OK, so I didn't really get into Iraq but that wasn't for lack of trying. I was with some Iraqi friends yesterday who had to cross the Iraqi border to get a stamp to re-enter Syria with permission to stay for another month. They continued on past the Syrian border on a charter bus without me and I stayed behind with one of the Palestinian bus drivers. He tried his best to help me cross No-Man's Land, taking me to the general having his morning breakfast in his undershirt. The nice general told me to get lost as did the other immigration officials. The Iraqi major was the nicest of all telling me 'Next time' as he headed back to Iraq with two security guys in bulletproof vests and a truckload of Iraqis returning to their hellhole.
Nevertheless, the experience was good, if not for the adventure then for seeing how these people are trying to cope and struggle from day-to-day, forced to flee from their country and having to fight for rights in the only one that will give them refuge. Right in the middle of No-Man's Land is a camp of displaced Iraqi-Palestinians. There have to be more than 2000 people living in tents right now, stuck in the middle of nowhere with no resources. I'm not sure how they get their food and other sustainables but I think it needs to be brought in by groups passing between the two borders. It makes me appreciate how incredibly easy we have it in Canada. There is also a military training base beside the border so as my new buddy and I were walking around you could here them exploding bombs on the other side of the security fence. This is the farthest thing from my Mennonite upbringing, really.
May 29, 2007
May 18, 2007
My Students
Now that I'm an English teacher I suppose I need to share a few of the gems my students hit me with. (Note: they are all older than 18)
Two days ago we're practicing some reading and they have a hard time pronouncing 'suggested'. So I suggest to them before they fall asleep that night they should say 'suggested suggested suggested' and make the word their own.
I've also told them to stop calling me 'Teacher' and to call me Alison instead. This is difficult for them since they have always been taught to respect authority (notice I do not say elders). So one of the guys who believes himself to be the hottest thing on the planet is calling me over to ask a question. He says 'Teacher' so I ignore him but he keeps trying anyway. Finally I turn around and ask what my name is. He gets this smile on his face and says, "Tonight before I fall asleep, I'll say 'Alison Alison Alison', and then I'll never forget it." Gag.
To all you teachers out there, does this ever happen to you???
Two days ago we're practicing some reading and they have a hard time pronouncing 'suggested'. So I suggest to them before they fall asleep that night they should say 'suggested suggested suggested' and make the word their own.
I've also told them to stop calling me 'Teacher' and to call me Alison instead. This is difficult for them since they have always been taught to respect authority (notice I do not say elders). So one of the guys who believes himself to be the hottest thing on the planet is calling me over to ask a question. He says 'Teacher' so I ignore him but he keeps trying anyway. Finally I turn around and ask what my name is. He gets this smile on his face and says, "Tonight before I fall asleep, I'll say 'Alison Alison Alison', and then I'll never forget it." Gag.
To all you teachers out there, does this ever happen to you???
May 8, 2007
Canadian Girl Missing in Syria
For everyone who knows that Nicole Vienneau, a Canadian woman, is missing in Syria, this email is to inform you that I am still alive and very, very safe in Damascus. I want to assure everyone who has sent me 'worried' emails that fears are unfounded, and I'm going to be very direct for the rest of this message. It may offend some people but I'm here and the rest of you are not, I'm speaking from experience.
I was speaking with mom last night and she was reading me the stories from the newspapers with comments from people responding to it and this is where a lot of my anger is being driven from.
First of all, Syria is not a shady country. While the policing system may be more noticeable here than in Canada, that does not make the rest of its citizens "shady." I'm using this word in response to a reader who said, "Those who go to shady countries are taking risks." He also said that if you go to countries like this, you are just asking for trouble. I'm tired of people making judgemental comments about a place they have probably never visited and have never researched. If you want to believe everything western media tells you, then you area a good candidate for believing in Santa Claus. And if the only thing you know about Syria is that it is 'dangerous', then you need to know the only thing Syrians know about Canada is that it is 'cold.'
Second, Nicole is a seasoned traveller and anyone who has travelled solo knows there are risks involved. From what I understand she is a smart traveller, one who lets people know where she's going. Anyone who's been on the road in these regions before knows that there is a community of travellers and locals alike with whom they share stories and experiences. It is almost impossible to be here and not have others know what you're up to. For one, the Arab culture is all about talking with each other, we call this gossip in Canada. There's not a lot you can do here without someone commenting or passing it along. For example, Sonya and I went to Beirut a few weeks ago and pretty much everyone in the tourist quarter knew about it even though we only told one or two people what we were up to. If Nicole was going somewhere in desert, I guarantee you at least one person knows where she was headed.
