As part of the VTD Pro English classes for teachers being implemented by the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) in partnership with NUFFIC, the English trainer Wassan Soukkariyye took her teachers’ class to the “Domain de Rachid” in Jdaydet Al Fekha. The main goal of the session was teaching the students how to write a descriptive paragraph using a laptop, and the best way to stimulate the students’ descriptive and writing skills was to expose them to such artistic work.
Domain de Rachid is a house built by an officer in the French mandate army Rachid Moussa Nasr. Post-independence, he bought the house and drew all over the walls. It is worth mentioning that Rachid was one of the founders of the Lebanese army, and although he was Christian, he was fond of the Quran. The house had poetry, Quran verses, historical figures, and symbols that capture Rachid’s life. The difference in colors from one room to another shows his taste and how he made each room specific for a certain mood or occasion. The house is not inhabited by his family, his only daughter has 5 children who are scattered around the world, but the house is preserved as it was when Rachid died.
Teachers were amazed during this site-seeing trip as it filled them with feelings and thoughts, and the urge to write and describe this day and place each in his/her own way. Participants expressed that it was a very smart and appreciated step from their teacher and the project’s team, for such a trip was very beneficial.
