Syrian Hospitality

In the early 90s, when I was working in Marketing for a large US airplane manufacturer, I went to Syria several times. I wandered freely around Damascus and took a tour of the ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra. There was never any threat of danger, and everyone I met was friendly and welcoming.

On one occasion I was out walking with a colleague and we noticed a street vendor like the one in my photo. He was selling drinks from the tank on his back. As we stood and watched, a man approached us, told us what the drink was (I've forgotten) and offered to treat us. After seeing the vendor rinsing the glasses and wiping them with a rag, I thought it was a bit risky, but accepted his kind offer. The drink was delicious and neither of us experienced any harm as a result of the questionable sanitary procedure.

I am both sad and angry at the irrational rejection of Syrian refugees by so many politicians in this country. I am proud of the condemnation of this behavior by the governor of our state, Jay Inslee. You can read it in this New York Times op-ed here.