I am a 17 year old boy who's currently living in syria Damascus AMA

Do your parents have any desire to leave the country? I have a Syrian friend and his whole family left for other countries. If not, do they see a bright future for Syria?

My mom wanted too my dad was too emotionally attached and i Fucking hate it

Due to my dad being emotionally attached he always says stuff about how Syria one day will be great and everything will be fine

Thanks for the Ama, can u describe an average teenager in Syria?

Well that's a good question

From my experience i think most teens i meet are working, not very cultured, have the spirit of acceptance towards eachother, are down rated by adults (boomer), very masculine/feminist in a bad way like believe that boys don't cry and that sort of crap..

you sound pretty woke

Woke and broke.. Lol thanks

How is the people’s daily life like? I always wonderd how are people going to work or school during a war

Like i said in the description Damascus wasn't very effected so war didn't take place on Damascus it was more in (dair al zour) (دير الزور) where ISIS first showed up,

But i remember a day when there was heavy bombing on Damascus schools were shut off and people didn't go to their daily jobs

How close was/is the nearest direct hit of a bomb 💣?

Two buildings away

You mentioned that most teens your age are working jobs, what is a typical job? Or what are some jobs that some of your peers do?

Could be anything really

I was a volunteer in a library

My friend worked in an alaminum factory

My other friend designs T shirts and sell them

It might seem like child labour especially the alaminum factory but the salary is really good compared to the current inflation in economy

That's interesting and I appreciate your answer! I think it's pretty common in war-inflicted areas for the youth to take a bigger role than normal. Do you know if most of the paid jobs are recorded by the government or if they are off the books? Ie does the government or anyone else collect taxes on most jobs?

A good thing here is that taxes from working isn't something to worry about i think the government tried to minimize the taxes for people career wise so they won't starve, a step in the good direction maybe

What scared you the most?

I remember when my dad comes back home from work after a bombing I used to freak out on the inside, afraid of Losing him

I remember being 17 and at that time all I could really think about was girls, partying with friends, playing sports and what college I would go to. (In that order) Is this the same for you or is life completely different there for teenagers? You have obviously seen and dealt with things I could never even imagine.

you sir just asked a very good question

In syria there's this whole religious thing that's going on everywhere People, because syria is basically a religious nation, I hate it

Because of it girls and boys are discriminated against eachother, living olin your parents house until around 30-25 is the norm

So I really don't get to have the parties the girls the drugs or any of the 17 year old experience a boy go through

So really my advice for you is to appreciate every little thing you have, you know i would kill for it..

Another syrian here! I live in canada and my family isn’t that religious (My family is druze but i identify as Agnostic ) and I still kinda have most of these restrictions.

In my opinion, it’s sadly a cultural thing more than it is religious. Bc at least to my family its more like “what would people think” more than “what would God think”.

Edit: Punctuation

You make a good point it's more of a cultural thing rather than religious one

I am sorry to hear that and I hope you make the best of the last remaining time of your childhood because being an adult isn’t all that much fun. Luckily, when I was your age, there wasn’t social media and my parents barely knew what the internet was. So I was able to get away with more debauchery and stupid shenanigans and lived it up to the fullest. I hope you are able to get into a university in another country that allows you to experience what it is like to be a young stupid kid in college. Have fun, be safe, and enjoy your life to the fullest.

Thanks what you said is very inspiring and I would really love for me to live my life to the max

A)Are the authorities trying to control/filter Syrian’s ability to access the internet?

B) How did you first learn about reddit?

A) they blocked alot of porn sites thos cunts like XNXX but they left porn hub for some stupid reason

B) I think I saw my brother using it and making a meme that got about 5 k upvotes he was really happy and I got hooked up on Reddit around that time

How do you feel about you future afre something like this happening. Are you optimistic?

