Damascene rose

So i have been in Damascus for a whole month now. Again with the time flying! It has actually been a fairly smooth and event free transition. Damascus is an easy city to meld into, get around and live in day to day. I was surprised at how quickly life has normalized, Syria is much less 'exotic' feeling than I ever imagined. It doesn't smack you in the face when you get off the plane, you can get around just fine speaking English or sometimes French and you can buy most food products you're after at the fancy new Cham City Centre mall (just down the street from me actually).

Not to say that things aren't different. It is ridiculously hot most of the time, there are stray cats all over the place and as a foreign lady I get a certain amount of attention (some helpful, some decidedly not). There are souqs and delicious sweets and plenty of hummous. The food is tasty...but I'm learning you get sick of eating Syrian quite quickly. In Canada and the UK I have been accustomed to having access to food from all different cultures....and the melting pot is delicious! As they say, variety is the spice of life. Not quite so true here...so mediocre curry, becomes to die for and previously frozen sushi, a real treat. Not to mention the distinct lack of alcoholic beverages at most restaurants. I'm not a huge drinker and didn't really notice this at first, but now it feels like my lucky day to be sitting on the patio at the 4 seasons enjoying a proper cocktail at a premium price. Maybe this is why diplomats have a reputation as alcoholics....Thank goodness for the duty free ;)

My other 'culture shock' from daily life...the bathrooms! All of mine came complete with a bidet of course and there is no flushing of TP allowed. Something about the pipes. I spent a few weeks being sick, sick, sick and spent rather a lot of time getting to know mine. At least chez moi there are proper thrones. In most public places there are squat style loos. I get it, these are practical on many levels and tend to be cleaner....however, they are much more suitably for middle easter attire than tighter, western style trousers. One step at a time!

Let the posting begin...

I finally made it to Damascus. It feels like it’s been a long road, but also ridiculously quick considering how much has gone on, especially in the past few weeks. My parents visited me in Ottawa for the last time, the good-bye parties with my FSDP group, finishing up projects at HQ, doing the inventory and pack-up and then one by one we all started to leave on our adventures. Before I knew it, I was on a plane. I had an easier time than most staying in my bubble for a bit longer because I was taking the first plane to well known territory to visit some friends in Europe. Then a rather nice vacation in Croatia later, I was in the airport waiting to fly to Syria. That’s when it really sank in that I was moving to the Middle East, somewhere I’ve never been and couldn’t even really imagine being. Maybe that’s what kept any fear and nervousness in check, the fact that I actually had no idea how things would turn out, so there wasn’t anything concrete to be scared of. So I waited patiently in the BMI business lounge (and waited….for 5 extra hours) and eventually boarded my flight, ate my selection of cheeses and drank some port, then fell asleep and woke up in Damascus. Initial impression: it is 5am, how can it be this hot?!! (for some reason I was under the impression deserts were cold at night…)

Happily I had an embassy ‘handler’ who whisked me through passport control and helped me get to my new home, a tiny marble palace kept on ice by aircon units in each room. I was feeling a bit buzzed at this point, so investigated all the rooms that were now mine for the next two years before passing out in bed.

back on track

i guess this project has been put on hold lately in favour of a busy, busy life (and plenty of free time laziness). i don't think anyone actually follows, so not really a big deal...

so, much has happened in the almost year since i quit posting. i worked in the office some more, completed IRPA training, had an insanely heart crushing break up, did overseas training in paris and mexico city and found out my posting. i'm moving to damascus in less than 2 mths!! hard to believe it is finally happening.

it's funny how something that couldn't happen soon enough 6 mths ago now feels like it is going to happen way too fast! the first of my colleagues already departed for post last week and the first big goodbye that is going to hit me in the heart happens this week. having lived in ottawa for almost 2 years now, i've been blessed to meet some truly great people who have enriched my time and been much needed companions in arms on this journey that can sometimes get a bit lonely.

overseas training was great. it was really the first time that all of us got a taste of what our job would actually be like. i'm happy to report that i liked it! this was good news as there was always a little voice in the back of my head saying, now what have you got yourself into? i found it very satisfying...but of course getting to train in paris and mexico was such a treat, who wouldn't enjoy working there?!

i was in paris for 4 weeks and loved getting the chance to practice using french and flex my tarte eating muscles. in fact, i ate so many pastries and sweets that the ladies in my favoured bakery would giggle every time i came in to purchase another treat. apparently it is not a normal parisian practice to consume tartes every evening...

i also got to take a weekend trip to normandy to see the d-day beaches. the views are amazing and evocative; this should be a must see for any canadian travelling in france. since it was winter when i was there, there was a total lack of tourists. an eerie fog had descended and i couldn't shake the lingering feeling of walking amongst ghosts. quite powerful really.



mexico city was also fabulous. i was lucky enough to get to share my training with 3 colleagues (one an excellent spanish speaker) so we had plenty of fun and adventures. the two things i take away from mexico are how incredibly lovely and warm the people are and how delicious the food is. having never experienced latino culture, i can say i fell in love and hope one day to be learning spanish and staging a return.

i smell fall

i can't believe it has now been over 6 months since i arrived in ottawa...time flies. plenty to report so i'll get straight to it...

