Dear friends, family and faithful blog followers,
Well, Grover and I have been in Damascus now for three days. They've been very busy days, filled with much adventure, so now that I have Internet at home, and some time to spare, I will do my best to recap the recent fun.
Flights from Saskatoon to Damascus went very well. I was relieve to have a row to myself from Calgary to London. It meant I could stretch out a wee bit and get some rest - not sleep, but rest. The flight from London to Damascus was packed. However, the airplane gods again took pity on me and seated me beside a woman and her two small children. One child was 3 the other was 1 month old. The 3 year old slept almost all the way as did the 1 month old. Both children and mom were an absolute delight to sit with. It made a lengthy plane journey much more enjoyable.
Upon arrival in Damascus, I followed the guidelines provided by the staff who had already arrived. I filled out my entry/exit card and then proceeded to passport control. The lines were quite long and even though I was moved to a shorter line because I already had my visa, it still took about 2 hours to get through. Once through, it was clear sailing to baggage claim and then to meet the school reps who were picking me up.
Mohammed, one of the school's drivers, and Brian, my principal, were waiting for me. We loaded the car and made the trek to my apartment. It is about a 20 - 30 minute drive from the airport to my apartment. Mohammed warned me of the crazy drivers, although at 2:00 in the morning, there wasn't a whole lot of traffic on the road.
My apartment is right across the street from the school. It's very convenient to be so close, however I am somewhat disappointed that I am the only teacher living in this building. My nearest school neighbors are just down the road a ways, so it's not like I'm on the other side of the country. The first night in my apartment was spent unpacking. Not sure why I couldn't just leave it until the next day, but I felt that I needed to unpack, so I did. It was about 4:00 when I woke up. I set my alarm for 10:30 the next day and had a very sound sleep.
Tuesday morning wasn't all joy, though. I went into the bathroom to go pee (I know, too much information) and sitting on my toilet was a cockroach. I just about had a heart attack there and then. I realized that I needed to deal with said cockroach, but didn't have anything to shoo it away with - a shoe was too close to my hand. I needed something longer. So I grabbed the step ladder from the kitchen and stabbed it at the cockroach several times. It was sort of a dense cockroach - it didn't scatter when the light came on and didn't really move when I hit it, but eventually it was out of sight and I could go about my business.
I went into school on Tuesday morning around 11:30. Colleen, our administrative assistant gave me a tour of the school and introduced me to the staff. I think I remember most people's names, but I am having a hard time remembering where things are located at the school. I will have to go on a walk about this weekend to familiarize myself with the areas that will pertain to me. I took it fairly easy on Tuesday and spent the afternoon doing some shopping. I also had a chat with my principal about what one does when one sees a cockroach. He was quite mortified and said that I shouldn't be seeing cockroaches, and if I see it again, to let him know and we would have my apartment sprayed.
The rest of Tuesday involved a trip to an electronics store to buy a few things for my apartment - a printer, kettle, hand mixer and such. Then we went to the grocery store. I was excited to buy food...would have been good to remember that I needed a pot and pan until my shipment arrives.
At any rate, Tuesday was a great day. I cleaned Tuesday night as I was putting my purchases away. As such it was another late evening. After a late night of cleaning, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth only to discover the cockroach had now taken up residence on my vanity. With broom in hand (one of the day's purchases) I shooed the thing into the sink and down the drain. I think poured 1/2 bottle of bleach down the drain. What I didn't do was plug the drain quickly enough and the darned thing was up and out of the sink and in the cupboard before I could blink. This meant war.
Wednesday morning I had a chance to have a chat with mom - which was delightful. She was supportive and understanding in my plight with the cockroach and reminded me that I was bigger than it. I might be bigger, but he's scarier, let me tell you! Mom and I will have to get used to the Syrian phone system - many dropped calls and dead air. Regardless, a chat was just delightful. On Wednesday morning, I went with the school nurse to get some blood work taken. We went to a lab nearby the school. Again, no requisition for blood work was necessary, just as long as I knew what needed to be tested for my thyroid function tests. I was left with just a wee bruise, so all in all, it was a good experience.
iftar meal. It was very delicious, but there was way too much food. When I arrived back home, I got ready for bed, shooed the cockroach out of the way so I could brush my teeth (he was on the vanity again) and then went to sleep.
Thursday was my sleep in day. I don't know if it was cockroach stress, or just jet lag, but I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. I think it was close to 11:30 by the time I wandered to the school (keep in mind I don't officially start work until Sunday...) My day started as it always does...stupid cockroach! Once at school, arrangements were made to have my entire apartment sprayed. Mohammed (no only a school driver, but also the exterminator) came to my apartment and sprayed. Because I needed to stay out of the apartment for most of the day (the cockroach spray is bad for humans too) I worked hard at school sorting through the filing cabinet. Filing cabinet sorting isn't an easy task...especially when the filing cabinet that is being sorted belonged to the same teacher for 18 years. Needless to say that after 2 days of sorting and organizing I have two drawers left to go through...and a storage room. Grrrr. At any rate, once I get through everything, I should be ready to get ME ready for the year.
Because of the cockroach spray, I had to stay out of the apartment for most of the day, so when I came home at 8:30, I was prepared to find one dead cockroach in my bathroom. What I wasn't prepared for was to find a cockroach in my hallway, two in under the sink in the kitchen, a baby one on the kitchen counter AND the one that formerly resided in my bathroom. The next task was carcase clean up. Now, sweeping up a cockroach is a difficult task...I don't want to be close to it, so I've decided i need one of those special dust pans with a long handle so the dead ones can stay an arms reach away.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not living in a roach motel or anything. I live in a very beautiful and roomy basement apartment. I have a veranda and a garden. I have a huge kitchen. I have more counter space and cupboard space than I can beat with a stick (case in point, I have one who wardrobe dedicated solely to my luggage...a whole wardrobe...)
My living room comes with a television and a satellite box (which, at the moment isn't working, but should be repaired soon) so I won't even need to pay for television if 500 channels will suffice.
I am looking forward to getting into a regular routine...including healthy meals and exercise. I'm continuing with my weight loss goals and hope to return at Christmas healthier and thinner.
And those are my first impressions about life in Damascus. I hope to have more exciting news to report next week. I will also spend the weekend taking some photos so I can share the beauty that I am seeing. Our campus is just beautiful, as is the city. I am not that far from a beautiful park. Early next week, I will go on a walk about with Bettie, a teacher who lived in Damascus for many years a while back. It will be good to get my bearings a little bit.
Grover's had a week of hanging out...he's staying out of the road for now, but will most likely come out on some adventures this week. Plans include a trip to the German Store, more time at school and some shots of the neighborhood. I do, however, need to be careful, as many of the buildings around my home are embassies and they don't take fondly to picture taking...
Until next time
T & G
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