Life choices we make in 100 words or fewer

Photo courtesy of Jihane Abou Chabke

Being Lebanese in a foreign country like America can imply many things that aren’t necessarily true. People might be ignorant of the fact that 40 percent of Lebanon’s population is Christian, but making assumptions tends to be annoying. “Happy Ramadan!” read one e-mail from an interpreter I work with. And once I was telling a guy that most girls in my country live with their parents and stay virgins until they are married. “Oh but now you’re in America,” he replied matter-of-factly. Yes, it’s true, but does that make my personal values and beliefs any different?
~ ”Jihane Abou Chabke”, Alexandria, Va.

Photo courtesy of Lauren Fulbright

There is an expression, I think, about living on dreams and shoestrings. I have a little more than that. Coffee, and take-out containers, and the way the sunlight looks as it dances on the surface of my guitar in the morning. The feeling I get with a pen in hand, and the reporter’s notebooks piled high on my desk. People ask why I can’t choose more lucrative professions. “So, you’re a singer-songwriter turned journalist?” they ask, brows furled. “What do you plan to do with that?” I smile and never answer.
I prefer to ask questions.
~ ”Lauren Fulbright”, McLean, Va.