Date: 19 February 2012 21:29:27
A question from Jackie in the comments on the previous post:
Did you get any sense of what people there were saying about the situations in Libya, Syria etc? Lebanon seems remarkably untouched by it all, and relatively stable though that is probably because I am getting my news from outwith the region (the BBC reporters on Syria are based in Beirut).
First, thank you for the word "outwith"; I had not heard it before (Wiktionary says it's chiefly 'Scotland and northern England' which may explain my ignorance).
On to the question, and I am sorry but I cannot give much of an answer. Most conversations I had were to do with why I was in Lebanon, why I was by myself, where I was going and where had I been, mild astonishment at my spoken Arabic and significant astonishment at my written Arabic. And, of course, lots of discussion on the lives of those I met. Given Lebanon's recent, and even past, history being greatly tied to that of Syria in particular, it did cross my mind at times what may happen there given the Syrian uprisings; but whenever I got talking to people the question flew out of my mind and no-one raised it with me. As did questions on Egypt, Libya, Yemen and other places.
I did meet two people from Syria, both working in hotels. They were happy to be out of Syria and in Lebanon, and one in particular had left, as had his family (to Germany), as things were getting quite bad within Syria: and being of Turkish background I got the sense things were particularly bad for him and his family. Though there was some hope: he had hoped, if things got better (which they have not, sadly), he may go back and run a hotel -- I gave him my details to let me know as I would like to visit Syria one day and he was a most excellent host.
Sorry Jackie; that is all I have (crosses out journalist as a possible new career :) ).
From reports, and the BBC World Service is where I get a lot of my news, it sounds as if things in Syria are getting worse. I can but pray for those in Syria, and for all those in nations and places in the grip of war, unrest and terror.