'It's surreal,' says London, Ont., man visiting family home in Syria for first time in 12 years

Waseem Kazzah never imagined he'd see a day when he could return to his family's home in Damascus and visit the loved ones he was forced to leave behind in Syria more than a decade ago.

As soon as the London, Ont., man heard Bashar al-Assad's decades-long regime had ended earlier this month, Kazzah, 33, immediately booked a flight to Jordan so he could cross the border into Syria.    

On Saturday, Kazzah arrived back in his family home for the first time in 12 years.  

"It's surreal. I never thought I would be able to go back because we thought this dictatorship will last forever," he told CBC in an interview from Damascus.

"Even in my dreams, I could never think this would happen ... but it finally did."

Kazzah has been documenting his trip on Instagram, including the people and places he's reunited with and other mountainous areas he was never allowed to see because they were controlled by the Syrian military and off limits to residents, he said.

Assad's government was overthrown on Dec. 9 after the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized control of the country, ending more than 50 years of the Assad family's autocratic rule. The ousted leader fled to Moscow where he received political asylum. 

Although Kazzah said not much has changed in Damascus since he left, he was fascinated to see how packed shops and streets have been since the fall of the regime. 

"Damascus is so busy. Businesses went back as if nothing happened, and people are celebrating on the streets," he said. "They're still in shock that Assad is gone but it feels like people are free for the first time in 54 years and they can breathe again."

Hope and optimism for future 

Kazzah fled to Jordan with his parents and siblings shortly after the Arab Spring uprising protests in 2011, fearing reprisal from the government. They eventually settled in London in 2014, where Kazzah attended Western University and now works as an accountant in the city. 

He, like many other Syrians, also has loved ones who are missing or have been killed while they were imprisoned in the country's notorious jails, known for brutally torturing and executing political prisoners. 

Kazzah said two of his cousins were arrested by soldiers at a checkpoint because they were from Muadamiyat al-Sham — a southern city he said was known for anti-government movements — and remain missing to this day.

"Almost every family I met has lost somebody inside [the prison]. Some people still have hope that they'll find their relatives hidden somewhere but I know for a fact they're gone," he said. 

"I went to one of the main centres, and I saw a statue with photos people have put of their missing people. They're all still in pain and want the government to be held accountable."

While the country's future remains uncertain with some minority communities fearing the new de facto government, Kazzah said there's a sense of hope in this new beginning.  

"People are very optimistic about their future right now because to them nothing is worse than Bashar al-Assad," he said.

"They're fully aware of the challenges they'll have to overcome in the next few years like adjusting to the idea of a new democracy. Obviously there's concerns about the future and everyone has their own opinions, but they believe it will be brighter because they've seen the worst."