Wanted to keep this up so others would see. Here is waytac's diary from this morning:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Hooray, what relief! Not since she posted that she left Iraq have I felt so relieved to hear about Riverbend and her family in safety as Iraqi refugees in Syria. She was so lucky to get out because it is becoming harder by the month for people to get out of Iraq. Many countries are closing their borders, and as Riverbend explains in her blog, now even Syria is creating more rules in order for Iraqis to get into or stay in their country.
The first weeks here were something of a cultural shock. It has taken me these last three months to work away certain habits I’d acquired in Iraq after the war. It’s funny how you learn to act a certain way and don’t even know you’re doing strange things- like avoiding people’s eyes in the street or crazily murmuring prayers to yourself when stuck in traffic. It took me at least three weeks to teach myself to walk properly again- with head lifted, not constantly looking behind me.
It is estimated that there are at least 1.5 million Iraqis in Syria today. I believe it. Walking down the streets of Damascus, you can hear the Iraqi accent everywhere. There are areas like Geramana and Qudsiya that are packed full of Iraqi refugees. Syrians are few and far between in these areas. Even the public schools in the areas are full of Iraqi children. A cousin of mine is now attending a school in Qudsiya and his class is composed of 26 Iraqi children, and 5 Syrian children. It’s beyond belief sometimes. Most of the families have nothing to live on beyond their savings which are quickly being depleted with rent and the costs of living.
Read her blog entry here.