No besides the bad economy the educational system also sucks like for an instant if you want to buy a doctor you will literally hav to get a perfect mark in every field (biology, math, physics, chemistry, politics, french, English, ..etc) it's fucked up and very hare the outcome isn't that rewarding too

It has given mw alot of anxiety, knowing that somehow i am doomed to this circumstances and people outside syria don't really have to go through this many processes to get their preferred feal, I can't help but feeling discouraged and depressed

How are westerners generally perceived there? I'd assume they'd be welcomed more in the cities due to their liberal nature and business sense.

Well i don't think there's many right now they all left due to war which is a completely reasonable thing to do, but for those who stayed they stay indoors and Don't leave and you don't hear anything about them whatsoever

Wow sounds like a great place to visit. I will be there next week OP. Save me a room!

If you really come DM me I ll be honoured to be your guide!!

Guys i am loving this but I have to go to school I ll be back ASAP around 6-7 Hours

How have the schools responded? Are they teaching anything about current problems there, or are they mostly sticking to the basics?

They try as much to talk less about it like everybody else no one wants to put himself or his family in harms way juat because he wanted to express his political opinion

Fun fact every shop is entitled to paint his "thing that closes and opens the shop " in colours of the Syrian flag, every 50 metres or so you see our president face or our flag somewhere

You seem to have hat I would consider a fairly western point of view in terms of your stance against the dictatorial government/Assad, and your views on religion. With that in mind I have three questions.

1. Are your views typical of your peers, your friends at your age group, or are your views in the minority?
2. What about your parents peers/age group. Do they share your views (I get that your Dad loves Syria, but what of his views on the regime, and what is a typical viewpoint for his age group)?
3. If the answer to (1) is yes, does this give you hope for the future?

1- many people my age hate the government my friends do and Many of my class do but we don't really talk about it as much, but like I truly don't care if someone disagrees with me on my political opinion what truly sucks is that it may cost you your life for your stupid political opinion

2-even through my dad love Syria he also hates how things work in syria dictatorial ship and that stuff, I don't know much about what people his age might aay we don't really have a connection, but I am pretty sure at one point every one hated syria

3-it does give me hope yes, it o think is the general vibe of our generation being acceptable towards eachother also a friend of mine is one of the ministers relative and he clearly is acceptable towards people opinions and doesn't like violence in general which really mkes me happy and hopeful in a way

What are you thoughts on the many thousands of people who walked to Europe?

Some might consider them pussies like my dad for running away from syria, but I think they are very smart for actually knowing how will things turn out and acting like it, they ensured themselves and their family a future bmany in syria dream of

are you pro Asad ?

what is your opinion on the Kurds ?

on Turkey ?

Tbh i hate dictatorial ship in general asad is no exception he's a fucking maniac he slaughtered millions of innocent people and fucked up the economy his father (hafez al asad) also led a massacre in hama because people actually stood up for him

Kurds are people juat like you and me no one deserves to be treated like shot or killed just because of some stupid tribes horse shit

Turky did take refugees from Syria which is very nice but they also killed the kurds wtf?

Is this a dangerous position to have in Damascus right now? Will anyone try to track you down?

Well i am pretty paranoid about it, if they track me down i am pretty sure they can find me but fuck it who will snoo around Reddit looking for people that hate assad on Reddit fuck that guy btw

Did you ever see Assad or his wife walking around in public?

Propaganda is totally common here he once faked going to mosque on eid and the tv aired a previous recording as " live" first year theyhe tried it he was caught because someone spotted many watches declarating the wrong time Next year they removed all watches from the "live air"

TL'DR: I would lose my virginity before something like that happens

ngl he kind of looks like Mr. Bean and it's lowkey turning me on

r/cursedcomments

Good luck with IB! That's so cool to hear other people internationally doing it. My friends at school are doing it, though this is year 12, our school has the IB program, and some talk about having about 14 exams for their finals, which is just freaking insane to me. I can't imagine doing that, plus with all the pressure of living in a very culturally pressured place like Syria. I don't know how you manage it, ATAR is hard enough. Not to put you off it. My friends are glad they chose that path.