Third, anyone who comes to this area knows there are risks but they are not usually the risks Westerners are thinking about. There is no war in Syria - that is happening next door in Iraq. There is no imminent threat of war or attack from neighbouring countries such as what is happening in Lebanon. The risks come from eating dodgey foods or drinking contaminated drinks, from doing drugs, or more simply, crossing the street.
Fourth, what happened to Nicole, whatever that may be, is very very unusual here. All the Syrians I know are shocked about it, this doesn't happen here. Think about Canada and the U.S. where kidnappings or killings happen all the time. In B.C. a number of women have gone missing on the Similkameen highway in recent years while hitchhiking. Nothing has been solved. Think of the recent shootings in Viriginia. For everyone who's asking us to come home, you're asking us to come back to an area inifinitely more dangerous than the one we're currently in. For the record, I have NEVER lived in a safer country, including Canada. I can walk here, anywhere, anytime, by myself and not feel threatened. Of course you use your common sense wherever you are in the world and try to avoid potentially difficult situations. But you can never know for sure what's going to happen, no matter how much you plan in advance.
The biggest problem I have living here is that most people at home don't believe it is a safe and good country to live in. I can't convince anyone this is true unless they choose to believe it. No matter how many times I've tried telling people I'm OK, some still choose to ignore this. Again, I am here, you are not. Believe me when I tell you I value my life and that I would rather live than die. Because of this I choose places I am comfortable being in. Maybe they are not the same places others would choose, but some of y'all go to Florida and that is one place I have absolutely no desire to visit, precisely because of safety issues. Believe me when I say the Syrians are going to suffer for this incident because very few people will stand up in their defense. Tourism is already low here and might go down. One or two 'bad' people affect everyone else and it is a shame for those who take pride in their country and want to show it to foreigners.
In no way am I trying to undermine what has happened to Nicole. I can't imagine what her family must be going through and can only hope they have a good support system in Canada that is helping them get through this incredibly difficult time. I just want to give you peace of mind that if you know someone over here, they are almost 100% safe if they're being careful.
Good luck to Matt Vienneau and his family as they hope for a happy ending to this sad story.
I was speaking with mom last night and she was reading me the stories from the newspapers with comments from people responding to it and this is where a lot of my anger is being driven from.
First of all, Syria is not a shady country. While the policing system may be more noticeable here than in Canada, that does not make the rest of its citizens "shady." I'm using this word in response to a reader who said, "Those who go to shady countries are taking risks." He also said that if you go to countries like this, you are just asking for trouble. I'm tired of people making judgemental comments about a place they have probably never visited and have never researched. If you want to believe everything western media tells you, then you area a good candidate for believing in Santa Claus. And if the only thing you know about Syria is that it is 'dangerous', then you need to know the only thing Syrians know about Canada is that it is 'cold.'
Second, Nicole is a seasoned traveller and anyone who has travelled solo knows there are risks involved. From what I understand she is a smart traveller, one who lets people know where she's going. Anyone who's been on the road in these regions before knows that there is a community of travellers and locals alike with whom they share stories and experiences. It is almost impossible to be here and not have others know what you're up to. For one, the Arab culture is all about talking with each other, we call this gossip in Canada. There's not a lot you can do here without someone commenting or passing it along. For example, Sonya and I went to Beirut a few weeks ago and pretty much everyone in the tourist quarter knew about it even though we only told one or two people what we were up to. If Nicole was going somewhere in desert, I guarantee you at least one person knows where she was headed.
Third, anyone who comes to this area knows there are risks but they are not usually the risks Westerners are thinking about. There is no war in Syria - that is happening next door in Iraq. There is no imminent threat of war or attack from neighbouring countries such as what is happening in Lebanon. The risks come from eating dodgey foods or drinking contaminated drinks, from doing drugs, or more simply, crossing the street.
