September 19, 2010
From my apartment in Nablus, West Bank, the Call to Prayer echoes through the city as I read about a wave of Islamophobia in the U.S. I walk out of my apartment complex, ready to go to a meeting. Â A taxi driver honks as he passes me to see if I need a lift. Â I […]
September 5, 2010
One of my Advanced English students, Nasreen (she’s wearing the white headscarf in this photo), invited me for Ramadan iftar (dinner) with her family on September 5th. Â She lives in a village near Nablus, called Sarra. Â We ate on their second floor porch with a beautiful view of the magnificent sunset and the hilly, desert […]
August 29, 2010
People go to their respective places of worship everyday. Â They go up the steps and walk in the door, maybe to the sound of birds chirping, buses whirring past or a choir beginning to sing. Â Here in the West Bank, the Call to Prayer is a beautiful sound of celebratory prayer, especially the evening prayer […]
August 19, 2010
First, please Read Friedman’s article. On August 7, 2010, Friedman stated, “If you convey to Israelis that you understand the world they’re living in, and then criticize, they’ll listen.” I struggle deeply with this.  First, because I do believe it’s important to listen to both sides of an issue. But I also firmly believe, especially in […]
August 11, 2010
A few weeks before I left for Palestine one of my professors suggested that, when I arrive, I make a point to write down anything that surprises me. These are the things, he said, that one forgets after becoming more accustomed to a new country or culture. SERVICE OR TAXI? EITHER WAY, A NICE CONVERSATION. […]
July 28, 2010
My first stop in what will hopefully be a year spent in the Middle East, is Nablus, Palestine. I will stay here for just over two months, teaching a journalism workshop for students at An Najah University. I live in a beautiful apartment in “majeen,†a neighborhood just outside the center of Nablus. The complex […]
July 19, 2010
During the next few days I’m working with a group of internationals and Palestinians to do a few videos about Iraq Burin. Iraq Burin is a village just outside Nablus. You may have read reports about two of their children being killed by Israelis in March 2010. Since then, the villagers of Iraq Burin have […]
July 16, 2010
Orienting oneself to a new place often involves embarrassing mistakes, cultural ineptitude and the kindness of strangers. Getting from downtown Nablus to my apartment requires taking either a 10 shekel taxi or a service (pronounced: ser-vees), a shuttle service that typically costs 2Â shekels. I took a taxi home from downtown after my first day out […]
July 13, 2010
I spent the first few days of my time in the Middle East in Jerusalem, wandering the winding streets of the Old City. Here’s how I spent my time.
