Blogs from Middle East - page 1181

February 22, 2006 (Damascus, Syria) Shannon: From our current location, you can tell that we did eventually make it across to the Promised Land, or the country we call Syria. Who knew getting into this country would be such a hassle? After our failed attempts at the Syrian Embassy in Amman and our “storm the border” back-up plan, we were forced to move on to Plan C. We learned about this option from a fellow American we met at our hostel. Through a friend-of-a-friend sort of deal, he knew about an alternate way to get across the border: be invited. Evidently, tourism companies in Syria are able to secure you a special visa - I really can’t explain it, to be honest, because I still don’t understand it. Somehow the company makes you their “guest” and ... read more

I arrived in Istanbul early in the afternoon of the 27th and caught the really modern train and tram system into the city. It was really easy to use and very cheap (2.2 YTL). I had a ripoff dinner with some people from the hostel including a 'local', Orky, who took us to the restuarant. She was a crazy American-Turk and it was impossible to get a word in edgeways. Oh well, you win some you lose some. The next day, an American guy Jim from Denver, and I went to the Blue Mosque. It has a massive courtyard and the inside of the mosque is the same size. On the other side of the park is the Aya Sofia which is a Greek Orthodox Church which was converted into a mosque. It is incredible inside ... read more

Hello all: Yes, it is July, and I went to Jordan at the end of February. So, yeah, I know I'm late with this one - I've been a little busy, okay??? Work sort of got in the way as report cards came right after mid-winter break, and then there was that whole getting engaged thing that took up some time in June...so sorry! Oh, and I'm on holidays, so excuse any spelling mistakes. Anyway, I was in Jordan from February 28-March 4, just enough time to get a little taste of this amazing place. We arrived late on the evening of the 28th. I wasn't sure what to expect, as the only other Middle Eastern country that I have been in is, of course, Egypt, where I live. Jordan is very, very different - a ... read more

June 4th 2005- Left the group in Istanbul, for some reason I was getting a little nostalgic even though the entire trip all I could think about was how to get the hell away from most of them. I hate goodbyes, and living the type of life I did, its been full of them. I especially hate them when people try and turn them into some emotional ‘ill never see you again’ type crap. I go to school with all these people so I be seeing them again come 2 months. But even those crappy goodbyes couldn’t dampen my lightened spirit this morning. I awoke with that fresh aura of new opportunity. I am about to set off on my adventure, possible the biggest adventure of my lifetime, though I sincerely hope greater excitement lay in ... read more

I’m starting to feel like Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live with all of my weekend updates. I can’t believe I’ve already been here a month! Mom, only 12 more of these to go. We can do it! So, yes, this Thursday marked one month in Doha. Since this was such a momentous occasion, the company decided to celebrate by hosting a murder mystery dinner party at the Four Seasons ;) If I haven’t mentioned this before, we were all assigned famous people from the ‘60s, and I was happy to find out I was someone I knew well and could actually pull off easily (costume wise only!): the uber elegant and classy Audrey Hepburn. I went for the obvious Holly Golightly look from Breakfast at Tiffany’s with the big sunglasses, black dress, and bejeweled updo. ... read more