Urban Hamid

posted by Urban Hamid @ 2:38 AM 36 comments

Finally, I can get rid of the beard from Syria. This is one thing that I like in the Muslim world, they still use straight razors. It is so relaxing and soothing to be shaved in this way. Selim, who is sixy years old and has been working as a barber for 35 years is very skilled.His hands did not shake once, not even when some kids threw some fire-crackers in front of his shop. Thanks to his skilled hands he has been able to put four children through school, they have all gone to unversity. He himself has no education, except the one he has got from life itself. Selim like so many other Turks in Antakya speaks a wonderful Arabic, sometimes mixed in with some Turkish words here and there. He did not stress; sometimes he stopped to say something or to show me something on the TV that was tuned into BBC in Turkish all the time. After the shave and the haircut he went out to buy some tea that he brewed himself and served the loveliest tea. Is it so difficult to understand why I love being here? I think we have lost so much in the West. Here everything is about making money and stressing, so we have no time for each other. I had an equally wonderful experience in Reyhanli , where I was invited to a Turkish home for a lovely dinner. This was by mr. Kadir who runs a small corner store. Everything is not about money. It is about carpe diem! So I leave the region filled with images and experiences of war, but also the kindness of all the poeple I have . Last but not least, thank you xxxxx who took me into Syria and so patienly waited while I was interviewing refugees. This was written in Antakya on Januray 3rd as I was leaving the area having been to Syria twice to report.

posted by Urban Hamid @ 2:28 AM 29 comments