Postcards from the Middle East: How our family fell in love with the Arab world
Ebook
Overview
Newly married, Chris and Susanna Naylor set off for a new life in the Arab world - living first in Kuwait, then Jordan and finally Lebanon.
In a region never far from the news, they discovered their expectations - of war, terrorism, desert sand dunes, men in white robes and veiled women, camels and Kalashnikovs, indeed their own reasons for being there - were to be constantly challenged. As they found out, the reality bore little resemblance to their pre-conceptions.
Postcards from the Middle East is a tale of love from one family’s experiences: a story of work, schooling, friendships, worship and shared family life, lived out in precious communities against a back drop of world-changing events and spectacular scenery. The Naylors had never experienced such hospitality, danger, wildlife spectacles or snow before they moved to the Middle East. Their story provides a multi-coloured window on an extraordinary and rapidly changing Arab world.
An engaging and often funny introduction to Arab culture through the experiences of an English family living in the Middle East.
Contents
Map of Lebanon 8
Acknowledgments 9
A Note on Transliteration of Arabic to English Text 10
Introduction: To Picnic or Not to Picnic? 11
Chapter 1: The Middle East and Back Again 21
Chapter 2: The Keys to the House: The Arabic Language 39
Chapter 3: Lebanon After the Civil War 55
Chapter 4: A History Told in Stone 71
Chapter 5: Grounded in the Valley 87
Chapter 6: Mission Impossible 101
Chapter 7: “Salaam Alaykum and Merry Christmas and Thanks Be to God” 115
Chapter 8: How I Got a Gun 125
Chapter 9: Crossing Cultures 141
Chapter 10: The Day the World Changed 153
Chapter 11: Myths, Legends, and Superstitions 165
Chapter 12: Valentine’s Day 181
Chapter 13: A Summer War 193
Chapter 14: The Final Departure 209
Chapter 15: A New Country 219
Appendix 231
The Naylor Family and the Middle East Timeline 237
Suggested Reading 239
Last Word… 240
Product Details
- Title : Postcards from the Middle East: How our family fell in love with the Arab world
- Author: Naylor, Chris
- Publisher: Lion Books
- Publication Date: 2015
- ISBN: 9780745956503
Chris Naylor is the Executive Director of A Rocha International, the umbrella organisation that works with A Rocha projects around the globe. Formerly the Lebanon Director, he co-founded the Aammiq marsh habitat restoration programme there. He has a Masters from the University of Cambridge and this is his first book.