Category Archives: Blog

Before I left Beirut last week to travel to Morocco, I wrote a few blog posts about Roma culture in Eastern Europe–out of a nostalgia for when I lived in Prague, and because Roma culture is so rarely mentioned in the news.

Imagine my surprise when I was on the road in Rabat and turned on the TV in my hotel room to find news stories about Roma being broadcast on almost every international news channel–from protests in Paris over the deportation of a Roma girl in France to the so-called abduction of a young girl raised by a Roma couple in Greece.

With Roma suddenly center-stage in the news, I thought I would share some photographs today from the Museum of Roma Culture in Brno–which I had the opportunity to visit when I was doing research in Prague and getting in touch with my Czech roots. Devoted to the life, history, and culture of the Roma people from their migration from India to their widespread presence throughout Europe today, the museum displays Roma artwork, musical instruments, costumes, and puppets in its well-curated halls.

One of the most appealing aspects of the Museum of Roma Culture is that it is situated in a Roma neighborhood–and Roma children are encouraged to take advantage of the museum’s numerous activities and clubs–like a drama and music club–designed specifically for children from the neighborhood. As a result of these dynamic social programs, the museum received a 2013 ERSTE Foundation award for social integration.

For me, the most compelling part of the museum is the exhibit on the persecution of the Roma in Czech lands during World War II and the Holocaust. The museum traces in detail the journey many Roma made through various concentration camps throughout Eastern Europe, and also explains how Roma in Czechoslovakia tried to cope in the aftermath of so many Roma perishing in the Holocaust.

At a time when 90% of the Roma live below the poverty line (according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Human Rights) and the majority suffer ongoing discrimination, Roma communities in Europe today are still living in dire social and economic conditions. Because the Museum of Roma Culture in Brno sheds an important light on aspects of Roma culture that are often neglected in the news, the museum is definitely worth a visit if you’re traveling through Eastern Europe and want to learn more about the history of the Roma people. Definitely czech it out–you’ll be glad you did.

Though I’m currently back home in Beirut, I still feel like I’m floating over Fez. It’s quite a jump to go from the medieval madressas of Fez to the busy streets of cosmopolitan Beirut. In fact, last night in Beirut, my favorite Moroccan Sufi shrine–nestled in the labyrinthine alleyways of Fez–appeared in my dreams.  So when I woke up this morning in Lebanon, I thought–for just a split second–that I was still in Morocco…

Now is our time for traveling the earth:
We leave the cities to their civic pride.
Now our ship is idling on the sea,
Each night sees another port, another home each day.

— Rumi

Traveling through Morocco this past week brought with it a host of challenges–ending, of course, with my plane violently blowing a tire on take-off while rushing down the runway in Casablanca (my forehead took home a few scratches as souvenirs). But it wasn’t until I walked around Beirut this afternoon that I was reminded in a very visceral way of the war in Syria next door. From Syrian war refugees begging on the curbs to intellectuals debating sectarian politics in cafes, all afternoon I was reminded of how many facets of our daily life here in Beirut are connected to the ongoing war in neighboring Syria.

“Lebanon has an emotional heaviness to it, because of the war,” I heard a filmmaker sitting next to me say to her friend today at my favorite cafe.

After all, just today in Lebanon, four rockets from Syria hit Hermel, and gunfire ripped through the streets of Tripoli.

“Every time I come here, I get a full blown anxiety disorder, so if you get anxious or depressed, just remember–it’s not necessarily you,” the filmmaker added.

Having been away from the bombings, gunfire, and political wranglings for a week, I’d forgotten how heavy the instability, violence, and uncertainty can sometimes feel. And yet, having stepped off the plane just last night (grateful to be alive), it really feels wonderful to be back home…

This past year, a Lebanese friend and I made the rounds of Beirut’s most popular burger joints to rate our favorite burgers in Beirut. Though I blogged about this adventure several months ago, I recently re-visited the restaurants on our top 10 list to see if the burgers had withstood the test of time. Sure enough, they had.

