A life in emoticons

Place: Trieste, kebab stall
Time: October/November 2006
Players: Webmaster, stall owner

Me: Do you go home often?
Him: To Siria? :-)
Me: Yeah.
Him: Sure! :-)
Me: When was the last time?
Him: I go there every year! :-)
Me: Isn't it expensive?
Him: Business has been good. I came to Italy five years ago, found a job, went back in the summer to get some documents. :-)
The following year business was good, I went home in the summer. :-)
The year after that I opened this stall, and I've been able to go every summer. :-)
Last year there was the war, so I couldn't go home... :-(
Me: Oh...
Him: ...so I went to Spain instead! :-)