Signing Off…

We arrived in Doha late on Monday for a three-night visit. Qatar is a very rich nation, as I mentioned earlier, and it shows. The entire city is under construction. Massive skyscrapers grow upwards, each with its own unique architecture. In about ten years, this place will be incredible.

 

While here, we have made visits to Al Jazeera and the Doha Debates, arguably some of the forerunners in free media. All together, the experience has made me look to the future and to my return home.

 

I keep speculating about the way this trip has eased us back into western culture. First we were immersed in Cairo for three weeks. We plunged into a foreign and unknown world. Between the heat and food poisoning, to security and language barriers… from insane driving, to persistent merchants… we were forced to leap outside of our comfort zones and into a wholly different culture.

 

When we arrived in Syria, a bus stocked with fruit and water greeted us, and many of us sigh breaths of relief. Arriving at the hotel, it was obvious that we had taken a step up in the world. The refrigerators worked, and so did the air-conditioning. The Internet was slow and frustrating, but we could get it without leaving the hotel. Life was good.

 

Then we slowly became aware of the constant security presence around us. They were much more subtle than the men in suits with big guns in Cairo, but somehow more intimidating. The secret service contacted our hosts after some student were seen sharing a cigarette in a club… a club we had not made reservations at.

 

Next came NUSS. Their overwhelming need to make us happy, and get us to like Syria, became a reminder of how Syria expected us to be diplomats, not journalists. The awkward situations this created, along with the persistent meetings with officials, all of which wanted to hold us responsible for the decisions of our nation’s leaders, was incredibly stressful. I developed a twitch in the corner of my eye, something I have not experienced since my work on the boat.

 

 Just when Syria began to feel overbearing, we escaped to Doha. This super modern city brandishes prices that rival NYC. Our four star hotel with its cloud-like beds was a welcome change.

 

Today we watched President Obama address the Muslim world from Cairo. It is amazing to think that we were there just a few weeks ago. Our guide for Islamic Cairo, also guided Obama through one of Cairo’s mosques. Perhaps the most striking point about Obama’s speech is that we covered many of the same issues during our dialogue here. It was the period on the end of our trip.

 

The most important thing I take from this trip is not personal growth, so much as intellectual and professional growth. I have gained context for some of the most important news in the world, and am much more prepared to report based on this context. Too many in my profession provide analysis and reporting on U.S. foreign policy, or happenings abroad without having visited this region. In five weeks, a short time by any standard, I have developed myself as a global citizen. It is a shame that I am among a small handful of Americans that have to opportunity to experience this.

 

I am excited to arrive in Logan and begin my new life in the states. I will have a new apartment, a new career, and, perhaps most important, a more informed view of the world.

 

Cheers,

Emily

 

P.S. I can’t wait to see our new place! Ryan said he put a box of tissues in every room of our apartment. If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is!

Castles Galore!

On Friday, we left for a two-night excursion to the north of Syria. Our first stop was Maloula, a town that still speaks Aramaic. We visited the church of St. Sarkis, which was built in the 4^th century on what used to be a pagan temple. Inside we heard the Lord’s Prayer recited in Aramaic.

 

Next we hiked through some winding paths carved into the hillside to the shrine of Saint Tekla. The shrine is located in a convent that is built into the cliffs. A few of us climbed up the countless number of stairs to the shrine, and were greeted by a  gorgeous open-air room with a tree growing inside it.

 

We then continued onward to the Krak des Chevaliers. This massive castle was built in the early 11^th century and used by the crusaders. Much of the outer wall is still intact, supplying excellent views of the surrounding countryside. Inside, we saw a massive oven and the mess hall attached. We were also treated to a piece of the call to prayer sung by a local boy. A specially designed corner of the mosque sent the call echoing throughout the castle. We were given the better part of two hours to explore, but I could have stayed all day. If only I had brought my flashlight.

 

The next day we left early and made our way towards Aleppo. Along the way we made a quick stop in Homs to see the ancient water wheels. The wheels were used to lift water from the river to the aqueducts, and are still in operation today.

 

Our time in Aleppo was brief. We arrived in the afternoon and toured the Citadel, which paled in comparison to the Krak. Among the highlights were the view of the city, an amphitheater and the bathhouse.

 

We spent the night at Dar Zamari, an old family home that was converted into a hotel.

