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 to the place of cremation in a meditative sitting position and dressed like a deity. Hours [...]

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 had worked side-by-side in Cibitoke, situated in the triangle between Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, and very [...]

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 to inhale the exotic fragrance of orange blossom, rosewater and cardamom, staring intently at the dried [...]

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. Deciding to make use of the extra time, I headed off with a driver to the [...]

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. Shortly before, drawn to the event by the intensive sound of drummers from afar, Vijay and [...]

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. This very special, rare and beautiful person, who had been my partner years back when I [...]