Still the same

Due to technical difficulties with the plane, I arrived in Aleppo more than 2 hours later than foreseen on Wednesday. The border control and the baggage claim went swiftly, as there were few passengers. Knowing the routine and a few words of Arabic helps to speed up the procedure.

As usual, Mohamed was waiting faithfully at the exit. And immediately we took off to Kafaramme.

First thing I noticed was that it was still warm, but a lot of dust in the sky which was confirmed as being exceptional. And, indeed, the next day, the sky was clear blue again. With white clouds. This is normal for the time of the year. The temperature is between 25 and 30° during the day and it cools down during the night.

Second thing I noticed when entering the apartment was that it all seemed so boring, I mean colour wise. It is true that it still needs to be filled up with furniture and decorative stuff, but I soon experienced the layer of dust everywhere. After a few days of thorough cleaning, it all is brighter again.

Third thing I noticed was that nothing much changed in these last 25 days, except for the cucumber plants being old and the sunflowers being reduced to big green stems.

The big news was that a girl got engaged to be married. You must think, not a big deal in such a country. It is a big deal, however, because she is already in her twenties and not very beautiful. A cousin asked her to be his second wife. Well, he asked her parents.

The children were glad to see me back. Rehaaf could not belief her eyes when she saw me entering the room. Jasmine, the baby, started laughing at me. She sticks out her hand many times to say hello and tries to talk by making some undefined sounds. She also wants to start walking, but with a lame arm that is not easy. The result is that she moves her feet and drags herself on her back in the direction she wants to go. All this I observed when Rehaaf was staring at me in disbelief. It took her 15 minutes to become her old self again claiming all the gadgets I had brought for the 4 children. Her brothers not agreeing, of course, with the unavoidable fights and cry sessions. She is adorable, most of the time.

Last news item is that Dzjidde went to the seaside with a few of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He had a ball and tells about it with great joy. The latest addition to his wide range of stories.