 

 

That night we visited the Aleppo Market place, and made friends with a scarf dealer. He had Clarice, Rich and Gabi watch the shop while he took me to attempt to run my credit card (which was unsuccessful). When we returned, the three looked right at home, and were joking around with some of the owner’s friends.

 

The owner, who is 22, proceeded to explain to me how his father bought him the store when he graduated high school. Before he could run the store, however, he had to serve the obligatory two years in the Syrian army. While in the army, he was forced to work long days learning to drive tanks.

 

He said the experience was hard, but that life isn’t fair. He went on to explain that Syrian children are very reliant on their parents, and the draft is a way of achieving independence. While in the army, he learned to wash clothes, cook meals, and work hard.

 

 

When he returned home he went to work in the shop. There, he taught himself to speak English, French, and Spanish from books. Currently he is working on learning German. In order to keep the languages straight, he keeps a cheat sheet under the counter with certain phrases listed in all the languages. He says that business in the shop is slow, but learning keeps him occupied.

 

 

When we left the next day, it felt as if we had just arrived. What a whirlwind tour!

A day at the Golan Heights

On Wednesday, we had the tremendous opportunity to visit the Golan Heights.

 

On the ride to the Heights, Osama gave us a play by play of the sights around us. Enormous mountains, covered in snow, rose in the distance. These are the Jabal al Shaikh Mountains, Osama said, which translates to old man, as the snow resembles a beard. Mount Hermon, the tallest point in Syria, is a part of this range.

 

We also saw fields of olive trees. Syria has 87,000,000 olive trees, said Osama, making it the fifth largest producer in the world after Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

 

Upon arrival in Qunaitra, the city given back to Syria after Israel’s partial withdrawal in 1974, we were ushered into an ornate sitting room for a meeting with the mayor. He told us a heart felt story of how his people had suffered from what he referred to as needless violence at the hands of the Israelis.

 

“The destruction was deliberate and intentional, and it was complete destruction… they destroyed everything, man, stone and tree.”

 

 

As for Syria’s support of Hamas, the mayor felt that the group’s actions are justified.

 

“These people are defending their own rights in their own land.”

 

 

He went on to say that there are 30,000 Syrians under occupation, and that these people have been denied healthcare and business opportunities. Syrians in the occupied land are, however, allowed to enter Syria to attend university.

 

 

He told the story of a couple, from the occupied territory, who met at Damascus University. While there, they got married and had a son. When they returned to the occupied territory, the child was put under house arrest for being born in Syria.

 

Landmines left behind when the Israelis pulled out of the region continue to harm the few that still reside there. Two months ago, the mayor related, landmines killed two young men while they herded cattle. There are 400 surviving victims of landmines in the community, he said.

 

The mayor then made a plea to our journalistic sides.

 

“We wish as journalists, that you will convey the truth that you see. We wish for you to convey this to your society”

 

 

After our meeting we were brought to a hospital destroyed during the occupation. The concrete building was riddled with bullet holes, and the walls were in crumbles. Our guide from the Mayor’s office explained that the hospital was used as a training area during Israel’s occupation.

 

The city has been left in essentially the same condition as when the Israeli’s withdrew. The officials said this was to serve as a reminder of the suffering endured there.

 

 

After the hospital, we visited the last standing church in the town. No glass remained in any of the windows, but the church was largely intact. All around it lay piles of concrete that appeared to have once been houses.

 

 

Next we were permitted to visit the United Nations protected border crossing that serves at the only link between Syria and the Israeli occupied territory. In the distance we could see Israel’s flag and a sign the read “Welcome to Israel.”

 

Along the road to the gate lay a line of barbed wire designating the demilitarized zone between the territories. According to our guide, the land is filled with landmines, a sharp contrast to the visibly serene field of billowing grasses.

Syrian officials by the dozen! Get’m while they’re hot!

Damascus University was established in 1903 as a medical school, and grew into a full university by 1923. With about 120,000 students, Dr. Wael Mua’lla, president of the University, is ready to open his arms to international students.

 

While most classes are taught in Arabic as required by law, some graduate level courses are joint-programs taught in both Arabic and English. 

Mua’lla believes that academic cooperation could be a model for other channels of diplomacy. He mentioned a U.S.-Syrian dialogue that happened earlier this month,

 

“Even during tough times in the U.S. administration, we managed to keep all these programs going,”

 

He hopes that during George Mitchell’s upcoming visit to Syria, he will stop by Damascus U. to give a lecture.

