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IMGP0945
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No luck at registration today but I've started private lessons.
I am bummed because I was only one day too late for registration.

Confessions of a Germophobe

Today should have been the first day of classes but I am still trying to get everything I need for registration i.e. an AIDS test performed at the center for desease control. I swear I will never bitch about the NHS again. I shouldn't have freaked out, every student has to go through the motions, but if you guys think IMSS or the reception hall of University College Hospital in London are dodgy, eeks this place is not even finished! There is no no reception hall, no take a number and wait, you just pop in to one of the two offices/labs at the entrance tell them what you are there for and voila!
This means you get to involuntarily watch as other people get their blood drawn, there are a bunch of people coming and going, they keep the samples (all of them) on a table next to the desk, you get the picture. I had quite an emotional reaction to being there. I know everything will be ok, every student does it -Edouard told me about it yesterday- but I am still hyperventilating from the experience.

I noticed the comments section was not appearing on the main page and in the process of fixing that little problem I messed up the links section. So I am a bit tired of staring at the computer and want to leave.
The old city had to wait until today, after getting lost I arrived at the Souq al-Hamidiyya (the main bazar) to find everything closed because it was Friday, the main holiday in Syria. I was actually a bit relieved because I was tired from the trip and I also have a cold, which is getting worse due to the bad quality of air. Is not that the city is dirty, it is just very dusty and there was a very strong scent of petroleum in the air yesterday.
I spent the evening back at my hotel reviewing for my admission test and channel surfing between what I imagine to be the Syrian version of MTV and Al-jezzera, Tara you will be thrilled to learn "Gilmore girls" was on last night.

Today, I finally met up with Edouard (LSE David's friend) and he helped me find a place where to stay for the rest of the month. House hunting only took about 20 minutes and rent will be 7000 Syrian pounds. That's roughly 140 dollars or 70 pounds!!! I will move in tomorrow after going to Uni. Wish me luck.

I will try to add more links and intersting stuff as I go along. I will ocassionally post in Spanish and use spanglish (sorry), but I want to encourage you to leave comments and ask me what tickles your fancy, the idea is to learn something from reading this blog.

With that in mind... today is Mexican Independence Day, asi que Viva Mexico Cabrones!and how appriopriate since the first people I met on this trip (on the plane) are a Syrian-Mexican couple who is relocating to Damascus so their kids can learn Arabic. Minerva and her husband refused to let me take a cab to my hotel, they drove me there and made sure everything was in order before leaving. I will meet them later in the week.

So far so good, everyone has been very corteous and I dazzeled the immigration officers with my knowledge of Arabic -which ammounted to being able to understand mafi mushkilah which means "no problem"- as they stamped my passport (thanks Karim). Oh yes, they also could not resist the temptation to make a J-Lo joke as they read my name. I hope that does not become a trend.

I'll post more tomorrow, I can't wait to hit the old town.

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