I read the news today oh boy

I read the news today oh boy

About Indonesian Muslims praying in the wrong direction
They wonder if they will have to knock down mosques and build them again
But someone said Allah still hears their prayers, oh how fortunate
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh

I read the news today oh boy

About the country celebrating the 10th anniversary of the President
What better than a 321 feet high flag-pole
The flag itself is 6,300 square feet
And though the news was rather dumb
Well I just had laugh

I read the news today oh boy

About Venezuela exhuming Bolivar’s body,
They are checking if he was poisoned by Colombia in 1830
Chavez announced it on Twitter
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh

I read the news today oh boy

About a surprise hit reality show in Malaysia
Six handsome Malays compete to be the “most religious”
To win a trip to Mecca, a laptop and a car
And though the news was rather dumb
Well I just had laugh

I read the news today oh boy

About Enrique Iglesias promising to water ski naked
As a celebration for World Cup win
But this is not his first time
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh

** All these news are real and were all published in the same edition of the only English newspaper available in the country. Thanks for such high quality editorial! **

Midan, all you need, any time of the day or night

I have a few months ahead and many places to discover in Damascus and in Syria. The only problem is the heat, it is 45C degrees (120F) today and even though we have been told this is not normal for the month of July, it will be in August. The heat is dry, which is easier to deal with, but still it seems like I will only be doing cultural stuff at night this first couple of months (also keep in mind during the day I work!).

My colleague’s friends took us driving around a cactus farm the other day and I was impressed by their shapes, colors and size! I had no idea you can eat their fruit, which they call figs (but they don't look like our figs), and that same night I tried them in Midan. These figs are actually delicious, juicy and refreshing.

Midan is a long but narrow street full of crowded tiny restaurants that serve mainly shawarmas. They are delicious and we have a few, first chicken then meat. We are told if we come back here alone we should only eat in the same places where they have taken us, just to be safe and sure that hygiene is taken care of. 

As I said the street is packed, there are people everywhere, eating, chatting, laughing. Everything is open 24 hours a day and families with kids are also enjoying, even though it is late at night! Some approach us, they want to talk a little bit, they are curious about where we come from and they also want to practice their English and their French. One family with two beautiful little girls sits behind us and while they wait for their food they tell us they are both doctors and their daughters study in an English school. They used to go to the American one, but it was shut down by the US government a couple years ago. The girls are way to shy to talk with us.

But the street doesn’t only have restaurants; there are also a few meat shops and one of the owners wants me to buy some fresh cuts. He insists, but there is no way I am buying anything in his shop. The guy is nice and ends up wanting to take a picture with me but I am seriously concerned about cleanliness in his shop, and I leave promising I will be back, even though I know I never will. 

Finally, one of the best parts of the street are the many shops that sell delicious little sweets typical of Syria. Each shop wants you to try theirs, for free, to prove theirs are better. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth as many of you know so after the third shop I just give mine to Marc when the shop owners can’t see me. 

These shops are mostly old Damascene houses and the decoration in the inside is beautiful and breathtaking. Also the display of the sweets itself is well taken care of and I just feel like buying boxes for my family. 

 

* Pictures by la elfa

  

World Cup in Damascus

I never thought watching the World Cup in Syria would be fun, mainly because I knew nothing about this country and had so many preconceived ideas of what I would find here, so many misconceptions created by the media.

Well I can now say it was a delight to watch the games in Damascus. People LOVE soccer here and I guess since Syria didn’t make it they were happy to simply cheer for other teams. I still remember the first game I watched here, it was Netherlands-Brasil and half the people in the bar had t-shirts and flags of Brasil, the others of the Netherlands. And they would cheer, and suffer and enjoy just like if it was their country playing. Because for them it wasn’t about who was playing, but about soccer itself. That is why after Spain defeated Germany there was no doubt, the whole country was with Spain, they deserve it they would tell me day and night, at work and in cafés. 

Another thing that has surprised me in Damascus is how westernized they are. It is such an open and tolerant city. You would probably expect to see most women covering their hair (I already knew they don’t cover their faces but this might come as a surprise to others), well it is the opposite, just a few women cover their hair, and even those who do most often wear a skirt!! Here they dress like we do; you see jeans, sandals, skirts, dresses, even tank tops. Ladies are pretty, they take care of their hair and makeup and several times I have found my self quite underdressed in a café. Men and women go out together, they enjoy smoking shishas (which they call arguile) and when night comes dancing is a favorite for Damascenes. 

The first time we went out I had to take pictures because I couldn’t believe I was in Syria. First of all we were in a beautiful rooftop, the entrance was around 15U$ and you could get either one alcoholic drink or two sodas. The views of the city once again were magnificent, and the view of the dance floor was too much to be real. It was salsa night, and also the night Ghana was kicked out of the World Cup after missing a penalty in the last minute of the game. Here no one really cared about the game even though there was a huge cinema-style screen in one side of the dance floor. 

People were just dancing in such a fancy, trendy and amazing way that I could only sit back and admire them. Then when the game got to penalties because neither Ghana nor Uruguay had been able to untie the game, the dance floor cleared and the music was turned down, the TV up. Everyone was now paying attention to the game. 10 kicks, Ghana was out, most of the bar seemed upset for about 10 seconds, and then the music was back, and so was the dancing.

Welcome to Damascus!

 * Pictures by la elfa

  

Small World

How many times have we heard it, the world is a tiny place! And I guess the more you travel the smaller it becomes. I have been in Damascus for a few days now and I am invited to watch a World Cup game with my colleague and his friends. When we get to the bar the two guys waiting for us look quite familiar, but I fear I am mistaking them with some other Arabs and I don’t say anything. Then one of them asks me if I have ever been to Damascus, he thinks he knows me. I tell myself this is too much of a coincidence, he looks familiar to me, and I do to him. So we start talking and 30 seconds later we know what is going on here….. he used to work in Abu Dhabi in 2008, I visited Damascus in 2008 coming from Abu Dhabi…. Well he was the one who processed and prepared my visa back then! I was not allowed to get a visa in Abu Dhabi because I was not a resident, but some well connected friends made a couple phone calls and bang this guy was asked by his boss to process my visa quickly and without asking questions. His signature and stamp are indeed in my passport!! Seriously, what are the chances of something like this happening?

 

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