 

“Then he will see how serious Syria is about better relations.”

 

Mua’lla said that higher education is a large financial burden on the government. This is one motivation for establishing the alternative track to acceptance, which requires students to pay an inflated tuition. This money goes directly to the universities to pay for expanded services.

 

Within the last five years, there has been an influx of private universities to the country. While they are still gaining their footing, Mua’lla hopes that they will relieve some of the pressure about admission rates to the state-funded universities.

“Are we genuine representatives?”

During our stay in Syria we had the oppertunity to meet with Amer Zaki, the president of the National Union of Syrian Students, or NUSS.

 

Members of NUSS make up 65% of the 500,000 Syrian students in higher education.

“Our organization encompasses students from all political parties.”

 

Regardless of this assertion, NUSS operates largely under the ruling powers of the Baath party. The organization was founded by late president Hafez al-Assad in 1950. It is the only such group that the late president founded, which may explain the amount of power the students wield.

 

The NUSS representation process begins in the classroom where students elect one among them for executive office. In Damascus University, for example, there are 30 representatives. These representatives then come together to elect a university representative. Then out of all the university representatives, including one for all Syrians studying abroad, the president of NUSS is elected. The president is given a seat in parliament and has much power in defending student’s rights for higher education.

 

Zaki went on to address the mandatory two-year military term each Syrian must serve upon graduation.

 

“We are convinced that the draft is a necessity, but we hope to reduce the amount of time.”

 

He added that this goal awaits the results of the peace process with Israel, which was severely set back by the Gaza Strip attack.

 

Another student rights issue that NUSS works on is acceptance rates.

 

“For example, a dean would say he can only take so many, and we would disagree.”

 

This is an especially big deal for Syrians as acceptance means education at a low cost of $10 a semester. Acceptance is based solely upon test scores from an SAT-like high school exam. Those who are rejected have an option to apply on the parallel track, but must pay several thousand dollars worth of tuition each semester.

Syria’s history is wicked complicated!

We met Osama in the lobby of the hotel early Saturday morning for a day of sight seeing. Our first stop was the National Museum of Damascus. The museum is undergoing renovations as part of a cooperation program with Italy. The renovations started in February 2007, and over the next 24 months will cost 5,898,237 Euros. Also on the list for restoration under the program is the Citadel of Damascus.

 

The museum’s collection was quite impressive, and Osama gave us a rather comprehensive overview of Syrian history.

 

After the museum, we headed to the Umayyad Mosque. The mosque is one of the oldest in the world, and is said to house the head of John the Baptist. His tomb is in a shrine in the middle of the mosque that is lit with an eerie green light. Weird? But then again, J the B-man was a pretty weird guy.

 

Just outside the mosque is the Shrine of Saladin, the sultan that united the Arab world in the twelfth century.

 

 

We arrived at the mosque by walking through an ancient covered market place called the Hamedieh. Over the next few days, Clarice and I made this place our home away from home. From silver merchants to candies and spices, the twisting streets are full of everything you could ever need. We also made friends with several of the merchants, each of which served us tea and chatted for almost an hour.

 

Another perk about Hamedieh is the plethora of cheap and delicious food. A dollar will buy you a massive ice cream covered in pistachios in a waffle cone. For less than a dollar you can get a chicken shawarma complete with pickles and garlic sauce. Good things!

 

After the Mosque, we walked through the maze of streets that makes up Bab Tuma to the house of Ananias. Ananias had a church in his basement where Paul was baptized. The space was amazing, and leafing through the guest book gave me a sense of how many had made the journey.

Arrival in Syria, VIP style

We left Cairo on Friday, and jumped on a plane to Damascus. The flight was the strangest I’ve ever experienced in my travels. An hour and a half long, we were served a complete meal and treated to pro-Egypt television programming whose audio was piped over the cabin’s speakers for all to hear.

 

A representative from the Department of Higher Education greeted us at the airport, and ushered us through security into a VIP waiting area. After that we were rushed through customs and filed onto a bus where we met our ever-present tour guide, Osama.

 

“Just think of Obama, and then you have the right sound.”

 

Osama gave us a long welcoming speech that included a number of digs against the former administration.

 

“There is a nation in this area that has been destroyed which is the United State, I mean Iraq.”

