Snapshot Syria

3 weeks, too many stories

2006-10-02T09:41:00.000-04:00

Sooooo, i've been here three weeks and i have wayyy too many stories already. I have mananged in three weeks to find an apartment, go through the hell of finding an apartment, lose a carpet off my balcony, flood the balcony from the washing machine, do my first successful washing and hang the close on the balcony (hopefully they're still there), discover free wireless internet (who knew?!), and socialize more than i care to admit. i have seen and done more in this short time than i could have ever imagined possible. every day i am out and about discovering about 1000 new things! but i am very happy because i mangaged to find my first ever apartment and it's all mine! my first apartment out of college and i couldn't be happier! i am right in the center of city--in Shalan the shopping, fun area! i have befriended all the little shops on my street and they know me all too well. i have spent the first few weeks getting my place together. i have satellite tv (yea!) and i even spent a lovely day with the electricians since none of the electrical outlets worked when i moved in. every day i discover something new about my area, my apartment, myself, or something. i am not short of things to do or learn or places to go. i feel overwhelemd in a good way with various opportunities! i have spent this week trying to figure out a good schedule for my Arabic study and i believe i have found a great tutor which i will start with this week. so life here is wonderful and good i couldn't ask for anything more or less. oh oh and of course my number one favorite part of my apartment is my squeegee! every time i take a shower i get to squeegee my floor. sigh, it makes me so happy! i feel like i am mastering everything!

my friends here are wonderful. i have made amazing friends. all of the fulbrighters are wonderful and smart people. the people in this country are so kind. i can not tell you enough how many times i have been lost and roaming around aimlessly and someone will help me and guide me in the right direction. seriously, this is not the country to have a bad sense of direction in. but alas, i do! but luckily there is always someone there who will not only point me in the direction, but take me there. i have never met so many people willing to go out of their ways for other people. it is a wonderful feeling to be part of a community so kind and so willing to help.

so i realize this first entry is vague, but there are just so many things to say and so much detail i could go into, i just want to give a general overview of the warm feeling i have here and how i have getting myself settled. so now when silly stories come up and can be happy to share them all!

less than a week to go and AHHHH!!!!

2006-09-04T22:11:00.000-04:00

So, I am 6 days away from my big trip and completely unprepared! I'm extremely excited though! So I figure adrenaline will get me through the week and minimize my freak-outs. I realize packing my entire life into two suitcases isn't the easiest task--but then again I've had to do this every year during college so I should be an expert by now. But this time if I forget something I know I can't just have my mom ship it to me! So here I am thinking about what to pack, what to take, and making sure I have all my important documents in order. That pretty much sums up what this week will be like.

On the *brighter side* (haha see if you get the pun) I checked the weather forcast for Damascus and it is unsuprisingly sunny EVERY DAY! It is 99 degrees, completely sunny with 0% chance of rain every day! Well at least I don't have to pack an umbrella. But I will pack lots of sunscreen! I do believe it rains quite a bit there starting in October or so--but I'm not positive. But I will soon find out!

So life is good except for feeling overwhelmed with getting ready for the trip. I'm enjoying my last week on this continent. I am eating only non-Middle Eastern food this week (I had lots of sushi last night in case anyone cares) cause I know I'll be eating lots of falafel and shawarma and everything once I get there! So here I go! I'm off to pack and run around like crazy getting everything in order. Until next time....

p.s. My entries will get a lot more exciting once I get over there, I promise!

A tribute to Naguib Mahfouz.

2006-08-30T12:54:00.000-04:00

Today Naguib Mahfouz passed away and I am sad. You may be asking what this has to do with Syria. But it was during my last visit to Syria when I read his trilogy. I visited my parents in their cold apartment in Aleppo during the winter break of my sophomore year. It was during this time that I was going through my "I don't want to study Arabic anymore" phase. And here I was in Syria--surrounded by a world of Arabic. So naturally I didn't take advantage of my time there and I sat for three weeks curled up on the couch (which was also my bed) and read Mahfouz's trilogy, Palace Walk. (His most reknowned work that led to his Nobel Prize in literature.) I sat there and read, and read...and when my parents went to sleep I continued to read hidden under blankets with my flashlight. It's like something you see in a movie. But he comforted me then, and I am sad that he is gone now, but I am thankful for the contribution he made to the world with his beautiful writings and grateful for the comfort he gave me during my stay in Syria.

2 weeks, 2 days, and counting...

2006-08-25T23:51:00.000-04:00

So I just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and I'm about to go to Syria for a year on a fulbright! My one goal for the year is to learn as much Arabic as possible and to take from this experience as much as I possibly can (language, culture, living experiences, good stories/bad stories, everything!) I'm very excited and I want to record my thoughts and perspectives during my trip. The main goal of my trip is to study as much as I can, but in addition I hope to explore every inch of the city and meet as many people as I can in these 9 short months. But I want to record for myself, and for anyone interested in the cultural side of the country, my thoughts and encounters. I understand that many people are interested in Middle Eastern politics nowadays and view Syria as a political player in a larger scheme of things. Joshua Landis has his own blog on Syria in which he reflects on current political issues and Syria's position. Here's the link: http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/L/Joshua.M.Landis-1/syriablog/. But my primary goal is to look beyond the immediate politics of the country and remember that like every country, Syria is rich in culture, language, people, stories, and the like. I hope to humanize the country through my experiences and stories that I share in this blog.

But as for now, I am roughly two weeks away from my trip and insanely excited! I have so much to do with packing, getting all my paperwork together, and the like! For those of you traveling to Syria, visas cost $100 bucks and remember---always get a round-trip ticket! Because there's no guarantee that they'll let you into the country with a one-way!