by Kelly Hayes-Raitt

Sant Sanati had never been out of North American before coming to Syria to assist Iraqi refugees with the Middle East Fellowship. The son of Iraqi parents who was born and raised in San Diego, he never expected to meet a distant cousin while volunteering at the Greek Orthodox Church’s Iraqi refugee program.

“It’s weird to be on a summer trip and run into someone related to you. The killings, death around them, bodies everywhere, not wanting their kids to through war…

“I don’t wish this on anyone, let alone my family.”

Milad, a handsome, observant 25-year-old, fled Iraq two years ago this month. He works at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate assisting other refugees with food handouts, vocational training and school tutoring programs run by the church.

“God knows when he’ll leave,” Sant says of his cousin. “He wants to go. He can’t wait. He wants to go somewhere where he can settle down and get a form of stability.”
“My dad has been running a refugee service program for years. I never really approved because he didn’t bring in income. Now, I really realize what he does and why he does it. It’s like ‘wow!’

“I hope I can make a difference. I want to follow in my dad’s footsteps.

“We’ve heard a lot of stories. They did get to me. So many people, their lives were threatened. I mean, I’ve never met anyone whose daughter was kidnapped,” he says of an Iraqi artist who addressed our small group one evening. “She was a beautiful little girl when I saw her. I was like, wow, how could someone even think about putting a price on someone’s head like that?

“What do you tell her?

“What are you going to say?"

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To read more blog entries from Kelly Hayes-Raitt, please refer to her website: peacepathfoundation.org.

by Kelly Hayes-Raitt

Some tourists come to Syria armed with preconceptions. Sally Tawfik, a music teacher from Houston, Texas, came with an armful of handmade cards from members of her church.

“There are times when you feel connected to people in another time and place. In this time of pain and war, I can’t imagine what you, your family, your friends and your country are experiencing,” wrote Drea Legare in one of the cards Sally carried to Syria for Iraqi refugees.

“I came to Syria to bridge a gap between me and someone not like me,” said the earnest 23-year-old about her participation in the month-long Middle East Fellowship’s Damascus Summer Encounter.

by Kelly Hayes-Raitt

“I thought it was a normal day,” Sasha Sanati describes yesterday’s volunteering at the St. Gregorios home for seniors. “But Helena was crying. ‘What is this life?’ ‘Why am I living?’ I felt bad. She was really depressed,” said the sensitive 19-year-old, tearing up.

“It made me realize not to take anything for granted. I’m learning to appreciate what’s around me. She really touched me.”

Participating in the Middle East Fellowship’s Damascus Summer Encounter program, Sasha is here with her younger sister and older brother for one month. “I feel like I’m living here instead of just being a tourist.”

by Kelly Hayes-Raitt

“Americans have no idea how classy Damascus is,” says Anna Mazhirov, an articulate, poised 20-year-old English major from Duke University.

“[They have no idea] how rich Syrian history is, how well-formed Syrian character is, how open the people are. How good the food is! They have no idea how far [the reality] is from what they’ve built up in their minds from the media.”

Born in the Ukraine and raised in the Brooklyn, Anna has eclectic interests that take her from nasally riffing on Marisa Tomei’s “My Cousin Vinny” character to unselfconsciously performing an intricately graceful Arabic dance for the Middle East Fellowship’s Summer encounter participants.

Damascus Summer Encounter participants will take Arabic classes at the Syrian Berlitz Center four times a week, Monday through Thursday, in the mornings. The course will culminate in a final exam and result in a certificate from the center.

Berlitz is a language method created by a German linguist in America in the late 1800's. There are now 600 Berlitz language centers throughout the world. The Berlitz headquarters is located in Princeton, New Jersey.

The Berlitz method focuses on imitation and repitition, allowing students to learn a new language the same way they learned their first language as a child.

In the classroom, we will focus on colloquial Arabic (rather than classical), and no English or translation will be used.

All participants will be residing at the Saint Elias Monastery near the Old City of Damascus. Although it is called a "Monastery" Saint Elias would be better described as a dormitory or a hotel. All rooms are equipped with high speed internet access, telephones, air-conditioning, ceiling fans, mini refrigerators, satellite television (including CNN), large closets, and private bathrooms with hot water and seated toilets. Rooms are cleaned daily.

The facility also has a dining room and kitchen.

In addition to internet access within rooms, there are two internet-accessible computers in the lobby available to guests.

Additionally, there is an internet cafe only a few doors down from St. Elias along with many conveniently located shops and resteraunts. Laundry services are also available for guests.

Saint Elias also has several meeting rooms available to our group and a private garden with a patio area reserved for the Damascus Summer Encounter program.

St. Elias is within walking distance of Bab Sharki, one of the seven gates to the Old City of Damascus. A service pick up point is located directly across the street from the Monastery and can take participants to the Bab Touma gate for 10 S.P.

By default everyone will share a double room with another participant. Single rooms are available upon request for an additional fee.

by Peter Ryan

I'm staying at the St. Elias Monastery in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, which is a Christian part of town, though "St. Elias Dormitory" is a more apt description. Every room has two single beds. I have free internet access, air-conditioning, a TV, a private bathroom and a mini-fridge. Damascus hosts a number of extravagant 5-star hotels. This is may be humble in comparison, but I am by no means "roughing it." The hot water knocked out for a couple of days, but that only made today's shower all the more enjoyable.

I've spent most of my time so far wandering around, getting a feel for the place. Walking is an adventure in itself. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way, and, if you cross the street, cars won't slow. At best they'll honk to remind you to pick up the pace. Luckily, the Monastery is only a few minutes walk to Bab Sharki, one of the seven gates to the Old City of Damascus.

Here is the basic lay-of-the-land: