Syria!

Oh my goodness! After 12 hours of travel, I stumbled off the plane in Aleppo. Miraculously my luggage made it as well. I was getting increasingly nervous about everything as we got closer. How did I end up on a plane to Syria again? The nice elderly woman seated next to me smiled at me a lot, and said goodbye when we landed (or at least I think that's what she said, my Arabic needs to improve, and quick), which somehow made me feel much better.

Stefie had been kind enough to arrange a ride for me from the airport, which I was incredibly glad to have. Stepping off the plane, late at night, and into yet another country where I don't speak the language, was a tad bit overwhelming. I got lots of very long stares from people waiting for arrivals, and was mobbed by touts trying to get me into a cab. At this point, I've come to terms with the fact that I will not blend in, no matter where I go, but I still get a little nervous when I land in a new country. I feel like I have a giant sign that says “sucker” hanging above me.

Anyhow, a man from the hotel picked me up, and was nice enough to tell me about Aleppo on our drive. Aleppo is a very old city, and competes with Damascus for the oldest continuously occupied city in the world (although I'm not sure who's really entitled to that claim). He told me how nice the Syrian people are, and that cities in Syria are actually probably safer than most cities in the US. I hear this a lot from people, and judging from the amount of people (and children even) on the streets at 10:30 at night, he might be right.

I was so stunned and so exhausted that by the time we got to the hotel I took these pictures of the courtyard and went straight to bed.