Middle East -- Week 1

Marhaba! Welcome to my first blog post from the Middle East! It is hard to believe that a week has passed since departing from EMU. Everything is going so well, and I am finally adjusting to life in Damascus. The city is so much fun to explore, and generally I can buy a delicious lunch off the street for less than 2 US dollars. Our group has not faced any severe problems and nobody has managed to get lost or injured amid the hectic traffic, despite the language barrier. We are learning some Arabic through the Berlitz program but we are currently at the most basic stage of the most basic level, and it seems like everything we learn in the classroom is forgotten as soon as we step outside the doors. (But don't worry--I can say important phrases such as "This pen is on that table" and "Where is Bab Sharqi?")

Here are some snippets from journal entries which, I hope, will give you some insight to my experiences thus far. It is impossible to describe everything, so instead I will share several stories and perhaps a few photos.

1-14-11 (Day 1)
We are now on the bus--the trip has begun! I wish I had taken out my camera when everyone was waving at us. It was very meaningful to see the EMU community together with their hands raised, sending us from the familiar to the unknown. But perhaps NOT having a picture with me is a freeing experience--a symbol of my departure and detachment from everything familiar. This way I will only have pictures on my camera from the Middle East. Still, seeing everyone waving at us is a 'picture' I hope I never forget.

1-15-11 (Day 1.5)
Sunset, Sunrise
We left DC as the sun was setting, and arrived in Vienna as the sun rose, reflecting golden light over a lake with windmills silhouetted against mountains and European fields. I still find it incredible that we flew all the way over the ocean in a giant chunk of metal.

After exploring/walking around Amman, Jordan, a group of us sat outside our hotel and talked about our observations, such as building style and hectic traffic patterns. Just then, the call to prayer was broadcast from the Muslim mosque next to our hotel. The soaring male voice rang throughout the city, resonating off buildings and echoing back to us. Joe, Ben and I sat back and soaked it all in. I really did feel the call as a spiritual experience, even though I am not familiar with Islamic tradition.

1-16-11 (Day 2)
We are on the road to Damascus. I just felt like writing that down.

In Bosra, Syria, our tour guide stopped the bus for us to see the remains of an old Roman amphitheater and bathhouse. Absolutely incredible--I couldn't believe something that old could still be in such great shape. I stopped in the Roman ruins and gave two kids each a Starburst from my pocket. They were both very pleased.

We arrived in Damascus, and I was taken aback by the hugeness and intense traffic. The block surrounding the St. Elias Monestary (our home) was jam-packed with three rows of traffic, yet we somehow managed to pull to the side and get to our luggage. After saying goodbye to our bus driver and our tour guide, Ahmed, we brought everything inside to our rooms. I will be staying with Joe for the month. The Berlitz language instructors came to our place to introduce us to the program. It seems fairly intense (think Arabic immersion!) yet very well established and exciting! I'm a little nervous for our bus ride over tomorrow, because of the traffic, and for learning a new language in only spoken Arabic.

Funny story: We had a "placement test" for the Berlitz program. The instructor spoke to me in Arabic, something like "Isme Kinda. Shu isme?" and of course I didn't know what she meant, so I responded with one of the only Arabic words I knew: "La," which means "no". She chuckled a little and sent me on my way, convinced that I did not know any Arabic. Little did I know that she was inquiring about my name, so I suppose you should start calling me "No" now!


1-17-11 (Day 3)
We got to Berlitz a little early and walked around. Some of us noticed a tree with tea bags hanging down, and wondered why they were there. A man sitting nearby must have seen our inquisitive looks, so he picked up a tea bag and threw it in the air. He kept trying animatedly until the bag wrapped around a twig--then he celebrated by jumping and cheering. I like this place.

Linford sent us off after class to find food and make our way back to the hotel. All the traffic and shops were overwhelming at first, especially the incredible Suq leading to the Old City. Once we got our bearings and made the first purchase (pita with Zatar), everything became much clearer and we had smaller bills, which was quite helpful.

