What do Hosni Mubarak and I have in common?

We're both going to be traveling really soon!

There isn't too much news in Halab since my last post, but next Friday I'm going to Oman for a week.  Finally, the Middle East decided to catch up with Europe (I know the U.S. will follow suit next) and create a budget airline called Air Dubai, which flies around this region for pretty decent fares.  A couple friends and I will be flying into Dubai, where we have a layover from 7pm to 7am and then we'll continue onto Muscat.  That layover couldn't be more perfect, as it's just about enough time to see some cool things in Dubai, but not enough time for the place to start getting under our skin.  Anyway, I'll be coming back the following Friday the 18th in time for classes to start again two days later.  The upshot of all that is you will likely be saved from my ramblings by way of more pictures the next time I update.

But enough about my boring news, the Middle East has been so exciting these past couple weeks!  I'm sure all of my many loyal readers (who probably just boil down to my mother) have been following events in Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt meticulously.  Nothing has changed in Syria though.  The situation here has been completely unfazed by exterior events.  However, one of my friends who was working in Cairo, and has since left for Athens, sent me some pretty cool descriptions and pictures of his participation in protests in Egypt.  Minus the slight danger of beatings/incarceration/death, I'm a bit jealous of his experience.  Syria is relatively boring.  I guess I've been spoiled by security.  Also, I, unlike CASA folks in Cairo (one of which has a blog that I've linked to on the right side of this screen, although it appears she's even worse about updating than I am), am able to continue my Arabic studies uninterrupted, so maybe I shouldn't complain.

As a conclusion, I will leave you with a picture that I posted on Facebook with the same caption I used (my room mate's speculation as to what they're saying) that's created quite the fuss:

Democracy in Egypt? HA!