I can't help but feel a little awestruck as I am welcomed into Radhika Hamlai's studio. A bright room filled with sunlight, commanding sweeping views of low whitewashed villas and elegant minarets rising towards the sky, greets me.

Dates are the main agricultural crop in Oman and the country is the world's 8th largest producer of dates. They are offered with coffee and as gifts, they often break the fast during Ramadan, and apparently, they kept scurvy at bay for sailors in times passed.

Dates. You know, those little brown ones, hailed for their nutritional value, often found in 'healthy snacks'? Did you know that your healthy snack could be the result of a lengthy hand pollination process, and that knowledge of each date palm is passed down from father to son? Read on to learn more!

The Norwegian bunad, often referred to as our national costume, springs from traditional pre-1800 folk costumes. Hulda Garborg was instrumental in investing folk costumes with cultural/political meaning, creating an outfit that has become a symbol of 'Norwegianness'.

The other day, the oldest one had a classmate over to the house. The friend's mum and I shared a cup of tea in the garden. We don't know each other well, so we talked about 'safe' topics, like, what are your plans for the summer holiday?

Years ago, when I had just moved to Damascus, I read Bridgid Keenan's Diplomatic Baggage, looking to bring some humor into organizing my life around water cuts, power cuts, petrol queues and empty ATMs. I knew that Ms. Keenan had lived in Damascus, and grown to love it. Her chapter was exactly what I was looking for, and indeed,...

In the early days of December 2007, I stood on Mount Qasioun with my husband and my daughter and looked out over the sprawling city of Damascus, hoping that we could make a happy home there.

Once upon a time at a book group on Borneo, a wise mum told me that raising globally minded kids is important, because they are the leaders of tomorrow. They hold the power to change mindsets for the future and make the world more tolerant and inclusive of diversity in all its forms.

Last year, we spent Ramadan in Oman for the first time in a decade. I'll be honest enough to admit that initially, I was less than enthusiastic at the prospect. Combining end of year farewells, busy preparations for summer leave and a hectic schedule with 40 degrees, altered opening hours and no food or drink in public seemed exhausting.

What's so great about Norway? Why did you move back? These are questions I've been asked countless times; questions to which there are no short or fool-proof answers.