Leaving?

It’s finally dawning on me that we’re leaving tomorrow. All I can think about is how I WILL NOT MISS Kevin Costner’s “I feel like a star” Turkish Airlines commercial (one of the few things that remained consistent throughout all three countries). 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1dkLyD7c8s

I average 6 views daily. See ya Kev. Good riddance.

Al Jazeera

Well, we were on Egyptian TV (Ahly game), Syrian TV (like every day at our meetings), and now we’ve visited the premier TV news outlet in the Middle East: Al Jazeera. 

People joke that Doha is the capital of Al Jazeera. It’s clearly the country’s pride and joy. There was immense security protocol surrounding the news complex, and the Al Jazeera buildings were as much museums as they were working news stations. The lobby of Al Jazeera English was jam-packed with relics of fallen journalists (they can thank the US for this- as American deliberately targeting Al Jazeera reporters in the early months of the Iraq War).

In our meeting with Richard Lewis, Program Editor of Al Jazeera English, it became clear that the station’s commitment to balanced and accurate reporting is the sincerest of the sincere. American perceptions that Al Jazeera is a rogue and propagandist station couldn’t be farther off. They simply strive to show what really happens of the ground. Sometimes this means death, blood. However, Lewis assured us that these images are not shared without taste. “News decontextualized means nothing,” he said, affirming that mere death tolls that are shared on American news outlets do nothing to tell the real story. I agree- this gusto, this commitment to the truth is inspiring. 

To watch Al Jazeera English online in the states: livestream.com
To send a message to your local broadcasting station: iwantaje.com

Qatar

So… we’ve landed on a different planet. I don’t even know how describe Doha. Less-tack Las Vegas is the closest I can get to communicating the impressive, and brand new, architecture. After living in the third world for so many weeks, I’m finding our new surroundings hard to adapt to. 

The Movenpick (EASILY the fanciest hotel I have ever, and probably ever will, stay in in my life) is gorgeous. Our room is state of the art, and the all-inclusive mosaic pool/spa/steamroom/gym is the kind Americans would pay hundreds to visit back home. It is fabulously relaxing. Still– I can’t help but think that I was somehow more comfortable in the more modest parts of the Middle East. Yes, there was extreme poverty and exhausting security “situations”, but at least the people were people, and money wasn’t thrown around like confetti. This place is unreal…

What Would Jesus Say?

Between Damascus and Aleppo we visited a town named Maaloula. Here, the locals still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. I sniped this video from inside the Church of St. Serge (an ancient Pagan temple turned Catholic sanctuary) of the church’s priest reciting the Lord’s Prayer in its original tongue. The visual isn’t much, but the audio is something special… 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp8W2fv1Kwk

Syrian Roadtrip

On our last few days in Syria, Osama (our long-winded tour guide) led us on a 5-hour bus trip across the country. Final destination: Aleppo, home of more mosques… another market… the usual. 

For me, the real gem lays somewhere between Damascus and Aleppo. It is Le Krak des Chevaliers, or the Crusaders’ Castle. The well-preserved ruins lay high on the peak of a mountain, has beautiful views and undisturbed secret passageways. Osama was right, I could have spent all day here. To top it off, our half-way sleeping spot turned out to be an astounding hotel that sat in a valley surrounded by the castle’s mountain range. Kristina and I lucked out and scored the biggest balcony I have ever seen. So relaxing and serene. 

The next morning it was back in the bus for 2 more hours. We stopped halfway in the city of Homms. Osama shared that the town’s claim to fame was its ancient Roman wooden water wheels. I found out later that the city was also the site of a government massacre in the 1980′s. In an attempt to quiet a Muslim Brotherhood uprising, the Syrian government killed 30,000 people in the city.

Interesting oversight.

Just another one of those shady Syrian-government-tries-to-shut-things-up moments…

Thanks to some fast internet… (finally)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OzBGzz0cOE 

As promised, video from our fast escape from the Zabaleen.

On the Record…

The Arab Israeli conflict continues to follow us wherever we go. Yesterday, a member of the National Union of Syrian Students (NUSS) presented us with some questions to answer for their student (and who knows where else) newspaper. Here is one that appeared on my sheet: “How do you feel about the monstrous massacre that Israel has committed against the Arab people after seeing images from the Gaza War?”

So much for objective reporting, right?

But we’re in Syria, and the reality is that there is no “other side” here. Syrians, Palestinians, and all Arabs are innocent victims of Israeli aggression. Palestinian suicide bombers are sympathetically referred to as “resistance” movements. Israel is the enemy; heartless, immoral, and hungry for Arab blood. … Here that’s the story.

Needless to say, this morning’s group meeting consisted of a lively debate on journalistic ethics and the career dangers of answering such a loaded question. Some other students seemed positively perplexed, even nervous, about how to handle this “situation”. Maybe it’s just the political scientist in me, but I found this question very easy to answer:

Loss of life is always painful. The Arab Israeli Conflict is a deeply tragic and regrettable situation. However, stinging rhetoric from either side is not the way forward; it will not rebuild cities, heal heartbreak, or bring peace.

