I've lived in nine countries, and albeit that may seem a little insane, my favorite one was undoubtedly Syria. I know, I know, with all that is going on now it seems as though Syria was never an ideal place to live, but it totally was. Let me enlighten you on what Syria was like only about 8-9 years ago.
I went to the Damascus Community School- an American International school right in the heart of the city. I completed fourth and fifth grade there and made friendships that have lasted until this day. I loved going to school, something I'll probably never say again, because the atmosphere was so welcoming and school was made interesting and fun. I started to take Arabic in fourth grade, as it was a requirement at the grade level I was at, and I've stuck with it. The language is beautiful and to be able to say that I can read and write in a different language, let alone speak it, is something I take some serious pride in.
My campus was beautiful and clean, with flowers embellishing the courtyards and the buildings made out of stone. I can still remember how dumbfounded I was on my first day of school because I had come from a tiny Catholic School in Massachusetts made completely out of red brick with very limited visual appeal to it.
And the weather, oh the weather. I have never lived in a country with such beautiful weather as Syria had. (Maybe Cyprus, but only maybe.) I'm someone who loves the heat- which is obviously why I chose to attend college in South Carolina. However it wasn't just the heat that I loved about Syria. It was how it was warm in the days and come nightfall there was always a nice breeze, making it ideal weather for sleeping.
I made some serious lifelong friendships in that country. Although I don't talk to those people everyday, I think of them often and I do keep in contact with them through facebook. It's amazing what technology can do and how it allows us all to still somewhat grow up with each other. We're all from different places around the world which makes our friendships that much cooler. Who knows, maybe I'll plan a trip to Ireland soon and be able to see my best friend and her family.
My heart aches when I hear what's been happening in that amazing country. When I lived there things were much more safe, people were less violent and I was completely comfortable being in that country. My friends and I would go to the grocery store by ourselves at 10 years old to grab milk or whatever our parents needed that week and it was totally normal and totally safe. People were friendly, completely non-threatening and very kind hearted. My mum and I would go for night walks because, like I said, the weather was fantastic and we would have no issue walking around our area that we lived in which would surprise people now.
People rarely talk about the good qualities that this country has to offer because they never hear about them, so that's why I wrote this article. This is coming first-hand from an American citizen who got so unbelievably that she got to live in Syria for two whole years of her life. And here I am, almost 9 years later, itching to go back to the place that I will always consider a second home.
