Over six years in the U.S. and I still can’t seem to get it right.  The “greeting” I mean. So is it two kisses? One on each cheek, or is it three?  Two on one cheek, and one on the other?  Is it one kiss on one cheek?  Or is a hug more appropriate? Or [...]

“Not another play about war! I am tired of hearing about the war and what happened and all the atrocities. Can’t we move on? It’s getting old.” This comment comes from the lips of an educated American resident whose roots begin in the Middle East. Can we ever get tired of hearing about the war? [...]

(Written on September 15th, 2007)
I traveled back home, to Lebanon, this summer to visit for a few weeks.  I learned the hard way that smiling too much at Lebanese men and women is spooky and culturally unacceptable.  I found myself doing that involuntarily while walking by strangers or if my eyes accidentally met theirs, only [...]