Activities in Tripoli

Hello to all,

I haven't written much about Libya lately due to our trip news, so I will attempt to catch you up on some Tripoli happenings. I was invited to a baby shower for the sister of one of our drivers, Sala. Words can't describe the magnitude of one of these all female parties. The party was hosted by the grandmother, who greeted us warmly and seated us. It is a very nice honor to be invited to a Libyan party, since family is so important here. Incense was burning, small, very dressed up, children were running around a large banquet hall, and music was playing, very loudly. Now and then you could hear one of the older women make a loud "lalalalalala" noise, similar to yodeling, very high pitched to express their joy over the occasion. It happened many times throughout the evening, and always caught me off guard when I heard it. A very unusual sound, and the older ladies take great delight in making it.

Much later, the new mom enters the room, like the grand entrance of a queen, and her outfit is so ornate, covered in sequins, amazing gold jewelry, make up beyond words. She walks around the entire room with the infant who was in a beautiful blanket. Everyone exclaims over the baby, and most importantly, slips money under the baby's blanket. Women are not required to cover themselves when men aren't around, and they take advantage of this to show off their beautiful clothes, makeup, and jewelry. Dancing is very important too, and the Libyan women encouraged us to get up and dance with them. Embarrassing, but they appreciated the effort. We tried to leave at 10:30, thinking the party was winding down, but the grandmother walked over and pointed to our chairs, then motioned for us to "eat!" A huge meal came out, at 11:00pm! These late hours are the Libyan way, I have discovered. Anyway, it was an experience I'll never forget.

A week ago, one of our canasta friends took two of us to the pottery town, Gherian. Gherian is in the mountains, about an hour away. The terrain is quite different from that of Tripoli, and I enjoyed the change. Before we arrived at the pottery stands, we stopped to see the Troglodyte house, which is an underground house, over 350 years old. Apparently, this type of home was guite common, and there are still some inhabited ones in the area. The one we looked at had a large living room in the middle, open to the sky, and eight large bedrooms off of the center room. A young man was there to show us around, and said it was his family's home for many years, and that his dad was born in one of the rooms. He offered us hot tea, the sweet Libyan green tea, boiled, and poured to create foam on top, very good. Then we shopped at the pottery stalls, one after the next, along the road. A fun day for me, so interesting and different.

Just wanted to share two of the events I've been a part of here. I'm thankful for the hospitality and friendliness of so many that I have met. This will be forever a life lesson for me, to always open my heart and home and welcome those that God places in my life. Much love to all of you, dear family and friends, Lynn