 

He then described the richness of Syria’s culture and history. He passed around pastries of filo, honey and pistachios, an example of Syria’s amazing cuisine.

 

Osama told us to help ourselves to the fruit and water on the bus because after all “that is the American way.”

Slackman’s Zabaleen article is up!

Check it out here.

 

I can’t load the video with our shoddy internet connection here in Syria, but the article and the photo gallery are great. I am glad he had so much space to tell the story.

On a side note, take a look at the url for the piece. It looks like someone in the tech department threw in a little joke: “http://… middleeast/25oink.html…” Good stuff.

“They have been bitten so many times.”

Thursday night we had the opportunity to engage in a two-hour q&a session with Hesham Youssef of the Arab League. The league is one of the oldest regional organizations and is comprised of 22 nations

 

At its creation the league talked of unifying the Arab world, similar to how the European union has adapted the Euro.

 

“We should have been more modest in our ambitions,” Youssef admits.

The league changed direction in the 1990’s and began to focus on small alliances, directly benefiting both countries involved.

 

“Not because they like each other,” clarified Youssef

 

Youssef explained that the league has come under close scrutiny by the media.

 

“We are always criticized by the media for not doing enough and partially that is true.”

 

When asked about his hopes for the Obama administration, Youssef stressed the importance of the U.S. dialogue with the league.

 

“It can be crucial. You see what President Bush did to this region… There was a country that was completely destroyed called Iraq.”

 

He went on to explain that the U.S. came to the league for advice on Iraq on several occasions, and the U.S. largely ignored the leagues suggestions. He hopes that the Obama administration will change this.

 

“There is a sense of optimism in the air, but it is a very guarded optimism. People are very fearful because they have been bitten so many times.”

 

As for Obama’s up coming address in Egypt, Youssef remains realistic, but hopeful.

 

“A visit cannot solve all the problems in the world, but it can be a start.”

 

Towards the end of our talk Youssef told a great joke about Qatar.

An official from Qatar visits China.

“How many people are in your country?” asks the Chinese Diplomat, and the official from Qatar answers “350,000.”

The Chinese diplomat responds, “Why didn’t you bring them with you?”

 

Haha, Qatar is really small. Though, I think their gross domestic product per capita of $80,870 more than makes up for it. In comparison, Egypt’s GDP per capita is $5,491, and the U.S.’s is $46,859.

Trash, Pigs and Coptic Christianity

 

From the alter at the Cave Church

On Wednesday we stole our first glimpse at the homes of the Zabaleen. The Zabaleen are a group of Coptic Christians who, since the 1950′s, have almost single handedly controlled trash and recycling in Cairo. 

Take a look at this BBC article for a more in-depth view.

In addition to collecting and sorting trash, the Zabaleen also raise pigs. All the organic matter from the trash is fed to the pigs, which are kept in pens intermittently throughout their ramshackle buildings.

Just before we arrived in Cairo, the Egyptian government called for the slaughter of all the pigs in order to prevent the spread of swine flu in the country, an interesting action considering there are not, nor has there been any cases of h1n1 in Egypt.

It seems to me that the government may have used the swine flu as an excuse to try to edge the Zabaleen out of their life style.

I bumped into Anis Attia, a local TV producer, at our favorite internet café, Goal. He said that while my suspicions may have some truth, it was also likely that the government was over reacting about the swine flu to make up for their lack of action about the bird flu which has plagued Egypt since 2006.

 

Needless to say, the tourism police tried to keep us as far away from the Zabaleen as possible. So instead of visiting the trash city itself, we visited the Coptic cave church. This just happened to mean we needed to drive through the Zabaleen to get there. Oops.

 

From our air conditioned tourism vans we could only see the garbage, but as soon as we stepped out at the church, we were hit with the rank smell of decomposition. Mmmm trash.

 

The church itself was gorgeous. It is carved right into the cliff, and has stadium-like seating that rises to ground level. From what I could gather from the broken English of the little old man that showed us around the compound, the Copts believe that the hillside that houses the church was moved, mustard seed style, to its present local.

 

He also pointed out a formation in the ceiling that “just appeared” in the rock during the construction of the church. The formation distinctly resembles the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. The amount of detail was enough to make me suspicious that someone had carved it, but who knows?

 

We met with Michael Slackman, the New York Times correspondent for Egypt, on Monday, and learned that he has an article on the Zabaleen in the works. No sign of it yet, but I’ll keep an eye out.