CHEFCHAOUEN...💙

CHEFCHAOUEN...The Blue Pearl of Morocco

 Chefchaouen was painted blue by Jewish refugees fleeing violence and persecution from the Spanish Inquisition in 1478.

Refugees do not leave their homes for better lives...they leave to save their lives

From my Singaporean BFF ❤️

“Esther and I have been friends since our high school days at the Singapore American School.  Even back then, I somehow knew that her life would turn out to be far from the ordinary.  Esther has a restless nature, not content to take the usual path mapped out by most of our mothers, i.e. to graduate from college, marry a Singaporean man and start a family soon after.  She was always curious and had an imaginative mind;  Esther had great romantic notions and would day dream about being swept off her feet to some far away place by a dashing hero!  Several years later when Esther was in college in Washington DC, she excitedly wrote to me about the man whom she had fallen in love with, a Libyan.

We did not see very much of each other in the years that followed, except for the few times when Esther visited her parents in Singapore.  During these visits, she would tell me about her new life in Libya, which always intrigued me, and then during her last trip home, Esther related to me about the suspense and horror of her escape from Libya with her children. 

In my mind at the time, Libya was so far away and foreign, and I must admit that I could neither fully comprehend nor grasp the intensity of the fear and terror of her circumstances then.

It is wonderful that Esther has finally told her story in a book, The Libyan.  Through her keen eye, perception and sensitivity, Esther has brilliantly narrated her life in Libya - new environment and experiences, her great and passionate love for her husband and his warm close knit family;  this was followed by the terror and fear of living under the Ghaddafi regime; and finally, her harrowing escape from Libya with her children.  

This book holds many wonderful memories for me, and it is so fascinating yet so full of suspense that i could not put it down until i got to the end.  Having finished reading it, I am now able to finally fill in the gaps between all the events about which Esther had tried to tell me during her few intermittent visits to Singapore.

My friend Esther is indeed an extraordinary woman who has led an extraordinary life.  And i am happy that she has found in her heart to forgive and is at peace with herself."

Ei-Ling Tan, 2016.

LIBYA pre-1969...

LIBYA pre-1969... 

THE LIBYAN 

http://amzn.to/1Qcmc6C

Pinterest...
https://www.pinterest.com/TheLibyan/

Central bank of Libya, Tripoli Libya, 1956

Libyan women marching for the right to vote, 1963

Libyan Girl Scouts with Queen Fatima of Libya

Bookmobile, Libya, 1958

Tripoli, Libya, 1965

Catholic Cathedral, Cathedral Piazza, Tripoli, Libya, 1957

Libyan Police Regiment in the 1950's

Oil Company School in Tripoli, Libya

Tripoli, Libya, 1960's

Tripoli University, 1966

#LobbyForTheChildren

Seriously...

What is the world and world leaders going to do for the millions of orphaned and homeless kids? 

I'm disgusted that people are more concerned for the welfare of animals than they are for unwanted children. Maybe it's time to set up shelters and a lobbying group for children...

This is humanity at its lowest, to not do something for our most vulnerable...

#LobbyForTheChildren

Best friends...❤️

I have some truly awesome friends...

First of all, they're really nice, unpretentious, and to your face (not behind your back) honest people. As a result, some of us have been kicked out of houses and reviled by in-laws and outlaws...

We pretend we don't care.

We have each other, and when we are together, we have the best meals, the loudest gut wrenching laughter, and the warmest of hearts, knowing that confidences and words are honored. 

Coincidentally, my friends are also all beautiful, smart, worldly, generous, fabulous cooks...and most of all, FUN!

So, to my "bestest" of friends, gentle souls all...you know who you are, and I'm sure you know that I love and appreciate you ❤️😘

P.S. You are also the most amazing supporters and publicists for THE LIBYAN, and I don't know what I would have done without you...

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

THE LIBYAN...A Gift from the Past

I had such a wonderful gift from the past  today, from my Singapore American School classmate Fielden Lundy. He sent me a pic from our graduation class which I had never seen before, and wrote a special review as only someone who lived a similar life in a similar time can understand and relate to. 

Thank you, Fielden, from my heart to yours 

❤️

The Libyan, by Esther Kofod, begins as a travelogue, the experiences of growing up in a foreign land, traveling for one’s education, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. The book changes to a love story, full of emotion and feeling. Then, it is a cultural narrative, the experience of new customs and foods and surroundings, the historical and modern view of Libya itself. Slowly, the story becomes a spy thriller, full of intrigue, deception, fear and terror.

Esther does a wonderful job writing these transitions and in weaving them together. We experience the wonder of foreign lands, the overwhelming feelings of love, the history and significance of Libya, the curiosity of new places and the fear of not knowing where life is going. There is joy, there is terror, there is resignation.

The book tells a personal story but with definite worldly undertones. It is often a mirror on the events of the present. Given the political and cultural forces currently at work in the Middle East and elsewhere, Esther’s book is very timely and relevant. It shows that Libya was, and is, far different from the Libya the news shows us. The people, the love of family and country are not so different from our own.

I grew up overseas as well. Esther and I were classmates at the Singapore American School. Reading her words brought back to me many of the feelings Esther describes; curiosity about new places, people, cultures, and foods. The feeling that you are never really at home anywhere. The realization that the world is much larger and fuller and more fascinating than you had ever believed.

I highly recommend The Libyan. It will open your eyes in so many ways. It will expose you to so many different emotions.

THE LIBYAN

Esther Kofod

http://amzn.to/1Qcmc6C

International Women's Day...

My deepest respect and prayers for women everywhere struggling to make a life for themselves and their children ...❤️

#Yemen