I am a journalist living in Syria, but I have neither press accreditation nor residency.

Where do I begin?

When I first got here just over three months ago, I immediately registered at the Ministry of Information -- just as I'd promised I would when I applied for my visa.

There, they told me my press card would take several months to process, because the authorities have to do a "security study" on me. This means that all branches of the intelligence do interviews (interrogations) with me, cross check that information, then determine whether or not I'm a security risk.

My last press card application took a year and half to process. 

As far as I know, I'm the first non-Arab American to ever get a press card in Syria.

I'm also one of a very small minority of foreign journalists who entered the country as a journalist and not as a tourist.

I wanted to do things right, and now I'm starting to see how wrong that was.

Then there's my residency, a card that allows me to stay in Syria for an extended period.

Within about two weeks of being in Syria, I went to the immigration office and applied for an exit visa to go to Lebanon.

There, they told me I needed residency in order to get an exit visa.

When I tried to apply for residency, they told me I'd need a rental contract.

My landlady and I went all over Damascus trying to get an acceptable rental contract. In the end, we gave up, because it turned out we were living in an illegal settlement. The authorities don't grant residency to foreigners living outside of "official neighborhoods."

I then moved house, renting a room inside the walls of the Old City. I'm paying nearly double the rent, but at least I know I have a chance at residency.

My new landlord and I signed a new rental contract.

From there, I was told I had to get a letter from the US embassy confirming I am a resident in Damascus. So I went to the embassy, and I waited 2 hours and paid $30 for a stamped letter saying I live in Damascus.

From there, I was told to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get a document confirming I entered Syria. (I thought that's what my passport was for, but nevermind).

Once I got to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they told me I needed to get a letter from the Ministry of Information saying I'm here as a journalist.

I then took the bus all the way across town to the Ministry of Information. There, I learned that because my press card hasn't arrived yet (see above), I can't apply for residency as a journalist.

From there, I took the bus to the University of Damascus language center. I know they sponsor residencies.

What else can I do? I have to get residency somehow. I'll become an Arabic language student again.

Sure, it might take up 4 hours of my day every morning.

But it will sure beat spending the exact same amount of time going all over Damascus, trying to do everything correctly, in a place where honesty isn't rewarded.