Any given weekend in Damascus

You might wonder what it is like to go out in Damascus. Well it is pretty similar to any Western country, or maybe more like a Mediterranean one, like Spain or Italy. People love to get together with their friends and families and there is always time for both.

The evening can start quietly with dinner and a narguile (shisha) and then comes the usual, bars and clubs. There are hundreds to choose from. I like rooftops because the views of the city at night are beautiful and because it is nice to enjoy the breeze, when there is one.

Cafés that have narguiles usually do not serve alcohol, however bars and clubs would be empty if they didn’t serve it! But watch out, going out is not cheap in Syria. Actually life in general isn’t cheap. You might be able to find cheap food but probably as an expat you don’t want to eat in those places. As for bars and drinks, it is common to pay a cover which includes an alcoholic drink (or two soft drinks), usually you’ll pay around 15$. I was out last weekend and we had a table reserved, we had to pay 40$ each, which included three drinks, not so bad I guess, but let me tell you, they pour very little alcohol in your glass!!

Don’t expect too many people out before midnight, again this is a Mediterranean culture and it seems like it is always too early to go out, and way earlier to go back home ;) I am not sure what time places are supposed to shut down because I have never stayed until the end, I am out of practice!

Women, I have said it before, always dress up really nice, they obviously take their time getting ready, fixing their hair and make up; but men are not less and they are always well dressed, again in a Western way: short dresses usually for women, jeans and shirts for men. Women are beautiful and very sexy, especially when they dance.

It is quite common to see old expats just staring at Syrians dancing, and Syrians seems to love being watched, after all that must be one of the reasons they take their time to look so good.

People here love dancing, and they do it like pros. It must be in their blood, like Latinos. They have a fabulous sense of rhythm and no self consciousness, and they are able to move their hips in a way that reminds me of Shakira, who has Lebanese roots. Hands, arms and head movements are also part of the dancing exercise. As for the music, there is always a mix between Arabic tunes, disco music that would sound anywhere else in the world, and a lot of salsa. They love salsa and they always assume I can dance it well, I am not sure why. But trust me, I can’t! And when I see them I certainly don’t even dare trying!

The city is extremely safe and you can walk around any time of day or night, even if you are alone. Taxis will try to make you pay extra if you are an expat, but if you insist they will use the meter and then you should just tip them. Anyways a taxi can take you to the other side of town for just 4 dollars.

So if you ever decide to visit Syria make sure you keep some energy for the evening and night, you will need it! But no worries, they spend the mornings of the weekend sleeping, which I admit didn’t take me long to adapt to!
   

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