But beyond that is a small town in rural Syria and my inquisitive nature forces my legs off the beaten path, and I find myself wandering through the bustling neighbourhoods of this enclave.
I am careful about using my camera in town. I get the feeling that I am being watched. Most of the people who travel to this place do so in tour groups, and I feel like I am sticking out like a sore thumb.
As I turn a corner into a residential area, and from a block away, I see an opporutunity. I thank myself for buying a camera with a decent zoom, and I snap this shot.
The young lady is probably three or four, and she is clearing away water from the entryway to her home, and in this instant I see the beautiful and generous exuberance of a small child trying to help the family by doing a chore.
Much to my horror, a split second after the picture was taken her mother came storming out, hit the child sharply more than once, and violently dragged her into the house.
I put the camera away and continue up the street towards the house, slowly engulfed by the wailing of a child.
As I head back to the "tourist area", I wonder about that child, and what her life will be like and how a picture may contain a thousand words, but sometimes every word is a lie.
And then it occurs to me that maybe someone saw me taking my camera out, made a quick phone call to a neighbour and the fact of my picture from a block away is the reason this child was beaten.
I consider the remote possibility, and it is not a pleasant scenario, albeit an unlikely one.
Perhaps I'm paranoid, but this is Syria, and suddenly, I'm unsure of everything.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
