I have arrived

After many hours of travel I am finally here in Aleppo. What a wonderful country. There is a saying here that translates basically to "it'll get done when it gets done." This is how I find my new life here, and it makes the south look like New York City. The people here are amazingly friendly and I have already befriended some neighborhood children.

People here own more westernized things than I do. T-shirts, cars, cell phones, sundries, all of which came from the US via Canada or another of our main trade partners. The cat holes in lieu of toilets were a suprise but they are old school and not in any of the modern places.

There are no weapons of mass destruction - I looked. On that same note, if anything IS here it is held by one or two really rich people not the government, because the government doesn't have the resources. This is a very poor country and those that have money don't make it on everyday jobs, they import or own multiple businesses, properties, or textiles. Everyone else just lives. On the drive north I saw many people sharecropping large farms, and many more just living in tents in fields. Most dwellings are large eastern block looking buildings. The only way I can describe it is if you could mix East Germany with a Navajo reservation. The more affluent can afford a manor type home that has walls around it and a courtyard. In the city it is mostly apartment living in giant stone buildings that are beautifully built. The architecture here is amazing. I look forward to sharing more with all of you. Mom and Jason email me because I don't have your email addresses. Talk to you soon.