Jul 24Member-onlyWhat Serendipity?Confrere. It was July 2006, I was sitting in my grandma’s living room in a far-flung village in the north of Lebanon, dealing with live news on the pounding of my beloved Beirut and simultaneously trying to make up my mind on whether to contact the embassy and flee or…3 min read3 min read
Jul 5Member-onlyA Letter to a ConfrereHow is it that, whenever you write and I read, I feel like I plunged into your sea of wisdom only to float right back up in a sense of calm and serenity? How do you do it? You and me, we share a lot — our background, education, social…2 min read2 min read
Feb 10Member-onlyHe Saw The Light And RanLoyal to his routine, took the usual route home, just as he always has for the past couple of decades. He has trodden these same streets so oftentimes, he no longer needed to see them. His feet carry him, seemingly unguided, from his office in the more modern part of…5 min read5 min read
Oct 6, 2022Member-onlyThe Peace HelmetIt’s a glorious Sunday morning here in Montpellier, South of France. Montpellier is reputed to have the greatest number of sunny days a year in all of France, over 300 days! In the center of this sun-bathed town, lies the Peyrou gardens. And every Sunday, the city organizes “Les Dimanches…Life3 min readLife3 min read
Oct 6, 2022Member-onlyWhen My Brother LaughsShe sat on the kitchen table, her hands landed on her lap, palms facing the ceiling. Her eyes looked straight ahead, past the kitchen into the entrance hall and peered into the freshly punched hole. The hole seemed to be mocking her with its wide-open mouth and vicious teeth. She…Life3 min readLife3 min read
Apr 19, 2022Member-onlyKilling a DogShe lay there in drug induced peace while her mama stared at her face tracing the stitches that went from her left ear across her half her jaw and down her neck and up to her right cheek. Her beautiful six years old child is scarred for life, physically and…Life3 min readLife3 min read
Apr 15, 2022Member-onlyFinding HomeWe head out of the restaurant towards the tramway and pick up where we left off: “Finding home has been a lifelong preoccupation of mine. As you suggested, it has plenty to do with one’s community, friends, and family. But the reality is, for so many of us, we’re in…Life3 min readLife3 min read
Apr 12, 2022Member-onlyThe Homeless Man Who Offered Me BreadThere is rampant homelessness in Montpellier, South of France. Perhaps it’s the clement weather and relatively cheaper life, but maybe also due to the fact that the whole Hérault department of which Montpellier is the epicenter is one of the poorest in France. Not to compare miseries, but to give…Life4 min readLife4 min read
Apr 11, 2022Member-onlyEncouraging Girls to Major in STEM FieldsUsing my 20 years career in software engineering, as a girl and woman. — Recently, I joined a local association for “women in science and engineering”, here in France. One of the missions of this group is to encourage young girls to go into these fields, by direct interventions at schools. The idea being to talk face-to-face to the students about the importance of…Life Lessons4 min readLife Lessons4 min read
Apr 1, 2022Member-onlyForgiveForgive, while your heart aches in your chest Forgive, while your wounds bleed to your death Forgive, while your rage soars in a daze Forgive, while your tears flood you…Poetry1 min readPoetry1 min read
