Friday, June 7, 2013

(Almost) Crossing borders

Yesterday was a life changing day for me. My inner political scientist teared up as I realized that we were approaching the border to Syria.

Let me start at the beginning. Yesterday at 5 pm we headed out to visit the nearby town of Ramtha which is farther north than where we are. My professors had never been before and so we set out to check out the town and the souk there. I had looked up an article prior to going and someone was quoted as saying the town was "a ghost town." And that it was. We pulled in with our bus and there was hardly anyone around. It was so unlike the souk in Irbid where people are bustling around everywhere constantly. We got off the bus and were brought to a chocolate and candy shop that is owned by a friend of our guide, Ahmad. We enter the store and there are just bright colors everywhere! And so many different kinds of chocolate - and they were all chocolate from Syria! It was beautiful. I even splurged and bought a wooden box that came form Syria to fill with chocolate.



The city of Ramtha is predominantly Syrian to begin with, to my knowledge. But since the civil war began inside Syria, more have flocked to this city because it borders their old country. You could sense the change in the atmosphere almost. People stared more than they usually do in Irbid. They are most likely unused to our Western features and light skin. Children saw our cameras and wanted pictures. It's the simple things for these children who may or may not have lost everything to come here just to survive. They yell to us: "Soora soora!" Picture picture!  Some of us oblige, but typical me I want to but I'm already tagging along as it is and so my professor tells me to hurry up so that I'm not left behind. We walk the streets some more but don't enter any of the shops. We just look for about 20 minutes and then hop back onto the bus to head out to our next destination.









Muhammad turns around from the front of the bus and tells us we are going to the highest point in Ramtha so we can look out around us. We begin to drive and he turns around again to surprise with the comment that we are 2 kilometers away from the Syrian border and getting closer. That is about 1.2 miles. Now it is 1 mile. And now less. Us students begin to freak out. A majority of us are international relations majors and all of us have a focus of some sort in the Middle East. Personally, I have been following Syria this entire year in depth. I have discussed it in all my classes. It was so present in my studies but I was no where near close to understanding the real life feeling of the war. Until we drove up to the border crossing - the furthest we could go that day. We were granted special permission for this Monday to enter the border crossing and be as close as we can be to Syria without crossing the border. It was an unreal experience to say the least. My heart clenched and it was unreal for me to be so close to the conflict. A couple hundred yards in front of me lay the civil war that had been the bulk of my studies for the past 4 months. I found ways to tie every paper I wrote back to the conflict. I researched the history, the current situation, the people, the international effects, the refugees. Everything. And I am here. Just a few more feet and I would potentially be able to see it with my own two eyes. I don't have another word to use besides unreal. It took my breath away  to know how close I am. I thought I have been close, but yesterday I was almost there. I wonder who is sitting, waiting on the other side. How many people are trying to cross? How different is life when separated by a border? How do those people feel?


Since we couldn't go any further in that direction, we headed back the way we came and we thought we were heading back to the university. Our hearts were heavy and we were all feeling something we have never felt before when it comes to current events in this region - reality. It was a sobering experience for some reason. But not as much as when we stopped outside of a gated area that we had no clue what the purpose was. And then we were told it was a refugee camp behind the walls. We were stunned. I could not believe we would go to the border and visit a camp all in one day. It was an experience of a lifetime and one of the greatest days of my life as a future political scientist. We needed to get permission from the guards first and so our fantastic guide, Ahmad came to the rescue and got us into the camp on the one condition that we wouldn't take pictures. So we drive in slowly - and no one is around. It was eery. We look to our left and it turns out that this area was once a factory, a textile mill. And apparently there are 3000 refugees being housed in each factory. Thousands of people and there was no sign of life anywhere. We drove a little farther down and there was one apartment buidling and we spotted 2 young men, a few children, a few women, 2 old men, and a couple security guards. There were UNHCR tents and UN stickers plastered on all the buildings. Life was at a standstill for these people. They aren't allowed to leave, as is the case with many refugee camps. They are only allowed to leave if accompanied by a Jordanian and must return.

As my first time in a refugee camp, I was a little surprised  For one, I expected to see a bustling scene with people walking around and hanging out. There isn't work or shopping to be done. But instead there was silence. And the second thing I was surprised about, and later felt that I had limited myself intellectually, was the fact that this wasn't a camp with tents. Many of the camps I researched were filled with tents. I had not heard of something like this. I am glad I witnessed it however to expand my knowledge of the refugee situation. This camp was better off than most as well. Unlike the Zaatari camp, the largest in Jordan, where everyone lives in tents and life is harsh, and for some just unlivable. I thought to myself after we left: would I rather live alone with my family in a tent in a crowded, unsafe camp? Or would I want to live in a safer camp but crammed into one area with thousands of others? Many don't have a choice but I think I would choose tent life. I would rather have some privacy with my family than none at all.

Yesterday was an experience-filled day and I feel fortunate that I am able to witness this firsthand. I came to Jordan at an opportune time to study this conflict. This is a critical time in the Middle East and I am able to witness pieces of it. And at the end of the day, I have to acknowledge how blessed I am to have this opportunity to come to Jordan and to be able to return to my country when recently hundreds of thousand are not able to return to theirs. And I am blessed that I am able to get back on a bus to take be back to the beauty and safety that is this university. It is a stark contrast to the lives of many who live only dozens of miles north in the country of Syria, and even for those migrated here in hopes of a better life, but still find that life is a challenge. It is an eye-opening experience  that we cannot take lightly. But I am thankful for the opportunity to be critically aware of a situation that is wrecking havoc in the region I have come to love in only a few short weeks. 

No comments:

Post a Comment