Benallen - benallen.ca - Ben Allen
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Tripoli, Lebanon. A beautiful, troubled city. 24 Aug 2013 | 10:16 am
As I sat in a taxi navigating the streets of Beirut yesterday morning, I heard the distinct sound of Ezan – the call to prayer – emanating from the mosques around Lebanon’s capital. A few moments late...
Gelato fuelled stream of consciousness 6 Aug 2013 | 10:13 pm
It’s difficult trying to write something when you can’t think of anything to write about. I sit in a bustling cafe on a beautiful evening in North Vancouver with an empty “new post” window open, and –...
And for my next trip 9 Jul 2013 | 11:10 pm
Apparently, my three months in Lebanon just weren’t enough. One afternoon I sipped a coffee at my local cafe in North Vancouver, and decided it was time to book that ticket to Beirut I’d been planning...
Thoughts from Syria. A nation crumbling 2 Jul 2013 | 11:05 pm
Almost a year ago, Victoria and her family fled their home in Aleppo, Syria. They now live in Beirut, less than 100 kilometres away from the borders of their homeland. But the land they grew up in rem...
The chance to help a Syrian family 13 Jun 2013 | 10:48 pm
Since I moved to Armenia in July of last year, the ongoing war in Syria has become a major part of my life. In Yerevan, I had many Syrian-Armenian friends who had been forced to flee the fighting back...
Five years ago today 10 Jun 2013 | 10:44 pm
Five years ago today I moved to Canada. On June 10, 2008 I boarded a plane at glistening Heathrow Terminal Five with the idea of living in Canada for a year. That year would be a fun-filled 365 days o...
Things I miss about living in Lebanon and Armenia 28 May 2013 | 09:47 pm
It’s been a little over a month since I returned to Canada, and I’ve taken that time to mull over my decision to come back, and the reasons for it. Having done so, I’ve decided that being in Vancouver...
Chasing the night across the sky 22 Apr 2013 | 10:16 pm
As the red sun set on the waves of the Mediterranean to end another day in Lebanon I knew that it was time to go. I packed the ragged remains of my clothing, my camping gear, and an array of … Continu...
Visiting Syrian Refugees in the Bekaa Valley. 21 Mar 2013 | 08:37 pm
It was shortly after leaving the calm surroundings of a Bekaa Valley winery that we stumbled upon on one of the countless Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. Suddenly, our afternoon of wine tasting seeme...
Getting to know the Levant 18 Mar 2013 | 09:27 pm
Withdrawing from the culture I grew up with this past year has been an eye-opening experience for me. I was born and raised in England, and since 2008 had been living in Canada. Both countries are ver...
