Travel

Old Jerusalem and beyond

When I first entered through one of the city gates into Old Jerusalem I found myself squeezed amongst hundreds of people each holding an unlit candle, politely pushing and shoving each other to get to a particular spot in The City. With great difficulty I managed to squeeze my way through the narrow walkways and escaped through an opening where I encountered hundreds more waiting eagerly for something spectacular to happen. With a big question mark dangling over my head I surveyed the crowd looking for clues. After a few queries my ignorance of the reason for the public congregation was quickly abolished. The upcoming event was related to the day of the week>>>

Prayers in Vegas

My mother took my grandmother to Las Vegas for the first time in her life. The interesting aspect of this trip is not so much my grandmother’s amazement of Vegas but more as to what she did to American soldiers in Las Vegas airport on the way back. In Las Vegas airport, my mother and grandmother were waiting in the flight terminal to board their plane while hundreds of soldiers were getting ready to be deployed to Iraq. My grandmother, who always manages to be a social butterfly even with the little English that she knows, began to tell the soldiers how much she wishes they were not going to war and were able to stay home with their families>>>

Road to Old Jerusalem, literally

If you live in the Middle East there is only one way to enter the state of Israel, through the Kingdom of Jordan. From Amman, one can either fly directly to Tel Aviv or drive to one of the border crossings between Jordan and the West Bank. As many people in the region already know, the first option is not open to most Middle Easterners including most Palestinians. However, it was open to me and my Palestinian friend from East Jerusalem but we opted to take the latter route, the route that most Palestinians have to endure. Our journey began the next morning following our arrival in Amman, Jordan. We were up at seven a.m. and on our way in a cab to the main taxi and bus station>>>

Hey goodlookin

I was in New York for a reason. I had to meet with a lawyer and I had to speak at a conference. The Market Research Association Conference. Usually I don’t dig the conference circuit. But this year I will have spoken at 4 events. More than I have done in the last 4 years combined. The subject of my talk was an expose of international ethnographic research. Spilling the beans on all of the cock ups, mess ups and screwy clients I had experienced over the years. A side note: I had called V to say I look ‘hot’ walking up 46th Street to the conference Hotel (the Marriott). She had asked if I looked hot and sweaty. I think she is so familiar with my look she has lost all sense of how good looking I have now become.>>>

ایمانژا

هرچند ما ایرانی ها امروز در همین لس آنجلس ترجیح میدهیم با بچه هایمان به زبان انگلیسی صحبت کنیم اما انگلیسی ها و فرانسوی ها و همین پرتغالی ها از صدها سال پیش تر به اهمیت حفظ زبان برای بقای فرهنگ پی برده اند. آنها طی قرون گذشته پیش از هر چیز دیگر ، زبان پرتغالی را در کشورهای تحت استعمار خود رواج داده اند. همین امروز بعد از سالهای طولانی که از استقلال "هند" می گذرد – زبان انگلیسی – هنوز هم زبان اول این کشور محسوب می شود. در الجزیره و بیروت و حتی ویتنام زبان فرانسه زبان رایج و معمول مردم است و در آنگولا از کشورهای قاره آفریقا – زبان اصلی مردم پرتغالی است! >>>