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Christel's Diary

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29 September 2006

Ramadan

On Saturday evening, Ramadan started. A moment the locals have been waiting for with excitement for some time already.

Ramadan means no food, no drinking (not even water), no sex, no smoking from dawn till dusk.

They try to convince me to do the same, but I tell them it is not healthy to not drink water during the day. They claim it is. I should start like the children, they say. From 8 or 9 in the morning and not every day. I eat and drink at home. And the people that know me very well give me food and drinks when nobody else is around.

For some Ramadan is easy, for some it is not. Some work the whole day to forget they are hungry and thirsty, while others try to sleep all day.

The funny thing about Ramadan is, that food is now the main topic of all conversations and women spend hours in the kitchen preparing the breakfast for somewhat before 6 o’clock at night. They plan days ahead and serve rich meals for that one special moment the whole family is waiting for.

Often friends and next of kin are invited to join the breakfast. This is why I can live these moments with them.

A few days ago, I received an invitation by phone. I was proud to have my first conversation in Arabic by this limited means of communication (no sign language !).

It was one of Mohamed’s sisters, Nadima. Just to be sure I understood correctly, she phoned him on his mobile to repeat the invitation.

She has got 7 daughters and 4 sons. The 12th baby is on the way, while she is a grandmother of at least 3 little ones that I know about.

The eldest daughter living at home started baccalaureate and asked me to have a look at her English study book. Did I understood the exercises ? Was it difficult ? After a glance at them, I tried to converse with her in English. Her knowledge of the language is almost zero. I asked her parents to buy a dictionary which they didn’t until now. Am afraid that she will not learn much more English during the year, the matter being too difficult for a beginner.

It is a good thing, however, to see that parents allow their daughters to finish school and that they are very proud of it too.

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23 September 2006

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.

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12 September 2006

Flashlight

These last few days, it is very nice weather in Belgium and I'm enjoying it, as long as it lasts. Am seeing and contacting a lot of friends and I realize that it is impossible to see them all.

At the same time, I am thinking about all the things that still have to be done in my new house. Also thinking about the garden that still has to take shape.

It is time to go back and continue with what I started.

It is a pity, I cannot combine both living in Syria with seeing my friends and family on a regular basis. This is one of the downsides of moving there.

And I really do hope that most of them will come and visit in the next few years to see themselves how wrong the image is and what a bad image it is !

In the meantime, school has started and on the 24th this year's Ramadan will start. This means I will arrive just before full moon. Nice !

It is getting cooler now, but the days are still hot, hot, hot...

I wonder how the children in the village are coping without me (joke !). I'm sure they are doing fine.

Ahmed has started school (1st year) and probably is all excited about it which makes me think that Rehaaf must have a hard time in the mornings when he is at school, because she is always following him around. During the Summer she had both her brothers to play with and now she has to content herself with her baby sister who cannot walk yet.

Abdellah, from across the road, will be excited to see me again. He wanted me to buy a flashlight for him, but only if it costs 20 SYP (about 30 eurocents). I have a gadget in "my stuff to move" that will please him better.

His sisters - all ages - will have someone to wave at again, either from their front door or when they are working in the neighbour's garden.

And all the others.

I realize that I have more contact with children than with adults. Not difficult when you live in an environment where families with 6, 8, 10 children are not exceptional.

And, the first one to visit is the over 100 years Hadji. He cannot hear what I say, because my voice is not strong enough for his half deaf ears. But he will tell me the good and bad things in his life and make sure that I will be served enough to eat.

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05 September 2006

Atari

I'm still in Belgium for a few weeks, but my mind is often in Syria.
Am still waiting for the sun to come out.

Although today life in Syria is very different from the Belgian way of living, it will not take too long before they catch up.

In the village, I am probably the only one with internet, but the example is set and everybody is talking about it.

As soon as the villagers can afford it, they buy a computer for their children who use it for playing games and watching music videos.

Whenever I visit a PC owning family, it doesn't take long before I sit in front of the PC with the public on chairs behind me while one of the children goes through the available list of videos and games. Every time, they are impressed when I show them how to change the screensaver. It is like magic to them. This public is easy to please.

When I tell them it is possible to phone through the internet while seeing the other person on-screen, they are astonished.

For the parents, the PC will continue to be a miracle. The young children, though, will learn quickly.

Whenever Rehaaf (3 years) sits next to me while I'm playing a game on my laptop, she is very quiet and follows every move of my fingers. Until she decides it is her turn and she pushes the on/off button without any hesitation.

The first time she was afraid I would be angry, because the screen went black. Instead I told her : OK, finished... And put the laptop in a safe place.

The second time, she was not afraid anymore and before I could say anything, she pushed the button again to activate the PC.

When she pushes this button it is a sign for me that we should do other things together and it is not difficult to let her forget the existence of a PC nearby.

It is much more difficult for her 5-year old brother, Ahmed, who wakes up in the morning or after the siesta in the afternoon and starts asking immediately for the "Atari" (games on mobile or PC). I think he dreams about it.

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