#crossculturalXchange Archives

Unlikely Encounters by Moe Azraq, Jordan

Author: By Moe Azraq, Jordan
Published: January 3, 2019
Categories: in Civil Activism, Conflict & Peacebuilding, Culture and Heritage, Current Events, Democracy, English, Friendship, Human Rights, Identity, Israel, Israel-Palestine, Jordan, Life Style, Palestine, Tolerance, Travel
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Tags: #crossculturalXchange

On a beautiful spring evening in Haifa, I was sitting outside and reading a book at a cafe called Elika while waiting for my friend Daphy to come and pick me up to go to a Seder (Passover dinner) at her aunt’s house in Nahariya, when a group of “48 Palestinian” men and women (Palestinians […]

The Spark by Alon Nutkevitch, Israel

Published: May 1, 2018
Categories: in Culture and Heritage, Friendship, Identity, Travel
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Tags: #crossculturalXchange

The flames cheerfully surrounded the dry Eucalyptus logs, which made a soothing crackling noises. Dozens of monkeys encircled us, playing between the trees, their screams drawing our attention to the miraculous nature around us in its never ending shades of green, all colored in this late hour with unified black. Even the too warm beer, […]

My Indian Guru by Adam, Israel

Author: By Adam, Israel
Published: March 22, 2018
Categories: in Culture and Heritage, English, Identity, Israel, Travel
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #thinkactyala, India

Jorge, an excitable, lanky teenager from Venezuela, volunteered in a slum on the outskirts of Delhi, India. Sometimes he would come with his friends to stay at our hostel in the city. Before his final weekend, he wanted to visit an acquaintance he had made. He told me about an ascetic at a temple in […]

Falafel is the new Chocolat, Rahma Henchiri, Tunisia

Published: December 11, 2017
Categories: in Civil Activism, English, Human Rights, Identity
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #thinkactyala, #yalacampaign #peacebuilding, community, Culture, exchange, falafel, Food, greece, hope, Humanity, refugeecamp, refugees, volunteering

When I first tried Falafel at Skaramagas refugee camp in Greece, I couldn’t eat anything else for the following couple of months. Falafel was the common language between the camp communities and the social workers from different countries. When I first tried it, excuse my ignorance, it totally skipped my mind that it was made […]

Little Nissa in Big China by Iness Belleili, Algeria

Published: December 6, 2017
Categories: in Algeria, Culture and Heritage, Education, English
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #chinalageria, #crossculturalXchange, #thinkactyala, algeria, China, dream, Language, studies, Travel, youth

As a child I was very curious and eager to discover things that were unfamiliar to me, which made my mom very mad most of the time as my explorations often ended up in disaster. I remember a time when I was five and I slept in our dog’s house while my parents were so […]

An Experience Abroad: A Journey of Education, Self-Exploration, and Diversity by Djamila from Algeria

Published: November 28, 2017
Categories: in Algeria, Culture and Heritage, Education, English
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #thinkactyala, algeria, culturalshock, cultures, europe, experience, France, paris studies, Travel, yalacampaign, youth

For those who do not know me yet, my name is Djamila. I’m from Algeria. I left my country and moved to France in 2013. Before sharing my story and my study-abroad experience, let’s go back to where I am from and how this adventure started! I was serious about my studies as far as […]

‘Native’ by Zohar Weiss, Israel

Published: November 21, 2017
Categories: in Conflict & Peacebuilding, Culture and Heritage, English, Friendship, Identity, Tolerance
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #thinkactyala, AravaInstitute, culturalexchange, empowerment, israel, Mansi, palestine, peacebuilding, Travel, yalacampaign

I never imagined that heading out on a sunny Saturday for a day trip in northern Israel would end on the ruins of my friend’s village, behind a shabby “Paz” gas station in the middle of nowhere near a small village called Hayogev. It was a sunny autumn weekend when we decided to travel to […]

I’m a refugee by Ikram Laimeche, Algeria

Published: September 19, 2017
Categories: in Algeria, Civil Activism, Conflict & Peacebuilding, Current Events, English, Human Rights, Tolerance
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #thinkactyala, africa, alheria, cameroon, congo, mali, Refugee, refugees, solidarity, yalacampaign

It all started in 2010, I was sitting next to my parents drawing something until I stopped and watched TV! It was the first time of my life when I was afraid, it was the Arab spring where all the world started fighting, countries and societies were destroying each other and the most horrible thing […]

Spoken Word by Yael Taub, Israel

Published: August 7, 2017
Categories: in Identity, Language, Tolerance
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #thinkactyala

In the car, on our way home, we realized that we were short on olive oil, some apples and a cucumber or two. It was a late afternoon on a Friday and all the grocery stores in the city we came from were already closed, so we stopped in Um El Fahem, a neighboring Arabic […]

Beyond Our Differences by Rahma Henchiri, Tunisia

Author: Rahma Henchiri, Tunisia
Published: July 30, 2017
Categories: in Civil Activism, Culture and Heritage, Education, Gender and LGBTQ, Human Rights, Tolerance, Travel, Tunisia
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #thinkactyala, greece, refugees, volunteering

Before I started working at Skaramagas refugee camp in Athens, I did not know what to expect from the children. Ever since I can remember, I have been hearing about the Yazidi-Arab tension; and thus, being an Arab myself, I was worried that my hopes of becoming the girls’ older sister would eventually turn to […]

Be Your Best Friend by NIHEL BENDIHASSANE

Published: July 5, 2017
Categories: in Education, Human Rights, Identity, Latest Articles
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #eupeacebuildinginitiative, #thinkactyala, algeria, childhood, growingup, identity, inspirational, violence, yalacampaign

ALGERIA — My story began when I was around five years old. I had two sisters and one brother much older than me, and much busier than me. My parents worked a lot, especially my mother, and I respected her a lot…

Break Out of Your Shell by BASHAR

Published: July 4, 2017
Categories: in Culture and Heritage, English, Latest Articles
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #eupeacebuildinginitiative, #thinkactyala, backpacking, berlin, couchsurfer, crossculturalexperience, europe, Friendship, paris, syria, Travel, yalacampaign, youth

SYRIA — When you moved to a new country with another culture for your first time, you will feel alone. And maybe you spend more time alone, especially if you grew up and spent your first 24-years in a conservative city (Aleppo, Syria)…

The Story of a True Trotskist by ITAI HASID

Published: July 4, 2017
Categories: in Identity, Latest Articles, Tolerance
Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: #crossculturalXchange, #eupeacebuildinginitiative, #thinkactyala, arab, christmas, communism, Friendship, identity, israel, jerusalem, jew, palestine, trotsky, yalacampaign, youth

ISRAEL — The first day of cinema studies, everything is new and my anxiety level is through the roof. Here we are, about 30 people coming from different backgrounds and ages; from the 20 year old guy from Israel’s most high class city to the almost 40 years lady that dedicated her life to the fight for equal rights between Ashkenazim (People from east and central Europe) and Mizrahim (people from Spain and Africa)…

Tag: #crossculturalXchange