From Syrian friend

I received an e-mail. I was so happy. I never thought I could visit Syria again soon. But I´ll fly to Turkey in July and pass Turkey, Syria and I´ll go to Lebanon. I wanted to meet this Syrian family again, so I sent a friend an e-mail.

In Syria, I visited a small village Srouz to see old beehive houses. Before I went to there I read some information. Pre-visitors gave travelers some advice.
"Many family will invite you and serve food or some tea, and then they will ask money about that food.”

As pre-visitors told us, as soon as I arrived there, many children came to me and then “come to my house, come to my house.” I was afraid of that situation. “no, no, no.”

While I looked around village, I met one girl who looked 14, 15 years old. She also invited me but I refused resolutely. After seeing beehive houses, I walked to come back. Following opposite side road, the girl who I met before was walking. “Where are you going?” I asked her, “To my home, my house is over there.” One house was really there. She asked once more “Come to my house.” I turned down again.

When I passed her house, her younger bother and older brother were there. The older brother gave me a fig and then told me “come, come!” and she also asked once more “Please, just a second.” I couldn’t refuse any more, so I went to their house.

She has a big family. There are Parent, 2 older sisters, 2 older bothers, 2 younger sisters, 2 younger bothers. Her mother served tea many times for me, and offered lunch. It was very delicious and I ate a lot.

Until I finished the lunch, I was still worring. ‘If they ask me to pay for this food, what can I do?’ But! they didn’t ask anything. Instead, the girl gave me some present, a pencil and a hair pin. I regretted having a doubt about their hospitality. I felt guilty.

Anyway, I had great time with that family for half a day. They asked me to sleep one night in their house. I wanted to stay with them but at that time I was a little bit sick and wanted to move to another city.

I´ve been keeping in touch with her brother. Her brother is a university student in Damascus and his major is Education. He liked children very much and he wanted to be a teacher in this small village. I was surprised. He didn´t pursue big success, just wanted to stay with his family and teach children in his hometown. So nice man...
He is the only man who I like among men who I met in the Middle East.

Whenever he reply to me he always say to me.
"Come to Syria”, “We miss you”, “Stay with us”

This time, he told me...

"Please take your family to my home."
"Oh. How much I miss you, we are waiting for you, All family..."

° I´m made of non-me elements. The Buddha is made of non-Buddha elements. Nothing can exist by itself alone. Everything has to inter-be with everything else in the cosmos.

° You become nothing in order to become everything.

° We are just a stream called “life.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh(1997), "Teachings on Love"

Police violence

What is happening now in South Korea?
Many friends of mine must have been there...
What should I do?
Should I meditate now following Thich Nhat Hanh´s teaching? ridiculous....

Happy April...
Gloomy May...

moody, melancholy,depressed, lonely, sad, angry,...

Now, South Korea

The stupid president!
What am I doing now and here???