Category: Jounieh
Open Letter to the Municipality of Jounieh
Few minutes ago, i was reading a blog post by Ibrahim Lahoud called I’m a son of a beach. Let me enjoy it. Unfortunately 2 weeks ago, I went almost through the same for few hours in Jounieh and i would like to add 2 other funny things that took place on that day.
1st is this lifeguard, going in circles around the pool and suddenly stops in front of me, his face to the pool and start waving his feet into the pool, one time the right foot, then the left foot. After watching him for few seconds, this is the conversation that took place:
Me: excuse me, i need to ask you a question
Lifeguard: sure
Me: but please promise me not taking it personal
Lifeguard: sure
Me: is it normal for a lifeguard walking around all day long, to stand by the pool and wave his feet into the pool where people are swimming?
Lifeguard (laughing): but people are going into the swimming pool with their feet
Me: yes people are going into the swimming pool with their feet, but “WITHOUT THEIR FLIPFLOP”
Lifeguard: ohhh you are right, i never thought of this
Me: maybe you should start!
The 2nd thing happened exactly at 18:00, when the boss waived to some lifeguards and this was the sign that the day is over and people have to leave and suddenly you could hear a roaring voice, that was 5 inch hose backed up by 300 horsepower sending water in all directions, in Lebanese simply called “CHATEF”.
So i left.
So back to the open letter.
On the way back to my car, i thought of writing a letter to the municipality of Jounieh asking them:
1- If they are checking on the hygiene of the pools, where people and mainly kids spend most the day or who is doing this check and how often?
2- To allow all native citizens of Jounieh (Ghadir, Sarba, Sahel Alma & Haret Sakher) to have free access to the beaches and private resorts within their jurisdiction. At least on an initial stage until all beaches are accessed anytime and freely by any living Lebanese.
So i decided to post it here on my blog, in case any member of the Municipality Googles or monitor the words “Jounieh” and “Municipality of Jounieh” or simply this goes viral! :-)
BIG LIARS – Both Of You
Municipality elections are here and here you are one more time with your shiny billboards and messages, trying to convince us to vote for you.
I have tried, with all of you. When you were friends and when you were enemies, when you were nice and when you were bad, in every occasion I have tried because I wanted to see what you will end up doing to my city, but unfortunately all you did was to screw this wonderful Mediterranean city more and more.
Maybe I am exaggerating because I love Jounieh more than you do, maybe because I want it to be the most perfect town, but every now and then you prove more and more that you never deserved my last vote for you.
You have no more attractive words to put on your billboard campaign that you ended up bringing Virgin Mary to be part of it, how low things can go to get a simple vote. While the others are turning the page for a new start that they were supposed to make happen long time ago.
Surely things will be different for me this Sunday, because both of you are BIG LIARS!
To Jounieh Municipality
Jounieh, my town.
The town where i was born, where i was raised, where i got my education, where i spent and am still spending the most beautiful days of my life.
The town i adore strolling its streets, where even the oxygen i take, i feel it different.
Unfortunately, my town is not the same anymore lately, have been trying to really understand what is wrong but could not get the answer so i decided to write this blog post and address the people i elected few years to take care of my town properly and they did not.
It is a real pity seeing a wonderful city like Jounieh being tortured this way, we live the 4 seasons, we have the most beautiful beach on the Mediterranean that is not accessible by anyone unless you pay the entrance fee, we were supposed to have nice and wide streets where people can easily walk and enjoy the beautiful scenes of the town.
It hurts me a lot to say that there is nothing to be proud about Jounieh anymore. No one cares while the people who are responsible say they do. Believe me, these are not the actions of someone who really cares.
How do you care if no one ever promotes the town? How do you care and the Municipality council is divided into many parts? How do you care if there no clear rules? How do you care if people are seeing their town being manipulated for personal reasons? And i can go on and on endlessly …
Your slogans were so shiny few years back when you wanted my vote and i trusted you because of the program you showed me and suddenly you were no longer together, some of you left, some of you stayed to hurt others and some of you are still there because of the power you have and all of you, you don’t really deserve my vote. Your were supposed to be friends and colleagues and make our town a great one, but sadly you got lost by the power you were given.
Oh yes! i am sure you have lots of explanations and justifications to give me but where is the real thing we wanted, where are those dreams we built in our minds, they evaporated, PERIOD.
I wanted to say this many times before and i am sure that this blog post wont even reach your eyes to know that there is someone out there who is not happy about you managing his town, but it is ok, i said what i wanted to say. Who knows, maybe one day you will read this and feel guilty for what you did.
The main reason for writing this post, is the below picture i took while passing in Jounieh for 2 consecutive days last weekend.
Just tell me how you permit yourself keeping garbage on the sidewalk? If you had some tiny respect for yourself, you would all resign and go home, you shameless people!
