Uni and the Embassy Party

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Ok, so I finally got my arse into gear and found time to write the next instalment!!

Life here over the last 3 weeks hasnt been exactly exciting per se, but definitely interesting and hard work.

Thw whole learning the language thing is definitely progressing - though some days pass by with you thinking you've cracked the code and you are really learning something, whereas the next day you are in despair because you can't remember a thing!! I've started at Damascus University now and am over halfway through the first 4 week course. Its going pretty well, there is a really great bunch of people in my class, the teacher is a lot of fun, and whilst its predominantly grammar based, which is not my strong suit in english , let alone a foreign language, I'm definitely learning a lot. You have to pass exams to progress to the next level and in the first exam, I got 39/40 which I was pretty chuffed with. Though being as I aim to get to level 6 by the time I leave next year, its very much early days.

* To all my friends for uni, how crazy is it, that Ive been to more classes here in 2 weeks than I was in for the whole of my last year at Aber??

I've learnt more and more with each passing day that I am going to have to learn the local dialect as well the Modern Standard Arabic as the average man on the street looks at you like you're an alien if you speak to them in MSA (Fusha)! So Im asking my teacher now to teach me the very basics of aamiyah so I can get by.

Ive managed to fit in some sightseeing into my schedule. A couple of weeks ago I went to Bosra where there is an amazing Roman Ampitheatre withan Islamic Citadel built around it from the crusades era. Im not normally one for walking around old buildings but it was incredible. I even visited the place where local legend says the Prophet Muhammad stayed when he passed through the town in his youth. This weekend I'm off to Palmyra - a beautiful city of ruins dating back to the 2nd century AD and which by all accounts is amazinly preserved.

Luckily I have had time to unwind. Last week I went to an embassy party in Damascus with some friends where the theme was "Back to School Night". It was a completely bizarre night where one of the first people who introduced himself was the Ambassador dressed up in full schoolboy uniform. The best thing about it was that the embassy's club show english football on a big screen - seemingly the only place in Damascus to do so!!

The only other experince of any note was getting my residency permit from the maktab jawazat (passport office). It took 2 days in stifling heat, much jostling with Iraqi refugees and a system where bureaucracy has finally lost the plot before my passport received the magic stamp. Unfortunately I have to do this every 2 months!!

As the exchange rate is so bad now - its fallen by 20% in my 5 weeks here, I am exploring options on how to stay here longer than June 09 so I can keep learning. A couple of idfeas I have floating about are trying to get a job at the Embassy if any happen to come up or maybe even volunteer for the UN Internship program and work with Palestinian/Iraqi refugees in the local camps.

In the coming weeks I have my Uni course's final exams, hopefully a bit of downtime and maybe another trip to see the crazy world of Beirut again. Sorry to those who have messaged me over the last few weeks - I will try and get back to you asap.

Love Dom

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Comments

[Catherine]

Well done Dom for attending so many classes I am impressed. How times have changed since in Aber! Glad all is going well. Will hopefully speak to you over christmas! Catherine x