As long as I remember, I always wanted to be a journalist. I grew up during the 1975-1990 civil war in Lebanon. In my opinion, the newspapers and TV did not say enough about the suffering of ordinary people. I decided to become a journalist so I could write articles that would make readers around the world better understand Lebanon and the Arab world.

I attended the American University of Beirut, studying political science. At the same time, I held an internship at an English-language newspaper in Beirut. I am now a correspondent for the BBC and a leading Dutch newspaper.

I really enjoy my job because it allows me to meet a lot of different people, from Prime Ministers to farmers to human-rights activists. Sometimes, however, it can be difficult and lonely because of the traveling, the warm weather, and all the deadlines.

Although I often think about being a correspondent in another region of the world, I feel the story in the Middle East continues to be interesting, not only for me but for readers everywhere. From the not-so-known but wonderful painters in Iraq to trials of members of the opposition in Lebanon and the right to vote of women in Kuwait, I feel that I am covering important stories...stories that often involve people who are forgotten in the rest of the world.