From the Midwest and Around the World

This is a panorama taken from my balcony at the convent. On our first morning there, we discovered that in the convent compound, besides chickens, there were also doves. As my roommate and I walked around the grounds before breakfast, she commented, "Doves and olive trees! How Middle East can you get?!" Indeed, connecting our convent to this beautiful region in which entire civilizations have risen and fallen really helped me realize that I was not in Indiana, much less the United States.  Photo Credit: Katie Ito After walking the grounds, we ate breakfast with the rest of the group. Breakfast in Lebanon is a delicious affair. Always consisting of flat pita bread (most of the pita bread that I had in Lebanon was thin and floppy...more like a crepe than pita sold in the US), 3-4 types of soft cheeses (usually feta, goat cheese, etc), laban (basically Greek yogurt), fresh vegetables, and honeyed figs or dates. And don't forget the Lebanese coffee (which is fai...