Tree Planting at Quanah-September 25, 2005
It was seven thirty in the morning when we arrived at Unesco to join Rotaract Club of Alley and Sahel El Metn for a long journey to Quanah village in South Lebanon with a big mission in mind: planting one-fifty pine trees, donated by the ministry of agriculture, in the region of Ramadeh. The bus ride was long; with Fayrouziat, we were still sleepy. First station was the municipality house in Ramadeh where a crew of villagers was waiting, presided by the mayor Mr.Selim al Borgi and “Al Moukhtar” Mr. Youssef Al Borgi.

Breakfast was prepared warm and fresh, we sat with the president exchanged some few ideas then had a walk to the planting site. We were very well hosted by the villagers who turned out to be very helpful and supportive on the site. The municipality has planned in an efficient way the entire planting spots and provided us with all the material needed.

The trees were ready to be freed in the soil, Karam, official guest at Rotaract Club of Beirut, gave us a short lecture on the planting procedure then we all moved to our spots and got started. The municipality didn’t accept to free us without a tasty lahm bei ajin. That was our reward! It was around two o’clock when we visited the martyrs of Quanah and the museum that took us back in time to the painful souvenirs of the outrageous holocaust. Then, we reached the Quanah grotto where faith refilled our hearts with optimism.

The fun part was another longer drive to Rudy’s house in Azza [Roudayna is the head of Fundraising in Rotaract Club of Beirut].

It was a very quick-tempered day mixed with laughter and pain; when we visited the martyrs of Quanah, all these sad moments came for real; we felt this deepest rage for a better future for these people who suffered a lot in the past from the liberation of the south. That optimism has lasted for a short till sunset came by and the late afternoon news announced the serial assassination of one of our lead journalist in the media scene May Chidiac!