First post!

For me, the Middle East basically started in Chicago. The Royal Jordanian flight was probably 1/2 Arabs speaking Arabic, another 1/4 Arab-Americans speaking English, and another 1/4 non Arabs. In Middle Eastern fashion we were first told we needed to get new boarding passes around 30 minutes before the flight was to take off. Of course, no one at the desk seemed too concerned about the time passing.

The 13 hour flight ended in a seven hour layover in Amman. After being denied to go to the gate because of how early I was and being worried that I would have to spend seven hours in the glorified livestock pens of immigration, I was able to get a transit visa to leave the airport and was put up in an airport hotel by Royal Jordanian. This included a chance to shower, and a free dinner. Thanks, RJ!

I arrived in Damascus early Sunday morning. After having been told by RJ in both Chicago and Amman that they weren't sure if my checked bags were on their way or not (?!), they came in good time in Damascus. A quick passage through immigration and customs, meeting up with other students, and a drive through the city to get everyone where they were going put me to bed by about 4 am!

It turns out that the 15 day visa is pretty standard (I had initially been a bit scared about it), and I already got a $30 piece of paper from the American Embassy which should get me my long-term residency permit...

What's on the horizon? Well, two different friends (who don't know each other!) have told me to meet a foreign oboist friend of theirs, I may have a way to teach English for pay, I bumped into a friend from Middlebury on the street who is working with the Iraqi Student Project and loves it, and CASA orientation is tomorrow.

I hope everyone is doing great in America and everywhere else, best wishes!

No pictures this time, my apologies.