Safely in Aleppo

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Well I am finally here in Aleppo - known as Halab in Arabic.

The city is incredible and has a completely different vibe to Amman in Jordan and even to Damascus, the capital of Syria. It is much more conservative and almsot all the women here wear the Hijab or the Chador. Damascus is more liberal and modern, but Aleppo is proud of its traditional roots. It certainly feels more middle eastern than any other city I have visited so far.

Our hotel is gorgeous - it opens basically onto the Souq, which is the Arabic word for Market. The Arabs do markets very well, and this Souq is the most famous in Halab. During the day there is zero space and some parts it is like being in a mosh pit there are so many people. It gives a new meaning to the term hustle and bustle!

Arabs are renowned for their hospitality and our class has been befriended by a local tailor in the Souq, Abdul. His family has apparently been making clothes in the Souq for four hundred years, and his shop has four levels - the first for selling, the second for sewing, the third for cutting.. and unknown for the fourth. The floors are connected by a ladder and while having tea in his tiny first floor today, we occasionally had to dive out of the way of various jackets being lowered by rope through the ladder opening.

We start classes in earnest tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it, although it will be a little of a shock to the system after so much travelling. I feel like I have forgotten my arabic but I'm sure in the next few weeks it will all come rushing back and hopefully I will be able to speak more fluently by the end of the course!!

Will post some photos from Jordan in a moment!

Love H xoxoxox

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