A few years ago, with the war in Syria raging on, I established this blog as a way to connect with fellow Syrians across the globe and spread the word about Syrian people, our heritage, culture and overall good nature.

Like many expatriates, I did not have the courage to visit Damascus, though I longed to do so frequently. This blog was going to be my way to reconnect with the city I love and its people. I also hoped that this blog and site would provide a sense of belonging to other Syrians who felt homesick.

Try as I may, however, I couldn’t find the perfect idea to start the blog. I had many ideas and emotions inside of me, but I just couldn’t bring myself to write on this blog. I went on with my life, I welcomed a baby daughter into the world, graduated from fellowship and moved halfway across the United States, all the while I kept circling back to these empty pages. Sad stories from Syria trickled into our lives every day through the news, social media and friends and family, but my fingers continued to hover over the keyboard, aimlessly.

The straw finally broke a few weeks ago. Although I was not directly affected by the presidential executive order on immigration, I felt, for the first time ever, a sense of loss and betrayal. I was living in a country that I loved and that I thought loved me back, a country that I proudly called home, but now I was feeling trapped, lost and homeless. While I will dedicate future posts to talk more about this subject, it was a motivation like never before to write, write and then write some more.

So sit back, dear reader, and enjoy. Please share your thoughts, comments and stories with the world those these humble pages. I hope to add pictures to the blog soon and to make it easy for people to share their own favorite pictures of anything Damascus  on this page.