I gotta phrase this as a quesiton, but I'm genuinely curious anyways, because about a third of our cohort does it now. However a few years ago almost no one did it, so how many people you know do IB at your school?

Thanks a million it really is nice to see someone talking about IB but like I said I am currently applying abroad to an international school calle UWC but I think I have a good shot at it thanks to the international cultural exchange which really opend my eyes and changed me

Thank you for having this AMA!
Are there any of your own countrymen that are exploiting the current situation that Damascus is in? If so, can you give an example? Thank you!

Yes!! and Everyone who was in a somesort of a position like an officer or a civil servant could now act more corruptively now that the government is too busy with the war bribes are the norm right now

Officer started doing whatever they want I remember one time an officer son actually killed someone because he was losing in a fucking GAME OF CARDS and he actually got away with it, I mean imagine dying like that and no one pays for it WTF

Before the war started and the country went into a really bad state where there any signs or was it like from one day to another?

People were already fed up with the government a rebellion was bound to happen and the government justt keeped on ignoring people needs and opinions, the economy was bit better than it is now

Are you going to be joining the military when you turn 18? If so how do you see that going, and if not why not?

After college you go to miltary which differs from one college to another some take 12 years to get their degree blike medical one, which of you ask me is completely outrageous, other colleges may only need 3 or 4 years to get their degrees

But hopefully I'll be awat from syria when the time comes

I have serveral friends from Damascus, and they told me a lot about the military and how you can’t speak bad about Bashar Al-Assad.

What’s your experience with that?

I talk with some friends about the current political situation but it's never enough you know I really want to go on riots especially after the riots happpening in Lebanon and iraq

I don’t know you but I really suggest you stick to the plan and get away from Syria. I get that you want to help but trust me, you will get hurt and it’s not worth it.

Get away from Syria and establish a new living for yourself until it’s safe to go back if you would like to.

I am trying my best to do that, that's why I am applying for a scholarship

Are really most Syrians black? I live in Germany and always thought Syria was an Arab country but most of the Syrian refugees seem to be black men.

Nah black people are really rare in syria most of us are either white or somewhere between White and black like the colour of bread

What is your favourite meal?

What are you studying in school?

What do your parents do for a living?

Have you kissed a girl yet?

What are your hobbies?

It's nice that you're asking something bit personal i like it

There's a dish called mlokhiea )ملوخية( it's very tasty it's soemsort of leaves or something that we dry up and store then we cook it we add garlic lemon some meat, we serve it with rice some people like it when it's not ao watery I personally like it when it is

I study normal 11th grad curriculum that everyone does

I can DM you the answer sorry I just i am bit afraid of people narrowing it down to me and cause pain to me or my family

During my cultural exchange I kissed many girls on the cheeks of course, im a fucking Virgin

I like jogging in the early hours of morning it give me so many insights i like reading and I'm currently reading homer the Odyssey i alos am pretty good programming and i got a national ranking in it which I don't feel comfortable sharing

Did it look nice/beautiful before the war/terrorism started, and has a lot changed?

Im asking since my parents come from Syria and often go to protests. They say it was beautiful before the war. My father has donated a bunch of money to save you. Thank you for this AMA. Stay well, and the best of luck to you and everyone you know.

Regardless of the current economic state Damascus is really very nice it's one of the oldest habitaited capitals in the world the national museum is really good and enriching I don't remember alot about syria before war, cause when i first started feeling aware of my surroundings and country things were already going downhill

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Yes please!!

Meh. Here’s a real first world problem, my new PS4 controller was supposed to be delivered two days ago and it’s still not here and I’m frustrated

Don't downvote him please he really juat gave me what I previously asked for a 1st world problem

Btw there's a big misconception first world i think means took aprt with the capitalist side during the cold war 2nd world with communists And 3rd with nither of them it doesn't indicate society advancement or something like that..