Adam Lichtenheld
In an interdependent society, diplomacy is far too important to be entrusted to political leaders and their proxies. As a traveler, writer and journalist, I've sought to do away with the superfluous, superficial and simplistic depictions of foreign places that dominate the "conventional wisdom"; using my words to encapsulate the raw experience of being deeply and meaningfully engaged across cultures and communities. By putting a face on the statistics and the stereotypes, I've proposed a more personalized medium to help explain the complexities of our world. In my nomadic wanderings--from the jungles of East Africa to the deserts of the Middle East--I’ve found a potent mixture of calm and calamity, and discovered that inspiration comes from the unknown, the unexplored and the misunderstood.
School: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Where I've Lived Abroad: Amman, Jordan - Cairo, Egypt - Kampala, Uganda - Geneva, Switzerland - Salalah, Oman
Dispatches
Victory
28 Mar 2009
Long Thursday night walk home, and the pressure was building up, the kind you're desperate to unload over the bridge, ... read more
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Jordan
HOW TO: Barter With a Middle Eastern Marketeer
“Pay me 20 dinar!” “But I only have 10!” “You cut me! I make no profit!” “You cut me! I don’t have any money!” And just when it looks ... read more
28 Jan 2009
Jordan
How Some Crayon Drawings Sent Me To Mosque
The woman gently pushed her daughter in my direction. With wisps of short, black hair and a soft, thin face, the little girl stared up at me, her brown eyes ... read more
04 Feb 2009
Jordan
I Might Have Become An Official Arab Diva
The door of the RGB Club pulsated with the blasts of house techno. As I pulled it open, I glanced down at my dusty knockoff Crocs and torn jeans and ... read more
07 Apr 2009
Insider Tips
Jordan
Just be respectful, open and friendly
It’s a common misperception that Arabs are hostile towards Americans. Taxi drivers will often react to the news of my nationality with an ehlan wa sahlan (“welcome!” in Arabic ... read more
05 Feb 2009
Jordan
Learn a bit about Islam
Like many Islamic countries, religion pervades every corner of Jordanian society—and it can be quite an adjustment if a foreigner is unfamiliar with Islam and Islamic customs. The best ... read more
05 Feb 2009
Jordan
Feel welcome in Jordan
It’s a common misconception that Arabs are hostile toward Americans. Taxi drivers will often react to the news of my nationality with an ehlan wa sahlan (“welcome!” in Arabic ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Islamic understanding
Like many Islamic countries, religion pervades every corner of Jordanian society—and it can be quite an adjustment if a foreigner is unfamiliar with Islam and Islamic customs. The best ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Date smart
Maneuvering through the abundance of young, beautiful, well-endowed women in Jordan as a poor, white, non-Muslim foreigner is a bit like walking through a Mercedes-Benz dealership without a dollar to ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Kiss right
Don’t forget that Jordanian greetings, where two people touch cheeks and feign slight kisses (like the French), begin on the right side. My failure to remember this important detail ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Pack some class
Jordanians tend to dress more formal than the average Westerner, so it’s good to pack some nice attire if you don’t want to feel un-classy when you go ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Surviving Ramadan
Ramadan, the holy Islamic fasting month, can make life agonizing for foreigners. If you have the luxury of being invited by a local family for iftar (the fast-breaking dinner), go ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Watch before you go
If you want to get a taste of Bedouin desert life, watch the classic "Lawrence of Arabia." It shows spectacular footage of Jordan’s desolate deserts, and will get you ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Don't bust a gut
I was unsure about the traditional Jordanian dish “mensef”—a steaming platter of rice and on-the-bone lamb covered with a rich, yellow yogurt sauce—until we feasted at a friend ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Going green
Though Amman is relatively clean compared to other smog-infested Middle Eastern capitals like Cairo or Damascus, littering is still part of the daily routine. In a developing country like Jordan ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Health yourself
If you have the privilege of checking into a Jordanian hospital with a stomach ailment, they’ll either want to take out your appendix or (if you’re female) just ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Can't stop the pop
For some unfathomable reason, Jordanians are in love with Bryan Adams, and a lot of the music played on the radio or blaring throughout the cafes is of the "Now ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Inspirational escape
Spend a night in a Bedouin desert camp, where you’ll discover the solitary world and the solitary men who roam it. There’s no background noise, no call to ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Variety in Amman
Amman hosts a healthy assortment of bars and cafes, from seedy, male-only back alley joints to glitzy, expensive nightclubs. Jordanians (at least those who drink alcohol) possess a puzzling affinity ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Cold desert winters
Most foreigners assume that Jordan, since it’s in the Middle East and mostly covered by desert, is warm and sunny year-round. But Amman can get quite cold beginning as ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Politics and life are inseparable
I had a friend who dropped a coin in the middle of a café, and as it rolled around, he stomped on it so that he could pick it back ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Religious overtones
“Muslim or Christian?” you’ll often be asked—an indication that religion plays a significant role in Jordanian culture. Indeed, Middle Eastern society is heavily informed by Islam; the call ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
God willing...
Most foreigners love the Arabic tradition of adding an “in’shaallah (“God willing”)” to the end of every sentence: “see you tomorrow, in’shaallah.” “It’ll rain tomorrow, in’shaallah ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Soccer politics trump all
As an (American) football lover, I had little interest in soccer until I lived in the Middle East. But after spending countless nights in cafes puffing on a shisha and ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
You'll be nostalgic for New York cabbies
Jordanian cabbies are a far throw from the Egyptians who used to demand I reach out of the car window at 70 km/hr to borrow a lighter from a ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
DVDs for a dinar
Downtown Amman is littered with DVD stores, where you can get knockoff discs of popular movies and television shows (both Western and local) for one dinar each (about $1.25 ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Nothing says "I love you" like firing a gun
During celebrations, weddings, and holidays, just remember: guns are a poor man’s fireworks. read more
