During a work trip to Nepal, I attended the funeral of the Tibetan Lama, Rinpoche Geshe Lhundrup Rigsel. It was a day-long ceremony at the Kopan Monastery assisted by 900 monks. A long procession carried the Lama’s body [...]

My mobile phone rang with a call from Burundi. Through static and whistling wind, I heard the voice of Kandinda, the Congolese vice-president of the Karurama refugee camp from where I had returned a few months earlier. We [...]

I remember the scent of the Arabic sweets my mom brought with her back from Lebanon. She kept them in a special cupboard and we were not allowed to touch. I often opened the door to this cupboard [...]

I landed in Bamako early in the morning and, after a quick hotel check-in, headed to the UNHCR office. Once there, it became apparent that my access to a local mobile, radio and personal Call-ID would be delayed. [...]

The pujari, a local Hindu temple-priest, was in a deep trance channeling Karupa Rayan, also known as the Black Mighty - protector of the Anaimalais Mountains in the southern western ghats of Tamil Nadu. The energy was intense. [...]

From my window seat on the airplane, I admired the iridescent blue-green glow of the sandbanks and coral atolls of the Arabian Sea. As the plane descended, I received a message on my phone. Dean had passed away. [...]