1-18-11 (Day 4)
I'm feeling much more comfortable and confident walking around Damascus--maybe soon I will explore more. I decided to bring my camera along today, which was an excellent choice. The suqs (think mall, only bigger with more variety and extremely crowded) were so photogenic, as was the historic Umayyad mosque inside the Old Damascus city walls. Several of us found a neat restaurant near Bab Touma which didn't look like much from the street, but turned out to be a giant ornate room with orange trees and a fountain. We sat down and examined the menus--the prices were reasonable, we could easily eat for under 4 US dollars. I decided on a lentil soup, some falafel, and a traditional Damascan dish called Fatteh, which ended up being another soup with chick peas and flavored bread. It was good, but the bowl was so large that I only finished about half of it--even after passing the bowl around the table several times!


We then walked to the Umayyad mosque, and the girls split off to buy scarves. (This mosque is extremely historic--look it up if you have the chance. It is the fourth holiest place in Islam, one of the oldest mosques in the world, and contains a shrine to John the Baptist.) Tim and I hung out inside the mosque until sunset. It was fascinating to just sit and watch people. I was expecting the mosque to be a holy and quiet site, but instead it was more of a social gathering spot with children running around and sliding on the smooth tile. The enclosed area was more worship-oriented. While we were sitting, a group of five boys came up to us, laughing and making friendly conversation. We talked to them for a while (or rather, listened and smiled) and of course they wanted to take pictures with us. It was great to share my limited Arabic with them, and laugh with them over mistakes. Experiences like these have encouraged me to remain humble and realize there is so much I have yet to learn.


1-19-11 (Day 5)
After Arabic class today the group met at an Archeological Museum which had some fantastic items: the first tablet of a written alphabet, the oldest known written "sheet music" (also carved into a tablet), a giant painted picture of Alexander the Great, and an actual stone chunk of hieroglyphics. It is difficult for me to grasp how old some of those items are.


1-20-11 (Day 6)
Victory! I can now count to 100 in Arabic! Ktirmineh!

This afternoon Linford guided the group on a fascinating "journey of Saul/Paul in Damascus." Right next to our monastery is a "Memorial of Saint Paul" which commemorates the site where Saul was blinded by a vision of Jesus. We then walked to the old city wall (Linford joked that he was going to blindfold all of us--we definitely would have been crushed by traffic) to the Bob Sharqi entrance on Straight Street. We then visited the house of Annanias, who was told in a vision to meet Saul. We then stopped along Straight Street, near where Saul was baptized Paul by Annanias, causing the scales of blindness to fall from his eyes. Our next stop is probably something that has never been done by a group following the journey of Paul. Linford led us to a house in the Jewish sector along the wall, and had everyone enter the house and cram onto the back deck. Linford then read from his Bible the part of the story where Paul escapes the walled city by way of a basket over the wall, and then he told us that we would not be going back the way we came in. He pointed to the fire pole, which stretched at least 25 feet to the bottom of the wall. We gasped nervously as he gave more instruction and the first person grabbed onto the pole and slid all the way down to the ground. The drop was exhilarating--not only because of the height but also knowing that Paul would have been in a similar situation many many years ago. Our final stop was to the church built to commemorate Saul's conversion to Paul. What an incredible experience!


1-21-11 (Day 7)
Fridays are the Muslim holy day, so the streets and shops were abnormally empty. The city had a relaxed feel about it, and people were walking around with their families in a much more calm manner than a hectic weekday. We were encouraged to observe the Friday evening call to prayer in the Umayyad mosque. Brendan, Joe and I went together and sat near the back, near the chain that separates men from women. It was fascinating to observe the long rows of people standing, bowing, kneeling and praying in sync. The traditions seem so deeply rooted, which makes it difficult for an outsider to understand the importance of certain symbols or motions. I'm just grateful to be able to observe the call to prayer in such a historic building.

Until next time!
-James