Nehbud

And in the streets, you run afree.

This is something I wrote in an e-mail to Sara in response to her questions about Damascus and the people. Despite the horrible writing, I thought it pretty much summed up my take on the city putting aside my melodramatic feelings (some of you know what I'm talking about).

About Damascus... Hmm. It's like NYC in a lot of ways. Lot's of buildings, little room, lot's of people. I keep trying to put pictures on my blog but the computer's being really weird about it. In the city, there's a lot of noise and movement and life. I think I would love it under different circumstances. It's like an older, dirtier, more sincere and more chaotic version of New York City. There's a lot of places to go and eat and grab coffee or enjoy a smoothie. The weather's great and people generally stay out until 1 or 2 (my mom get's in about every night at 2:30) so sitting outside is usual and enjoyable. Damascus is the oldest "living" city EVER. This makes the city very unique. You can drive around and see very modern things like internet cafes and cell phone but then you turn your head and there's like ruins and houses that have been there for hundreds of years. You feel connected to the people that made them and you feel like you're making them proud by fulfilling some kind of dream of theirs; it's almost like you're keeping them alive or something. The people are intense. Like, if someone is nice, they're very nice and they mean it. If they're scary, well they're scary as heck. People are talkative here and they remain respectful while being a little less polite than in Houston. I mean, people are not rude, that's not what I mean, but it's like it's easier to get to know someone you don't know here because that polite distance isn't there... I don't know, it's really hard to explain. But, for someone like me it's a comfort.