it looks like we finally have confirmation of when the first law course (on the immigration and refugee protection act) will start! this is excellent news for all of us who have been anxiously waiting to have some shape to our lives. the course really sets the milestones for the next year leading into our first posting. our course is meant to start mid-november, which is perfect as this breaks the year up into nice manageable chunks. so course in november, break for christmas, stage in the new year, then get ready for posting! i'm starting to realise it will come sooner than i think....which is good, i'm starting to get itchy feet ;)

in more personal news, i now have a date for the boy to join me in ottawa. i'm popping over in october (with a quick stop in paris :) to collect him. exciting new start for both of us, it will be really nice to have him here and have some back up on this adventure.

it's also time for us to hand in our posting preference forms! it's a lot harder to fill in than i thought it would be. i've got my heart a bit set on damascus....and then beyond that i have to fill in 4 more choices. i really wish we all were just spinning a wheel of fortune that would land on our selection! it feels like we're getting a hand in shaping our destiny and every choice has it's plus and minus sides! i've been given plenty of advice...but i know ultimately it's up to me to make the choice. well sort of anyways...at least in what i give to the posting assignment officers! i can't wait to find out....:)

saying goodbye

so i've been having a really awesome couple of months in ottawa (finally!). feeling comfortable and settled and met loads of good people. work has even been interesting, learning lots about my future role and got to play a part in a big project. even got to use my hard won security clearance in being entrusted with 'secret' info. good stuff.

my situation is a bit different than most fsdps because i came mid way through the recruitment cycle due to all the problems with clearance. each year there are usually two 'groups' because they run two sessions of the law course we need to take before getting posted abroad. people in each group tend to bond since they end up spending so much time together. so far i've really been without an official group, so i've ended up making friends with people from all of the groups instead. which has been awesome...but means that i'm feeling really lonely right now since group 1 and 2 are now out of ottawa and on post. it reminded me of one of the fundamental aspects of this job, moving a lot means meeting and then saying goodbye to a lot of people. this isn't all negative obviously....getting the chance to meet lots of interesting people and letting them into your life is an amazing opportunity. but getting left behind is hard (or leaving people behind). also anti-climatic when you go to 2 weeks worth of goodbye parties and realise you still have to go into the office lol.

wishing everybody the best of luck on their postings...i can't wait to get out there! and a big hug to those special people who touched my life and made me smile...until we meet again!! :)

office doldrums

i guess i've been working in the office for almost a month now...time flies! it's mostly been quite, well officey. i've worked in enough offices to know what to expect, sit at desk, stare at computer, work on projects, pray for email. or a cookie.

the people are nice and the cubicle arrangement allows me to overhear lots of interesting tidbits from long time FSers which is helping me put together a picture of what people do when they're abroad. so far it's mostly meet foreign women or get divorced (often a combination of the two). enlightening stuff really. but i guess it's a tribute to how hard this lifestyle can be on personal relationships. i guess the advice is choose wisely (and i've also heard marry a teacher). i'm not really worried about the boy, i don't think he has a particular taste for phillipeenas...or not that i know of yet.

i've also met a lot of the earlier group of FSDPs. they've finished their training, done 6 weeks abroad and are now just tying up loose ends in ottawa before going to post. it's exciting just being around them knowing that will be me next summer. and im finally glad that i didn't just sneak into that group as word is the only post left was dhaka (which i'm sure wouldnt be horrendous....but i hate the idea of being forced to go to the last choice of anyone!)

tale of two cities

french is finally done and dusted. and somehow i managed to pull off an E...which means i never have to do french grammar ever again. that's a huge sigh of relief for me. so that means that the only thing i'll have to keep up for my 5 year/promotional qualification is my speaking ability. so as a present to myself for all my hard work and frustration (lol) i took a few days off to spend with the boy (who traveled all the way from london to see me!). it's been lovely, spent some time getting to know this city that i've been living in for a few months and then we rented a car to go to montreal for the weekend.

on the way out we stopped at a french sugar shack for a meal and a 'traditional' canadian experience for my british man. i had remembered going to a sucrerie outside quebec city years ago and having one of the absolute best meals of my life, so i was eager to share. did some research and found a really sweet cabane (haha...) half way between ottawa and montreal (www.sucreriedelamontagne.com) which seemed to fit the bill. it's a bit off the beaten track, but entirely worth it in my estimation if you're looking for something authentic. although it didn't quite live up to my remembered standards (i knew that was going to be difficult!) the setting was quaint and the meal and entertainment was great (there was even a guy who played a saw). especially of note was the sugar pie....delicious....i want some more right now.

absolutely loved montreal. it was like going back to europe. lots of great architecture, cute little streets, awesome shops and sweet restaurants. it even had the boy asking if it was possible that i could live there instead...i have a feeling it would sweeten the pot to get him to move over!! we finally got our first bit of sun and soaked it up walking the streets of the old town and sampling some more french canadian food in the form of poutine and smoked meat sandwiches. yum. also made a trip up to the Jean-Talon market which gave me fresh veg envy. the market in ottawa is not even close to this awesome. i got some quebecois honey and lavender oil and got to sample some of the other local wares. did i mention i love montreal? :)