geting the story of our family. To see my great-grandfather's grave and the airport he built would mean so much to him. Lebanon has always had a special place in my heart, but being here now I know it holds an even more special place. I can't wait to share with my family back home all I learned about my family here. The one thing I will have to make clear is the love I felt. Afterall, family is family.

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