Summer
Two more weeks to go, and I am off to another airport. I am particularly looking forward to this summer. In many ways, it will be a much-needed closure, and hopefully it will provide me with, also, much needed inspiration and motivation.
This will probably be the last visit to Syria in a while. As I finish my second year here, I will have to pay more attention to internship opportunities and actually start thinking of my post-graduation plans, hence, less time to spend on airplanes to the Middle East. There’s no point in making assumptions though, I’ve learnt my lesson, that plans don’t always (almost never) work the way you thought they would. Nonetheless, just for the sake of argument let’s lose the cynicism for a while.
I finish my last final on the late afternoon of the glorious day of July 31st. I drink myself into absolute unconsciousness and spend August 1st enjoying my hangover without worrying about homework, linger around the apartment and pack my stuff.
At the early hours of the morning of August 2nd, I head out to Osaka, dragging three bags (?). Spend the day with the wonderful Bulgarians of Kansai, and then jubilantly take the train to the airport the next day.
This is my tentative plan for the next couple of weeks.
It will be a well-packed summer.
August 2-9, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia (I am using Malaysian airlines, and I couldn’t resist stopping in Malaysia on the way). Which will include spending another one of those random birthdays in random places with random people (I still haven’t made up my mind whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing).
August 10-15, Beirut, a little trip down memory lane.
August 15 (hopefully), off to Latakia and then off again to Damascus for what is arguably the highlight of my summer, Ziad Rahbani, Live in concert.
August 22-25, back to Beirut for a blogging conference, and more importantly have a chance to catch up with the wonderful Sami, and try to drag him for a few days in Latakia.
The rest of the trip, try to rediscover the places, the people and the language. Which will probably include:
- Spending much time on coach-buses between Latakia, Homs, Damascus, Aleppo and the beautiful little sister of Tartous.
- Many lazy days on the beach, or somewhere in the greenery of Kasab.
- As little coffee as possible, and in that same spirit, as much alcohol as possible.
But, for now, Let me get back to my Assembly homework.
July 19th, 2008 at 3:35 am
I didn\’t see any mention of Tartous on your agenda.
That\’s bad, really bad.
Amend immediately!!!
July 19th, 2008 at 3:40 am
Walaw ya Abu Fares, I think of Latakia and Tartous as the same place, sort of like, sha3b wa7ed fi madinatayn ;)
Bas tekram 3yonak, heh w hay ammending!
July 19th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Sounds like you are getting out of the city!! What a wonderful vacation! Enjoy!
July 19th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Now that’s what I call a holiday :)
I should learn from you
July 20th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Ziad Rahbanni in concert- I’m so jealous!!!
Have a wonderful summer though :)
July 20th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Have a good time, I hope I get to meet you somewhere in that time frame! Wish I could make it to the Ziad Rahbani concert, too bad that is the same day I leave..
July 21st, 2008 at 5:35 am
Assembly is for idiots like you. I will be at Ziad’s concert and kick your gay ass there.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:48 am
mafi dubai?
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:13 am
lil2asaf ya moryarti, unless you happen to be at Dubai airport around 3-4:30am on August 10th, I’m afraid our meeting has to wait again. (It’s a technical stop, so I can’t get a stopover in dubai)…
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 am
wallahi you’ll never know … with all the travelling i am doing lately, i’ve been bumpin into more people in airports that i do at the super market :)
Have a safe flight my friend
July 24th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Yazan in Syria
what a great event ..
hope i’ll meet ya at Ziad’s Concert.
see you soon :)
July 28th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
hi yazan,
I hope you do well in your exam..
I just wrote a post that I want you to read just for fun:)
it would be great if we meet for Zyad’s concert
August 7th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Alf Mabrouk Dear Yazan ,Dr Aref Dalila is free.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:41 am
Yazan, see you soon man, very happy to meet again
cheers
September 4th, 2008 at 2:01 am
great, we were in Kuala Lumpur in the same time and we didn’t meet…
September 4th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Yazan
It’s been such a long time since you’ve last written here. No reason to worry I hope…?
I also wanted to put a happy birthday on this space. The blog seems to have skipped it this year but hopefully you didn’t.
Anyway, just checking ;-)
Katia
September 18th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Yazan,
blogging is not the same without you.