Apr 15, 2026
Yaqut al-Hamawi: The Great Arab Traveller Who Was Not Arab
A portrait of Yaqut al-Hamawi, the medieval geographer whose life began in captivity and became a vast act of description.
Stories
Field notes from the road
Medicine, culture, travel, food, healing, and human stories from my archive. Start with a trail, search for a memory, or move by year.
Roads, meals, clinics, and human encounters.Archive into inquiry
These field notes are not only memory. They are the ground from which my new field inquiries begin.
The current inquiry follows one trail through the archive: food culture, metabolic health, Indigenous knowledge, and Suriname.
Mar 15, 2026
Goodbye, Ricky Café
A farewell to a Miami café that held fragments of friendship, memory, and ordinary ritual.
Mar 15, 2026
What Did the Medicine Man Say?
A field reflection on humility, Indigenous wisdom, and the difference between knowledge and presence.
Mar 15, 2026
A Journey from Paris to Miami on Air France
A travel note from Cochin to Miami, moving through cancellations, airports, and the calm of a familiar route home.
Jan 15, 2026
Colours Before Dawn: Notes on the Metaphor of Our Lives
A reflection on Japanese colour names, transition, and the brief emotional weather of human life.
Dec 15, 2025
Worldliness as Cultural Capital: Notes on International Childhood
A reflection on international childhood, independence, and the early-acquired cultural capital that shapes how children move through the world.
Jan 15, 2025
Why Don’t You Stay?
A bilingual reflection on travel, belonging, and the question of why one does not simply stay.
Jan 15, 2025
For Better Health and Longer Life: Mediterranean Diet, Mediterranean Residence
A field note on food, place, and why health may require not only diet but a wider way of living.
Aug 15, 2024
A Note to Migrants: Which English-Speaking Country Is the Healthiest?
A note for migrants and health professionals considering where population health and wellbeing are strongest.
Jul 15, 2024
ARDALAN SARAFAZ THE SONG SOUVENIR SOGHATI HAYEDE SHAKILA YASMIN LEVY
On a recent Moment Story, I misattributed a quote to Molana. When you are coming, the sound of your footsteps comes from all roads It is not like it's coming…
Mar 15, 2024
SECOND DAY OF NOWRUZ HAPPY DAYS
I enjoyed very much the first day of Nowruz, sending and receiving greetings and exchanging photographs and seeing many a haft sin tables and to see the happy faces of…
Feb 15, 2024
TREAT OTHERS WITH RESPECT AND RESPECT WILL COME YOUR WAY
Treat others with respect, and respect will come your way. During my recent visits to the East, two incidents notably stood out, echoing the words of my dear psychologist friend…
Feb 15, 2024
Embracing Self-Employment: A Path to Work Satisfaction and Happiness
Embracing Self-Employment: A Path to Work Satisfaction and Happiness In the bustling economy of the United States, a significant 10% of the workforce has embraced self-employment, translating to approximately 15…
Jan 15, 2024
I AM AN AUSTRALIAN JEW AND I LOVE MOROCCO
I AM AN AUSTRALIAN JEW AND I LOVE MOROCCO Jews have been present in Morocco for at least 2000 years and lived with the native Amazigh (Berber) people . There…
Dec 15, 2023
31 DECEMBER THE MOST LIMINAL OF THE DAYS OF 2023. WELCOME 2024
I have never been too fond of the transition from 31 December to 1 January. It is not looked forward to, nor have I any great memories of those days…
May 15, 2023
MY PASSION FOR CERTAIN COUNTRIES AND THEIR DISPASSIONATE FUTURE
A friend of mine jokingly once asked me: do you choose to fall in love with countries with peculiar problems or does it just happen? Myanmar, for instance. For a…
May 15, 2023
IF YOU WISH TO DIE EARLIER, MIGRATE TO THE USA, I TOLD A GROUP OF FOREIGN ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AT A MEETING
I am fortunate to visit USA to be with the indigenous people of that country and on arrival at JFK or Miami, the first thing that hits you, is the…
Apr 15, 2023
WHERE IS MUZIRIS in books and at the archeological site
The only Biennale in all of India is held in Cochin and is currently on. I recently made a visit to Fort Cochin to check out certain friendships and visiting…