syria/jordan email

I remember my flight from Delhi to Doha, Qatar I sat in the airport for 6 hours thinking about where i was and what was around me. Qatar, a small peninsula jutting out of Saudi Arabia connected to the United Arab Emirates. It's baffling to think of its location when sitting at home in New York and imagining that I would ever be there, but sure enough that's where i sat, had a cup of coffee an waited for my flight to Istanbul.

My flight out was equally as daunting as the planes wheels left the runway and i peered out of my little window out at the Persian Gulf, the plane swooped around pointing it's nose back in the direction of land as i got to catch a glimpse of the emerald waters of Bahrain before my view drastically changed. Soon i was flying over Saudi Arabia, the eastern portion of Jordan, and Syria, names that seem more like they belong in a fable than actual reality. From my comfortable couch back at home they seem untouchable, alien even, places most Americans are never encouraged to dream about, and here i was flying over them, looking down wondering how different life can be just a few thousand miles below my airplane seat.

Twenty days later i found my self sitting on tile floor waiting at the boarder of Turkey and Syria for 5 hours as my visa was being processed. Surrounded by screaming taxi drivers, bus men, and a few more travelers than i would have expected attempting to get their stamps to pass through. Syria the home of terrorist a place where Americans and westerners are hated, it was truly terrifying. The man in Aleppo who served me the most delicious Shawarma (kebab), not once, or twice, but three times in a one hour sitting was nothing but smiles and laughs, the free soap and spices i was asked to take as a gift in the markets was not scary but odd since no shop keepers in the states ever offered me free product, the locals whom helped me find my bus and showed me how to read Arabic when i couldn't find my seat, well, they were not to intimidating either.

Jordan though, that is where you really need to watch out. I got into Amman late at night and a western couple who was living there quickly explained cab fair and helped me to my guest house, i stumbled down the street to look for some food where i found lines of locals waiting and of course i joined in on the line. Fresh baked bread stuffed with chillies, minced lamb, and diced onions and seasoned with toasted cumin was on the menu, served with fresh middle eastern yogurt char grilled tomato and green chillies for a whopping $1.05 usd. the Smiling man behind the counter slinging meat filled dough pockets into the oven, flipping them with a long metal paddle just smiled, took my money, and watched me happily devour every bite of his creation.

Taking a tour trough Holy country passing the Jordan river, sitting upon Mt. Nebo, and floating in the Dead Sea with about 100 other tourists was not to dangerous at all. Heading south to Petra followed by countless tour buses jammed with Europeans AND Americans a like was a huge surprise and the only thing scary about that was the fact that i once again blended into the masses whom the locals see as dollar signs.

My Stay in Syria and Jordan was short, and as you may have guessed I never found it to be dangerous. Just like every country you visit you must be on guard, you need to do your research and follow your better judgment. I never wandered into any ghettos at night and I never got into a heated political or religious debate in a locals home, but then again why would I.


Before arriving I didn't know what to expect, i wasn't so ignorant to believe that every one is a terrorist and out to get me, surely that was not what i thought but unfortunately that is what i felt like i should believe. All stereotypes have truth, but just like "Americans are overweight," or as they believe here "American's are all wealthy," stereotypes can also hold minimal truth, as we all know the USA is not overpopulated with rolly-polly rich men. Like wise the people i met were not terrorists, didn't know any terrorists, and do not hate Americans and westerners. For the most part they were happy to have an American in their country because just like a lot of us, they are proud of their culture and overly happy to share it with you.

When picturing the Middle east I wondered what exactly i may see, and what i found were plenty of women dressed in all black, men with long beards dressed in all white, the days can be hot and the nights can be cold. there are broken down buildings, there is rubble and debris laying about, there are some camels, there are some donkeys, the desert is endless but rolling sand dunes as far as the eye can see were never on my horizons, there are mosques, and people do pray quite often. It was a different culture, but life here is quite the same as it is anywhere else, there are happy people and sad people, religious people and non religious, rich and poor, fortunate and less fortunate. The Muslim culture was one i had yet to experience and i am happy to have gotten the chance to see, live, and try to understand it.


The people are what made this part of the world interesting and exciting to me, overall I found most of them trying to beat a stereotype that has been placed on them by a very powerful western media. If there was one word that most non english speaking Arabs knew, it was not hello or money, which you find in most countries, it was "welcome."

I hope that my Sarcasm about terrorists and being unsafe was detected!

Syria/Jordan Pics:

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