Dani and Christine

These are two young friends of mine, Daniela and Christine. Add their ages together, and you get a figure just short of my age! Dani is from Germany and is a social worker. Christine is from Long Island, NY, and teaches in the Lebanon. Dani is a joy to know, and I value her greatly. But this blip is more about Christine.

Christine is visiting. She enlivened and enhanced our lives through many years when she was in Edinburgh completing her Master's and then her Doctorate. She kept me on the straight and narrow in terms of my environmental, and peace and justice agendas. Sometimes that meant shouting at me! :-)

Now she lives in the Lebanon with Coco - who is the dog that she personally rescued. Coco is currently on his own holidays in the States - I wonder what on earth they will make of him in Long Island.

Christine teaches in the University of Balamand. Founded as a private secular institution to serve all people without regard to race, religion, gender, and ethnic consideration, UoB has in a decade and a half become one of the leading universities in the region.

I am privileged to know a lot of young people - sometimes I find myself surrogate uncle to more than a handful! And I am continually impressed (and a bit proud) of the value-centered way in which they live their lives. They often seem to opt out of the rat-race - and simultaneously embrace something a lot more worthwhile.

I took a picture of Dani and Christine in January 2008. So I told them I was going to photograph them in exactly the same way 2 and a half years later.

"But we'll look fatter", they said. I don't think so.



Dani and Christine - January 2008