Topping our list, hands down, was the always dependable and delicious burger at Frosty Palace–a small retro diner that brings the spirit of a 1950’s soda pop shop to the streets of Beirut. Paired with one of their smooth malt milkshakes, the sumptuous burgers at Frosty Palace are not to be missed–especially if you’re needing a protein fix. Though my friend and I had disagreements about our burgers on the lower part of our list, we easily agreed–in the middle of our first bite into our burgers at Frosty Palace–that it was the #1 pick for both of us.

Our second favorite burger in Beirut was served up at BRGR Co.–though my friend found their list of toppings and sauces overwhelming. To get the full BRGR Co. experience, it helps to go a few times to try all of their Hussein Hadid Signature burgers.

In Beirut, some people talk about “American” burgers and “Lebanese” burgers based on the meat used, the method of preparation, and the color. Though I tend to prefer the “American” style burger (softer meat, cooked for less time), and my friend prefers the “Lebanese” style burger (tough meat, usually more grey in color and cooked well-done), the burgers we ate at our top two picks transcended these categories–which is how we easily found common ground in picking our top two favorite burgers in Beirut.

When I was breezing by one of the main drags in Beirut to meet a friend for lunch, I noticed Brown University shirts hanging from shelves inside. Though I was running late, I felt compelled to stop to find out how and why these shirts were being sold in my neighborhood in Beirut.

“How did these shirts get here?” I asked the store owner.

“Some warehouse keeps sending them to us,” he said–explaining that he’d been receiving shirts like these for years.

“So they’re popular?” I asked.

“Oh yes, people keep buying them,” he said. But when I asked him if he knew what Brown University was, he said he didn’t have a clue–but was happy the shirts were always such a consistent sell.

In Beirut, my friends who are Brown alums all agree that our neighborhood has a similar vibe to Providence and Brown–however strange that may seem. That’s why seeing Brown University shirts hanging in the window of this store made me do a double take–since they seemed, in my opinion, to fit right in.

“Well, if anyone asks you what Brown University is,” I said to the shopkeeper, “just tell them–it’s the best place to learn in the U.S.”

Okay, okay–so maybe I’m a little biased. Because Brown is such a contemplative and happy place, I chose to do four of my degrees there–which is why I’m always excited to see and share traces of Brown wherever I go, even here at home–in Beirut…

Here’s a link to today’s Op-Ed in the Washington Post by Egypt’s minister of antiquities about the ongoing looting crisis in Egypt…

I took this photograph today in Beirut while wandering past a bookstore on my way to run errands in Beirut. Even if you don’t know Arabic, you should be able to decode some of the book titles and authors using a little common sense and the Arabic alphabet provided for you to the left (hint, the letters often change shape based on if they are in the beginning, middle or end of the word–so pay close attention to the placement and numbers of “dots”). Good luck!

And when you’ve left this storm, you will come to a fountain;
You’ll find a Friend there who will always nourish your soul.

— Rumi

Today in Casablanca, we had a horrifying incident on the runway. As we were rushing down the runway at full speed and just about to take off, one of the tires of our plane blew out–sending the plane screeching, skipping, and veering off course. None of us in the cabin knew what was happening–as we flew forward (and left and right) in our seats–just at the moment when we were expecting to be in the air–not bumping up and down against the ground. As if that wasn’t traumatic enough, the real story–which I’m looking forward to telling–is the terrible way in which we were treated by Royal Air Maroc after we were forced to evacuate the plane and wait many hours for a new one to arrive. Travel tip of the day: don’t fly Royal Air Maroc…

Turn as the earth and the moon turn, circling what they Love.
Whatever circles, comes from the Center.

— Rumi

From visiting Sufi shrines in Fez during Eid to enjoying dinner at Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca last night, this has certainly been quite a whirlwind tour through the impressive imperial cities of Morocco. I’m looking forward to sharing with you the sights, sounds, and stories of Morocco, after I’ve returned to the Levant and settled in back home…

Sometimes you hear a voice through the door
calling you, as fish out of water
hear the waves, or a hunting falcon
hears the drum’s Come back.
Come back…

— Rumi

Looking forward to sharing door-to-door tales and tips from the imperials cities of Morocco…

In firelike love, be happy like silver;
since you are a child of Abraham,
fire is your dwelling.

— Rumi

Wishing all of those celebrating Eid al Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice) a joyful and peaceful holiday–from the medieval Medina of Fez…