On the road..

I was born in Damascus, Syria in the year 1982. And I left the city in 1993. I jumped over by 11 years because most of my memories from that time have to do with my grandmother who passed, my grandfather, who also passed, and my aunt who is not the same anymore. It’s also been over 10 years since I last visited, and sadly my memories are fading, though the nostalgia is not.

I was 10 years old when I moved to Doha, Qatar. I remember my mom telling me I went very quiet after we moved. I spoke very little, which I would say would be quite concerning for the very quiet kid that I was.

In Doha, we lived near the airport. We would always hear the sound of the planes leaving and landing. Doha is a true melting pot. I have met people from more nationalities in that little city than any of the other 37 countries I have visited.

I don’t remember the first time I was fascinated with travel, but I know I was very little. Be it my extended family that visited from overseas, the hurling sounds of the plane that forced the teacher to stop mid-sentence, my mom’s stories about her time in France and dreams to visit the Far East, or simply glossy magazine pictures, I know I always wanted to visit as many places as I could. And I did.

As soon as I was able to save some money, I forced my family on a family vacation to Malaysia, then I took my aunt on a trip to Cyprus. The following year, it was a road trip to the northern part of Syria of which I am reminded every time I visit Big Sur in California. When I saved enough money, I took my mother to Paris to go down memory lane of her first 7 years of marriage.

But I was not satisfied this way.

So, in 2013 I quit my job and decided to take a year off and visit as many countries as I could. I took two voyages with Semester At Sea, one visiting Central and South America and the other visiting Scandinavia. Those two trips concluded with a major transition in my life. I accepted a job with the University of Georgia that required me to move to the United States. So I did.

I lived in Athens, Georgia from 2015-2018 working with the University of Georgia’s Web and Mobile Technologies team, enjoying the little college town, making friends, and studying remotely for a masters degree at Carnegie Mellon University.

In the Summer of 2018 I decided to move to California. I said good bye to my teammates and friends, put whatever fit of my belongings into my car, sold and gave away the rest and drove west.

What happened from 2018 until now? That will be in the next post!