... and it's really started to feel like home. It's been over a month since my last post, and not only have I completed my first session at Damascus U, but I've made friends who I can tell will be very long-lasting, had a crazy Eid in Beirut, settled into the Old City, and seen more of the beauty that is Syria.
The days spent in Beirut, and Lebanon in general, were some of the most fun and memorable days I've had. The city itself was stunning; on one side there is the ocean and on the other there are huge green mountains, with a strip of white city in between. The streets and architecture and general culture felt more like Europe than the Middle East, but then you would see a mosque and remember where you actually were. We saw amazing things while staying in Beirut, like the underground limestone Jeita Grotto caves and the ancient city of Byblos... but it was our nights in Beirut that made the trip so epic. We managed to find Jemayze street, filled with bars and music and life, on our first night, and returned on our second and third nights as well. Too many laughs to even remember, talks of finding a boat to Cyprus in the early morning hours, ending up at the Radison Hotel instead of the Regis Hotel all to often... I'm so glad that Jess, Myles, Adam and I made this trip. We spent the last day in Tripoli, and ended up taking a boat out to an "island" that really just turned out to be a chunk of cement about 10 minutes into the sea; then, of course, we managed to find the one bar in Tripoli and re-live the fun we had in Beirut.
I can finally say that I've seen the diversity of areas within Syria as well now. Roula, one of the daughters from our family, took us to a city called Ma'loula for the "Holiday of the Cross." Ma'loula is the last place in the world where Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is spoken. We arrived at night, and it was the craziest holiday I've ever experienced. This Syrian holiday consists of the tradition of throwing fire off of the cliffs surrounding the city. Yea. So the tops of the cliffs were all ablaze, and then tires which had been lit on fire were thrown down the cliffs. Into the CITY where people's HOUSES were. When we got there, Roula's friend just turned to us and said "Keep in mind that if you see a fireball coming at you, you have to run..." Fireworks were going off constantly and all around us, at times almost hitting us and covering us in ash. It sounded like we were in a crossfire... for some reason I loved the adrenaline though.
Last week, I went to Aleppo with my friend Kate and a few other girls. Aleppo was such a livable city, and made Damascus seem cosmopolitan in a way I had never felt before. We explored its amazing underground souk, and sat on top of the Citadel until the sun was setting. The citadel overlooked everything... the view was just of hundreds of mosques, thousands of buildings and winding streets. Somehow, even though almost of the buildings were the same tainted gray, it seemed like such a colorful view.
And finally, a few days ago, Myles, Adam, and I made it to Crac de Chevaliers. We've seen so many ruins lately that I honestly didn't have crazy expectations for Crac, but this castle was one of my favorite places that I've seen thus far. It was much bigger than I had expected, and it was filled with tunnels and beautiful connected halls. I felt like a little kid on a playground, just exploring the underground areas by holding up lighters and finding ways to climb through the chipped-away windows. This was also the first time I've had a real view of the Syrian countryside.
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