Welcome to Damascus

As I land in Damascus I am stopped by customs’ agents who want to search my bag. Here is the situation: it is 2am, I have just landed in an unknown country and I am alone. After I pick up my bags from the belt and as I am getting ready to exit the terminal I am stopped by two customs agents who want me to open the bag I have had on board two different planes today and that has gone through security scanners in three airports already.

I am not too sure what is going on, but I certainly want to stay calm and let them do, I know there is nothing forbidden in my bag. Then, one of the agents, with very poor English (which is a million times better than my Arabic) says to me:

- Are you a professional?

Of course such a question concerns me... what does he mean?

He keeps asking

- Professional, technician, electronics?

What the hell is going on here? Still using his terrible English he manages to ask me if I have any kind of machine in there….. Finally I understand!

- Yes, I have a Wii.

- Wii? They ask while they try to figure out what I am talking about.

So I take it out of its pouch and show it to them, then I show them the remote and I crack them up when I show them the wheel of Mario Kart. While they are still laughing they welcome me into their country: MaRHba.

There is a driver waiting for me outside and he tells me he was quite concerned he would not be able to recognize me. Then while he lights a cigarette he laughs and says it was actually quite easy: not only was I the only woman traveling alone, I was also the only white woman in the plane.

As we drive towards the city he opens the roof of the car and I can see millions of stars welcoming me into this new adventure. In the horizon I can now see the city of Damascus. I get to the hotel around 3am and I am so tired and lonely that it is hard to fall sleep, but through my hotel window I discover the most amazing view of Damascus and I stay awake until sunrise, wondering what the future holds for me.

* pictures by la elfa