Category Archives: Blog

I could barely contain my excitement at finally spending the night at Misfah Old House in Misfat Al Abriyeen in the Sultanate of Oman. To reach this restored traditional home, we had to take a steep walk through the crumbling buildings of this picturesque mountain village — so we arrived by 5 pm to get there in daylight. Fortunately, we still had some time for a quick hike and meditation on the rocks at sunset after checking in.

After a delicious dinner on the roof, we fell asleep on the floor mattresses to the soothing sound of rushing water in the falaj irrigation system below. In the morning, we awoke to the sounds of village life and a lovely breakfast on the terrace. It was truly a magical stay, and I hope to return there soon.

In this colorful modern-day parable of good and evil, a humble village electrician devotes his compassion and ingenuity to destitute neighbours in a wind-swept valley of Kyrgyzstan. Like moths, everybody is drawn to his kindness: those with short circuits in their electricity, and those with short circuits in their marriage, those who have taken all the power in the city, and those who have given up the will to live. Played with wry humanity by writer-director Aktan Arym Kubat, the trusting electrician “Mr. Light” strikes a suspect bargain with a rich developer running for local office, as unemployment threatens the survival of the community. Stoking a dream to supply wind-generated electricity to the whole valley, the modest visionary comes up against an increasingly dark cloud of corruption in this affecting tale of solidarity and ordinary decency amid the injustices and hardships of a changing world.

Every time I visit the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in the Sultanate of Oman, I find myself awestruck by its splendor…

The windswept dunes of the Sultanate of Oman are spellbinding — it’s only natural to meditate on their beauty…

I was grateful to hear Beethoven’s 9th Symphony performed at Royal Opera House Muscat — very rare to hear it live.

While on the road this week-end in the Sultanate of Oman, I stopped at the breathtaking Bait Al Safah — a restored traditional Omani home in Al Hamra — for a close-up glimpse of Omani architecture and cultural heritage.

After some sunset meditation, I took my colorful cape for a spin in the desert wind — wishing it were a superhero cape to fly me across the dunes…

Sometimes, when I find myself feeling *groovy* in the sands of the Sultanate of Oman, I feel like I just gotta dance…

I enjoyed learning about the environment & endangered animals in Iran at the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Tehran. It’s inspiring to see young Iranians passionate about preserving wildlife and ecosystems in Iran.

I enjoyed feasting on Persian cuisine in Shiraz with flags on the table from the United States & Iran as a symbol of friendship and peace. In the wake of Trump’s presidential win, many are questioning whether the new administration will uphold the nuclear deal and allow diplomatic relations between the two countries to improve.

If you visit the ruins of Persepolis in Iran, be sure to also explore the nearby Sasanian rock reliefs of Naqsh-e Rajab…

Since yesterday was the International Day of Volunteering, many articles from around the world were published on the importance and joys of volunteering. I have been very lucky and grateful to do a significant amount of volunteering in the Middle East over the past five years while living in Lebanon and the Sultanate of Oman. While much of the media on the Middle East highlights the discord, dysfunction, and divisions in the region, I have been fortunate to witness a different reality on the ground.

I have been profoundly humbled and transformed by my experiences of joining with others in the Middle East to help the most needy. I have had the opportunity to serve Ramadan dinners to Syrian refugees, teach yoga to Palestinian refugees, teach English to Sudanese migrant workers, run youth disability workshops, play with kids with cancer at St. Jude’s in Beirut, raise awareness about mental health in high schools and universities, and co-direct a medical drama initiative in Oman. In the daily deluge of bad news, what is lost is all of the good work being done in the Middle East to help the sick, the poor, the disabled, and countless refugees.

Yiti, one of my favorite beaches in the Sultanate of Oman, is about to be turned into a multi-million rial riviera. For more on what the Salam Yiti Riviera will look like and offer, please click here.

I loved teaching English every week-end in Beirut to Sudanese migrant workers and refugees, while teaching at the American University of Beirut. Learning about the abuses of migrant laborers in Lebanon made me passionate about the issue, so I was pleased to see Lebanon referenced in the new Museum of Slavery in Doha when I visited it earlier this year. While raising awareness about mental illness in Beirut, my fellow advocates and I stressed the importance of addressing the frequent suicides of domestic workers from Africa (mostly from Ethiopia) and Southeast Asia. So I was delighted to read today about a new initiative in Lebanon that brings together domestic workers and employers to help cut back on abuse and create more healthy and just conditions for migrant workers in Lebanon.