The tall blonde is welcomed to the family...

All is well here! I am just now getting over my jet lag, and starting to settle in. It has been a flurry of activity over the past few days as family arrived from Damascus for the party Talal's parents had planned for us. So many people! Every time I turned around, I was being introduced to a new cousin. We decided that a family tree would be in order to make sense of the complicated relationships. It was like my Big Fat Syrian Wedding...

The party for us was last night, and everyone was so kind to me. I have learned to say many things in Arabic, including hello, how are you, and good bye, which seemed to greatly impress the guests. So as I was told, I was a big hit. I was showered with gifts from so many people (cousins I think), and by the end of the night I was glowing in Gold... So very generous. I ate, and ate, and ate, which of course I am very good at, and that makes everyone happy.

A few of Talal's cousins and aunts speak English, so they have been saviours to me. It has hopefully helped the rest of the family to "see" my personality:)

I have posted a few pictures from the party, and some from my limited travels around the city so far. The extended family will be leaving this evening, so the sightseeing will begin soon.