Teaching in Syria - Three and a Half Weeks in the Middle East

Teaching in Syria
- Three and a Half Weeks in the Middle East -

For three and a half weeks I went to WADI International University in Syria to hold the lecture Mobile Commerce. Although preparing and holding the lectures was tough and time consuming, I had enough spare time to travel around Syria. Summarized, Syria is a country full of contrasts and very, very interesting. On the downside are greedy taxi drivers, annoying customs officers, bureaucracy over and over, a secret police you better do not fool around with and finally a huge gap between poor and rich (for instance, students at WADI University pay around 10,000 US$ per year, while a secretary earns only around 150 US$ per month. Guess whose children go to the university...). But Syrians are unbelievable hospitable and it is great to see how Christians and Muslims live peaceful together. On the streets, veiled women walk aside of women in jeans and t-shirts. You meet women that tell you that a man just proposed to them although they have never met the guy before and you meet women that just plan to continue their father’s multi-million dollar business. Also the landscape in Syria is contrasting. There are deserts on the one hand but also areas full of trees, rivers and lawn. Even wonderful beaches do exists. Maybe most impressive is the omnipresent long history of Syria. Strolling over a souk in Damascus or Aleppo or through the ruins in Palmyra beams you back 2000 years in history but soon you will find yourself back in modern times with huge streets (that are well maintained btw.), electronic stores, hotel chains and skyscrapers. Last but not least, I felt never that save in a country. Whenever and wherever I was, I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe.

Chapter 01: Arrival in Syria and First Impressions