On a train from Aleppo to Latakia in 2009 I was captivated by a Syrian schoolgirl who did her homework & munched on her lunch of whole cucumbers as she travelled with her grandmother.

Now and again I caught her mischievous face staring with a hint of a frown at the only two white faces on the train.

She struck me with her innocent beauty, work ethic and I am convinced a huge streak of mischief.

I hope and I pray that she survived the horrid conflict and has grown up and blossomed into becoming a fine young lady she was surely destined to become.