2 weeks till we come back to the States

I can't believe it is only two weeks till we go back to Chicago and Florida for the winter break. Time has really gone by fast. This week we were able to go to a lot of really fun things. Sunday, we went to Gemmayzeh for a street fest, which reminded me of Chicago street fests. We had a great time, and I bought an amazing wicker wine carafe, with the glass bottle inside obviously. The man made it right there on the spot. There were a lot of great crafts and food and drinks. That night we went to a church for an orchestra and choir that performed a rendition of Handel's Messiah. It was a packed house and it was really impressive.
Monday night we went to another concert at the American University in which a few teachers and students performed in. It was wonderful, and they sang songs from around the world, and in different languages. At the end they had everyone there join in and sing a few carols.
Wednesday we had another coach from Egypt come in to stay with us for a few days, due to another tournament Ryan organized. I made the coaches some homemade chili, since it is getting cold (er) here (65 degrees at night...hehe). Ryan had the tournament Thursday and Friday during the day.  Of course, this is the weekend the rains finally came, it has really rained here yet. So, it was a wet few days, but they all survived and we took second place again in boys and girls JV soccer. Friday night, I attended our school play, a hilarious production of Dr. Horrible's Sing a Long blog. The students were so good, and I was really impressed at their musical talent and the acting.
Saturday I walked downtown to the farmer's market. It was really great. The people are so incredibly generous there, with handing out samples of their fresh goods all the time. I bought some hot peppers in a jar, which I didn't realize they were so hot until Ryan ate one yesterday. I also bought some homemade eggplant dishes, pomegranate dressing, teas and more. After I walked home, stopped to pick up a cookie sheet for our cookie exchange this weekend. However, I didn't think about the fact that our oven is smaller, so the regular sheet doesn't fit...oh well. I also picked up some beautiful fresh poinsettias, a red and a white. The man selling them is the same man who sold us pumpkins earlier in the year from the top of his car. He is a really great man and has an awesome store that has all sorts of weird items in it. It was the kind of day that made me realize that I really live here in Beirut. It was really an incredible feeling.
Sunday we went for a walk to the public beach. We hadn't gone there yet, so we decided to check it out. I now know where I will be when it gets nicer out again soon. It is a decent beach with sand and rocks, and of course yesterday it wasn't really crowded. The walk isn't that far either.
We have two full weeks of school left-our first full weeks in a long time. I should say that the Friday before break is only a half day as well-so not really two full weeks.