Answers

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It's two o'clock in the morning here in Syria, and like many college nights I spent tossing in my bed wide awake with thought, I have found that the same awful habit has followed me here. So here I am writing my thoughts down.

I took an Arabic course at Damascus University, and met some pretty remarkable and brave Europeans. Most had been here far longer than I had, and are genuinely enjoying their time in Syria. They are not afraid to travel and take charge of their lives, and for that I greatly admire.
I had been toying with the idea of taking a train to Boston or flying down to Savannah, and yet I am meeting people not much older than I taking buses (buses!) around Syria. Syria is my home, a part of my history and heritage so I feel comfortable here. But I can see how Syria can be scary or extraterrestrial to the Western eye, and for their courage I greatly applaud them.

(New thought) My life, my adventures, are just beginning. My life began when I moved to Chicago for school. I vowed to make the experience that is college a cornerstone art piece for the rest of my life. Nearly every decision I have made since has been for my own personal growth. I know I am not the same person as first year of college, and I'm fairly certain that this trip to Syria is shaping me in the direction that I had wanted. And that's empowering.

(End thought) I encourage all of you friends, strangers, and family, to take charge of your life. If there is anything to be learned from this blog or my escapades in Syria, it is to write your own history and have the courage to find the answers to life's questions. Cause that's what I'm doing here- seeking answers to my family history, to my culture and heritage, and to my own identity.

And it's awesome.

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