Fairuz in the Morning

Fairuz is a national living symbol in Lebanon which sparks Lebanese pride wherever and whenever heard. Growing up in Cairo with my mother and two sisters, I recall Fairuz playing across the house when we returned home from school. One year in the early 1990’s my mom and sisters told me that they had a dentist appointment to go to and since I had school the next morning that I was not to go with them and stay home with the babysitter – I still remember thinking they were dressed too nice for the dentist but I complied with the instructions as any 8-year old would do. Years later I came to find out that they went to see Fairuz in concert in Cairo.

I was able to see her a decade later in Los Angeles and I remember crying when she sang “Zorouni” (Translation: Visit Me, a powerful song that is sure to pull on any expatriate’s heart strings far away from their home. 

Fairuz’s short, sweet and authentically Lebanese tunes speak of everyday life: the mountains, drunken neighbors, and most importantly a unified Lebanon and sad stories of the war. I was surprised to learn that her music is for the most part strictly listened to in the morning amongst the Lebanese people while they’re getting ready to start their day. While flipping through the radio one morning on my drive to work I found several local channels playing Fairuz.

One of Fairuz’s great contributions to the music society is her son Ziad Rahbani, who I should probably write a whole separate post on.

Great NPR report on Fairuz.

Family Time Before I go-go

I can’t believe I’m all packed up! I have come to love San Francisco to a point beyond description; it has a special place in my heart…a pretty big one actually, more like a king-size bed kind of place!

But now, I’ve made my way down south and I’m going to spend some time with the family before I head out to Lebanon. I’m really happy to be here with last few months being full of packing and organizing I didn’t have much time to come down to LA to see the family and the our newest addition, Eliana, my sister’s baby.

Today we celebrated Eliana’s arrival! The whole family got together and we had yummy Afghani food (courtesy of my brother-in-law’s mother), cake and lots of laughs. Eliana is now 2 months old and she’s so cute. My older niece, Sophia, is extremely close to her and wants to take care of her all the time. It’s super cute!

The family and I at Eliana's party