You can quote me.

Syria

I’d like to start with an apology. Travel, Syrian internet (generally a censored, weak network), articles for the main page and pure exhaustion have impeded my commitment to blogging the past week- In all actuality, I still want to be blogging about things we experienced in our last week in Egypt, but in an attempt to stay relevant, I’m moving myself into Damascus…

With that said,

Syria is awesome. Damascus is less crowded, cleaner, and somehow more authentic feeling than Cairo. English is rare, and you have to search to find American products.  The market is ancient (literally built around ruins of the famous Jupiter Columns) and the stares feel more respectful, as if out of curiosity rather than an eagerness to sell sell sell. Smiles are genuine, and all are eager to share their Syrian culture and history- I’m finally feeling that famous Arab hospitality and loving every minute of it. From the souk merchant who squeezes me fresh strawberry juice, to the man who makes me a traditional eggplant wrap, to the owner of a family-owned bazaar who invites me in for tea- the “men on the street” have shown me so much.

The streets of Old Damascus are enchanting- tiny alleyways, hidden shops and restaurants, and the occasional “this sight is mentioned in the bible” stop- this area is mesmerizing.

As expected, the Arab Israeli conflict is the number one most important and talked about topic in this country. Yesterday we visited Quneitra (a town demolished by Israeli bombs during their retreat in the 1960’s), and the border of the occupied Golan Heights. These sights are inexplicably moving- destroyed hospitals and churches, barbed wire around still-active mine fields, and a lasting UN presence allow us to see that the issue is still very very real here.

Things I could do without:

The Carlton Hotel Lobby slow jams mix- the same 10 songs (including Celine Dion Titanic, complete with movie dialogue clips) blast on repeat day and night as we hunch over our laptops for the internet that only works in the lobby.

Censorship- no Facebook, YouTube, or Wikipedia (to name a few)

The strange feeling brought on by countless meetings with high-ranking Syrian ministers and journalists- this can only be described as a sneaking awareness that the Syrian government is 1.) watching EVERYTHING that we do (down to grocery store errands), and 2.) has an incessant need to show Americans (who rarely visit their “condemned” country) that Syria is relevant, free, prosperous and victimized (by Israel and the US) nation. While I appreciate that the access to these ministers is as rare (especially for Americans) as it is prestigious, I am growing tired of feeling “played”. The only vindication I can find is that I am at least aware that these presentations are mostly propaganda.

President Bashar staring at me everywhere I go- Not literally (I hope- but it is a possibility), but in the form of hundreds of unimaginably tacky photos in every storefront, intersection, and government or university room. He does have a killer mustache…

Turkish coffee- it’s just bad.

Conclusion so far- If I didn’t have this weird creeped-out-by-the-government feeling all the time, I would move to Damascus.

Cultural Blog?

Carlene assigned us each to visit a cultural or arts venue while living in Cairo, experience what there was to experience, and blog about it. I had planned on attending Zamalek’s 26 July Street Cultural Center Wednesday night performance last week, but an untimely royal death got in my way.

On May 20^th, President (/dictator?) Mubarak’s eldest grandson suffered a fatal aneurysm. Immediately, the entire country launched into a traditional three-day period of mourning. Unfortunately for me, this meant the closing of all unnecessary cultural activities.

Though they are not “artistic”, my observations of the genuinely somber attitude of every single Egyptian I spoke to on the issue is definitely “cultural”.

I asked several Egyptians from various backgrounds (an AUC professor, a taxi driver, our hotel concierge…) how they felt about the 12-year-old’s death, and the response was overwhelmingly sorrowful. Though many dislike Mubarak’s oppressive hold on his citizens, often criticizing him until they are quite literally red in the face, most said that they cried when they heard the news. The grief was real, palpable. I was impressed with the Egyptians’ abilities to put aside their harsh views of the grandfather in order to sincerely mourn the tragic death of the grandson.

It was moving.

A truly inspiring cultural insight.

Arab League

We visited the Arab League headquarters in Cairo last week.

Can I work here please?

The experience was such a contrast to that we had at the US Embassy. ­­­­Hesham Youssef, assistant to Secretary General Amr Moussa (who is awesome), was so insightful, respectful, tasteful… and… “on the record”.

I have listed some particularly inspiring insights below:

“What did you accomplish on your last visit?” -Lebanese official
“Not much.” -Youssef
“What do you expect to accomplish?” -Lebanese official
“Not much” –Youssef
“Why do you come back?” –Lebanese official
“It is my obligation. I will come back until I succeed, or until I fail.” –Youssef
(On his work in Lebanon, where Youssef visited every month in 2006 until the armistice was achieved.)

“Every single time we told them it would not work, and they never listened. They told us, ‘Iraq will be hell after we leave’, and we told them, ‘Iraq is already hell’.” (On the advice of the Arab League to the US government about the Iraqi invasion, and timetable.)

“In one decade you had two outlets for international sympathy. You lost the first. I hope you don’t lose the second.” (On the United States’ actions post 9/11, and the election of President Barak Obama, respectively.)