Curiosity as a lifestyle

Ramadan in Istanbul

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:21:11 +0300

Yesterday evening, I met old friends in Stockholm over a beer at the very nice Czech pub Soldaten Svejk. I know both Krister and Dag from the University of Journalism in Gothenburg, 16 years ago. Wow,

Meeting with Tetra Pak

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:41:44 +0300

This morning, I had a meeting with Mrs. Ulla Holm, Global Director at Tetra Pak’s Food for Development Office. Mrs. Holm and Tetra Pak is involved in feeding programs with milk in close to 50 countrie

Belgian déjà vu in Stockholm

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:32:37 +0300

Arriving in Stockholm, I walked over to the International Press Club and ordered a Westmalle. The Press Club is one of the most well stocked bars in Scandinavia when it comes to Belgian beer. It was a

Internet on the train

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:00:18 +0300

Right now, I am sitting on the Swedish high-speed train X2000, on my way from Malmö to Stockholm. I had a great time in Malmö, having dinner with my sister and mother, meeting lots of friends and doin

Sailing back to Malmo

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 17:51:50 +0300

As always, I was the first one to wake up. And what a day to wake up to! A deep blue sky and a smiling sun welcomed me when I climbed up on the pier and walked over to the bakery for some fresh bread.

Sailing to Copenhagen

Sat, 8 Sep 2007 17:35:15 +0300

Whenever I come home to Malmö in Sweden, I try to also go to Copenhagen (Denmark’s capital for those of you that are not Northern European) to drink beer and have fun. This time, Lucas suggested doing

Sweden, glorious Sweden!

Fri, 7 Sep 2007 17:32:19 +0300

Sweden! I am in Sweden! My beautiful, wonderful and so peaceful home country. Where people are friendly and smiling, where nature is vast, wild and green, and where you can eat, drink and say whatever

Leaving Gaza

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 19:55:08 +0300

The photo training continued this morning, but most of the time I spent writing and calling to TetraPak in Lund. ANERA has a great program in Gaza where 20,000 kids receives fortified milk and biscuit

Gaza, again

Mon, 3 Sep 2007 19:45:28 +0300

I am turning into a regular at the Eretz Crossing between Israel and Gaza. Today was the third time in little more than a month that I crossed into this besieged strip of desert. Together with Femke,

Tulkarem refugee camp

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 07:26:14 +0300

Today, I picked up Mahar, a colleague, in Ramallah and then drove all the way up to Tulkarem in the northern West Bank. Mahar works with a program that provides psychosocial support and activities for

Farewell to Lotta

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:25:45 +0300

One of our dearest friends, Lotta, is leaving. She reached the end of her ten months mission at the EU COPSS, supporting the Palestinian Police. We find it very sad –Lotta has been a great friend, alw

School start

Sat, 1 Sep 2007 07:25:12 +0300

Today, the Palestinian schools opened up for the autumn semester. I visited the Rawdat El-Zuhur School in Jerusalem to take some photos – ANERA provides grants for some of the children.

Crayfish party!

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:13:11 +0300

Passing the Eretz crossing back into Israel went surprisingly smooth, and I was back home at 18.40, just in time for the traditional crayfish party the girls had arranged. Magda just came back from Sw

Guitarfishes and a photocourse

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:10:38 +0300

Early this morning, we took a walk along the coastal road, to the fish market. The fishermen were displaying their catch – shrimps, prawns, sardines and a number of guitarfishes, that are actually ray

Sage instead of sewage

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:06:20 +0300

Next stop was in another part of Gaza City, where ANERA renovated the sewage network. Before, a school and neighboring streets where flooded with sewage, spreading bad smell and diseases. The janitor

In a health clinic in Gaza City

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:05:19 +0300

I have always said that traveling makes you realize how good of a life we are living in Sweden. Living in Israel/Palestine for now nine months provides a strong contrast to the peace, freedom and pros

Back in Gaza

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 23:02:26 +0300

So, I am back in Gaza again. This morning, I drove down to the Eretz crossing (between Israel and Gaza) together with our boss Tom and our IT-specialist Amjad. As always, I was carrying my backpack fu

A night out

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 16:59:40 +0300

Slowly, our trip to South Africa in October is taking shape. Most of our hotel bookings are now confirmed, as is the rental car. We are going to have a great time, or so we hope . Yesterday evening,

Back in Jerusalem again

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 16:45:45 +0300

So, I am back in Jerusalem and the Middle East again. To make the transition from smiling the Netherlands to no-reason-to-smile Israel/Palestine, there is a heat wave right now. 34°C in the shade, 40

World Press Photo in The Hague

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 10:17:21 +0300

Today, Femke was visiting a friend in The Hague. I joined her to pick up my new suit and to buy a few shirts and a belt to go with it. The shopping done, I had a relaxing lunch at the very nice Café D