What color am I?

Today i called my mom all the way to Beirut via Skype. Such a happy blue invention(now isn't it?), seriously i mean she was concern about the snow in warsaw. After i assured her that so far it looks like spring is here, i got to thinking. I thought that instead of going out today to make random walks i am going to go to this cafe i like that used to be a train stop( it has such a hard name, i will ask Dominika for it later). They converted this station into a real nice place. But that's not the story, really, i mean getting there was the difficult part, but on my way it seemed that Warsaw today was colorful again:) Happy days with a bit of sun bring those colorful clothes out of the closets, i saw a lot of pink and violet, blue and red and green, all matching from different labels, and latest displays. I think Warszawans ( i am not sure what they call people from Warsaw, I imagine it is Warsawians, if i am wrong and you know correct me please), have a great sense of style, somewhere on the edge of fashion with a touch of resentment to tradition and posture. I love it. So i am walking to this cafe( and you can be sure i am as lost as a blind man driving in Tokyo), and i am starting to look around and the more i looked the less i felt being there(physically, but not to the point where i could fly or disappear or any of that stuff). I started thinking about the diversity in this city, perhaps it is not a large cosmopolitan area with China town, and little Italy, and what have you. But in a sense who cares, slowly there will be all kind of people. I am sure all urban brands are there,( i even saw a restaurant called Don Corleone, and damn it we have it in Beirut) so in a sense the major labels are here, but not nationalities, so i got to thinking what does Warsaw need to offer to attract foreign life? I am not sure since the language is a big barrier. Not to say that foreigners don't live here(hey I am here). Anyhow, to make this short( i don't really know the answer anymore) I can only say: "Mom don't worry there is warmth in Warsaw, if not from the sunny sky, it will be from lovely people you meet along the way." In the end I just have to know what color am I?

Along came Leopold

(This is a rewrite)I wrote the post then erased it thinking that it was a bunch of nonsense. Anyhow the main points about the next few sentences are white mushrooms, and one banana. Mushrooms in Poland can be found in any veggie store, they are also cheap, and taste great. I am starting to learn the many possibilities they can be cooked. Our friend Ewa taught me a recipe, and it's good and simple, the mushrooms come out brown and delicious. I kind of forgot how it is done now, but I can assure you(100%) that we had them at her house last Dec and they were great. So if you like mushrooms, Poland can deliver a lot of those. Why the one banana??? Well it is a cultural thing. You see no one where i came from will buy one banana, or even think about buying one as a snack. Snacks are different where i came from. However, today i was walking somewhere in Warsaw when i saw a green truck and a lot of fresh nice looking veggies laid out next to it on the side walk. The bananas looked super yellow under today's sun, like kids colored them excessively on their way to school. I bought one and ate it, it felt great and energizing. I know it seems like one hell of a silly pleasure, but i guess that what makes a difference for me, that i spontaneously was able to accommodate myself to one simple yellow fruit effortlessly. I have done it in Beirut but was never able to escape the deranged look on the sellers face. Buying one banana in beirut can be as ridiculous as flashing a bunch of nuns.

The real treat of the day was even simpler. I was having a tea and reading "Generation X" ( A strangely good book and strange enough), sitting outside in this cafe on a big intersection where trams are regular, and also old ladies on their canes. A big old dog came along strolling near my table sniffing around, and then sat down very close to me as if posing and asking to be photographed. Since he looked like the Royal type of dogs, and even though his owner gave him a cherished name, I named him Leopold.

A walk in "A" Park.

Warsaw has many parks, therefore the title "A". I could not name any yet. Believe me there are plenty of them, the size of many blocks in Beirut. Not to compare, it just is a real treat to be here if you like a walk in the park on a moderately nice day. I was told to wait a bit longer(the coming weeks i guess) and the spring will be here(for real). That means my friends if you happen to be here, you will see nothing in those parks but big old green trees, birds, ducks, and people. When i came to warsaw the first time i did not understand anything. When i came back in december for the third time, i still did not understand much. Except that as far as the weather went, you did not really care to look around much in the grey capital. Now i can say that i understand a bit the importance of good weather for people in this city. It makes them smile, put on less clothes, walk more instead of jamming along each other in crowded public transportation. So yes parks will have people when the weather is nice. I decided today(Monday) to get lost in the city. I started walking and then i got to "A" park, as i am walking i decided to share this observation with you, not sure why or whether i could make it a generalization;however my friends, i saw a bunch of grandmothers either sitting there alone, or with their dogs, and a few were pushing their nieces and nephews in strollers around, while crows(famous in this city) flew over with their shrieking high pitch cries. It seemed to me that while the city outside the park seem to have its own reality, the life of those i saw inside revolves around the trees and benches.

Why Libanski?

I just moved to warsaw with my girlfriend Dominika. This blog for me is an alternative from facebook, since i am asking my friends in Beirut to be reading the blog instead of poking, tagging, and inviting. Anyhow i hope for those of you who would like to follow some observations of a Beiruti( A person from Beirut) in warsaw, will find the posts informational.

As for the name Libanski, well it originated in Beirut by a friend who goes by the name Nanou. She calls me Libanski and my girlfriend Polska.

Soon i hope i will start with a photo and an observation. I am not sure that this blog will be a daily thing, since i am know for being lazy, but who knows maybe it would be better to let it happen when observations are worth being shared.