Hitchhiking in Lebanon is mostly common in areas like the Upper Akkar Region where no public transport means like shared taxis or busses exist. Since my Lebanese friend Jalal and I seldom had the patience or the will to pay for public transport,...
Whoever comes to Riyadh and expects the cliché of a "typical" oriental city will probably be disappointed. Narrow alleys, the smell of perfume and spices at a lively suq and the ever present prospect of being invited to a cup of tea at a...
Deep in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula lies Riyadh, the capital of the third and present Saudi state. Having spent the first five days of our journey in the Red Sea coastal town of Jeddah, on this Friday morning we are about to embark to a quite...
It´s Monday afternoon, and after a casual stroll through Jeddah’s Old City quarter Al-Balad there is still some time left till we are scheduled to reunite with our group at a Corniche Restaurant. We decide to talk a walk along that Corniche, all of...
It is thursday night, a weekend day in Saudi Arabia. Four of us have been invited by a young woman who Jannis met during a cultural event in a private residence a few days before to visit her at a friend´s place in a compound. After we have finally...
Hier der Artikel eines befreundeten Journalisten: Riding the Olympic tide and taking advantage of growing ties between China and Middle Eastern countries, Al-Jazeera – the “Arab CNN” – is increasing its operations on the mainland. And the maverick...
The following fictional memorandum is based on the assumption that both movements have the intention to de-escalate current tensions and contribute to a stable <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /> Lebanon . This assumption is based on their...
Dear Bloggers, for a class at university I am these days preparing a fictional Memorandum of Understanding between Hizbollah and Mustaqbal as the two most powerful actors of the opposing camps in order to overcome the current crisis in Lebanon. I´d...
Dr. Riad schrieb mir diese Reflektion in der Hoffnung, dass es die Letzte zu diesem Krieg sei... The Krehs are a dear German family that lived and served with us for three years told me that people congratulate them on returning on time from Lebanon...
Eine weitere Email von unserem Freund Dr. Riad Khassis: Imagine a Red Cross worker saying to a severely wounded person agonizing under the rubbles of a destroyed building: “Show me your passport. If you hold a foreign passport I will help you, if...
Unser Freund George hat uns eine weitere Email aus der Bekaa-Ebene geschrieben. Gestern wurde das Nachbardorf angegriffen... Dear Friends, As we start the second month of this sixth Israeli war on Lebanon I am helpless to find any words to describe...
Eine weitere Email von Dr. Riad Kassis: Almost every time we, as a family, return from a wonderful vacation, as we enter our home we say: Home, sweet home! No place is like home! I am sure that you have had the same feelings in many occasions...
