Blogs from Damascus, South, Syria, Middle East - page 6

I am sorry that I have not kept yall updated in a while. Getting internet for more than a few minutes has been a challenge but right now it is a nice reprieve from the extensive traveling I have been doing. Lets see where to start. Last...Monday, yes I think it was Monday there was a shooting at the University of Jordan between two bedoiun tribes, Al Anwans, (the agressors or agressives) and the Bini Shaher (Sons of the Rock) best match up ever. Anyway the details have not exactly been released even by my professor Dr Najah who is a meber of the Anwan tribe but this is what I heard, besides shots from my class room that I thought were fireworks. Apparently there was a dispute about territory, ie two females claimed a spot ... read more

Hello from Abou Roumaneh in Damascus, an officially swankier part of town! So, we finally started class, and a grueling week later are slowly recovering. The classes are 5 hours a day, 8:30-2 (with a 30 min snack break), five different subjects every day. These range from Grammar to Dialect, Conversation to Modern and Classical Literature, Social Studies, History, Media... on and on, and all in Arabic. It's reasonably intense. We're meeting lots of new people, though, and excitingly getting settled in to our very own apartment! Leah and I are in the fourth floor of a building on Khalil al-Karim Street, just two minutes walk from our school. Eric and our new French friend Jeremie live above us on the fifth floor, and have the most incredible view from their huge balcony. They also have ... read more

So, continuing the game of catch-up, here's a little bit about our home for the first week: "The Damascus Hostel". First of all, the owners and staff are pretty much the nicest people ever. Even though our flight was 1.5 hours late, Johnny was still standing patiently at the baggage claim door when we finally straggled through. I think we were told "welcome, welcome" almost 20 times on the 20 minute drive in from the airport. Then, we discovered that the hostel is literally perched on top of the ancient city wall, and they pulled our bags straight up the wall by a pulley as Johnny drove us deep into the less-than-one-lane wide streets of Bab Touma, the Christian section of the Old City. There, we were met by Khaled, who walked us down a winding ... read more

I must have some kind of illness, a very odd illness, one that drags me back to Iraq like some kind of migratory bird each year. Each year for my birthday I gravitate this way. My first waking memory as a 23 year old was soundtracked by the end of the world crashes of a massive mortar attack. 'Whooomph, bang!' The first salvo woke me up as it barreled in, splitting the air and popping like a TNT balloon. I curled foetal and tried to pretend that the explosions were only an extension of my brain sapping hangover. I opened my eyes as I tried to shrink into nothingness and somehow avoid the instant roulette death of falling mortars. With flinching and puffy eyes I saw the Iranian helmet in bed with me. Hazy memories flooded ... read more

Two dorky girls who love to study? Check. Two dummies who know surprisingly little about where they're going (given the fact they've been studying the region for three years)? Check. Nothing left to do but pack next week, resulting in much worrying about prices, jails, destinations, visas, politics, the heat, clothing, Arabic, the heat, classes, transport, apartments, the heat, and did we mention THE HEAT? Check. Results in? A geeky guidebook frenzy. Meet the guidebooks, coming to you from Kingston, ON and Baltimore, MD: JORDAN AND LEAH ARE GOING TO SYRIA! (almost rhymes)... read more