shortly after i wrote the below post about going to syria, i sent an email to one of my classmates from my arabic class last year. as it happens she is in damascus right now. i think it's her junior year abroad (she was one of the few undergrads in my class). she heartily endorses going to syria--as a blonde american woman she has no trouble getting around on her own. her description is just like what everyone else who has actually been to syria has been telling me--that syria is very safe for travelers. now if only i could find a way to convince my mother of that...
said former classmate also mentions that she has a blog, mostly a description of her life in syria. you can now find it under the name dimashq's Journal in my "friends' blogs section of my links.