Fourth, what happened to Nicole, whatever that may be, is very very unusual here. All the Syrians I know are shocked about it, this doesn't happen here. Think about Canada and the U.S. where kidnappings or killings happen all the time. In B.C. a number of women have gone missing on the Similkameen highway in recent years while hitchhiking. Nothing has been solved. Think of the recent shootings in Viriginia. For everyone who's asking us to come home, you're asking us to come back to an area inifinitely more dangerous than the one we're currently in. For the record, I have NEVER lived in a safer country, including Canada. I can walk here, anywhere, anytime, by myself and not feel threatened. Of course you use your common sense wherever you are in the world and try to avoid potentially difficult situations. But you can never know for sure what's going to happen, no matter how much you plan in advance.
The biggest problem I have living here is that most people at home don't believe it is a safe and good country to live in. I can't convince anyone this is true unless they choose to believe it. No matter how many times I've tried telling people I'm OK, some still choose to ignore this. Again, I am here, you are not. Believe me when I tell you I value my life and that I would rather live than die. Because of this I choose places I am comfortable being in. Maybe they are not the same places others would choose, but some of y'all go to Florida and that is one place I have absolutely no desire to visit, precisely because of safety issues. Believe me when I say the Syrians are going to suffer for this incident because very few people will stand up in their defense. Tourism is already low here and might go down. One or two 'bad' people affect everyone else and it is a shame for those who take pride in their country and want to show it to foreigners.
In no way am I trying to undermine what has happened to Nicole. I can't imagine what her family must be going through and can only hope they have a good support system in Canada that is helping them get through this incredibly difficult time. I just want to give you peace of mind that if you know someone over here, they are almost 100% safe if they're being careful.
Good luck to Matt Vienneau and his family as they hope for a happy ending to this sad story.
May 7, 2007
Mmmmmm, Real Hotdogs
Yes, oh yes! Yesterday I found a hole in the wall that serves real Canadian style hotdogs. The only difference between there and here is they serve the french fries in the hotdog itself. I think they should add that to the menu at the Vesta Diner in T.O. "Fench frie Hotdog"
May 6, 2007
Text Messages
Everybody texts messages here, it's a cheap and easy way to communicate with (or to harass) people. This is a random, inane message I got from one of my admirers awhile ago (the spelling mistakes are all his):
"Hey. Am in my way home. home whr the dearest person in a lifetime lives that is u Aleson. pls make no plans friday night. We r going out 4 Dinner. Looking forward to seeu. warmest greetings to a beautiful blue eyes."
My eyes are green.
My friend Sally got this one:
"A star has 5 ends, a square has 4 end, a traiangel has 3 ends, a life has 1 end, a circale has no end, so I hope our friendship will be like a circale. Welcom my friend."
She met him at a cafe one night and spoke with him for two minutes. Very romantic, no?
"Hey. Am in my way home. home whr the dearest person in a lifetime lives that is u Aleson. pls make no plans friday night. We r going out 4 Dinner. Looking forward to seeu. warmest greetings to a beautiful blue eyes."
My eyes are green.
My friend Sally got this one:
"A star has 5 ends, a square has 4 end, a traiangel has 3 ends, a life has 1 end, a circale has no end, so I hope our friendship will be like a circale. Welcom my friend."
She met him at a cafe one night and spoke with him for two minutes. Very romantic, no?
May 4, 2007
Let's Play "It's Mumkin!!"
"Mumkin" is arabic for "possible". I've noticed an unusual number of people with their hands bandaged, splinted, or cast here, and thought it might be nice to see what other people notice. So I've started a points-system game based on honesty and integrity, a strange concept in the Middle East.
Points are awarded as follows:
man/woman with bandaged/splinted/cast arm - 1 point
man/woman with cast on leg - 1 point
cast on both legs - 2 points (really, it's mumkin!!)
man/woman with one leg - 2 points
orange pants - 1 point
orange shirt - 1 point
orange pants and shirt - 2 points (got points today for that)
woman with two black eyes, attributed to nose job - 2 points
cast on one leg and wearing orange pants - 3 points (i've already scored on this)
automatic game winner:
woman wearing hejab and her bellybutton is exposed - 20 points
Points are awarded as follows:
man/woman with bandaged/splinted/cast arm - 1 point
man/woman with cast on leg - 1 point
cast on both legs - 2 points (really, it's mumkin!!)
man/woman with one leg - 2 points
orange pants - 1 point
orange shirt - 1 point
orange pants and shirt - 2 points (got points today for that)
woman with two black eyes, attributed to nose job - 2 points
cast on one leg and wearing orange pants - 3 points (i've already scored on this)
automatic game winner:
woman wearing hejab and her bellybutton is exposed - 20 points
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