My name is Annette; I am 44 years old, live in Bad Honnef, Germany, and I am the founder and author of the blog ‘ORIENTAL FLAIR’. I also work as a freelance consultant for brand development and intercultural communication. My company is called ‘inspired IDENTITY’.
The Orient with all its cultural treasures, dazzling colors and exotic spices fascinated me right from the beginning … When I traveled to Egypt for the first time in March 2000, I was immediately taken by the friendly people, the country and the culture. I made a 2-week trip to Egypt with my family, starting in Cairo, via Luxor and Aswan, to Sharm el Sheikh and Moses Mountain in Sinai … When I flew with Egypt Air from Munich to Cairo, I had no idea that this was the beginning of a great love to the Orient, its culture and its people…
For many years now the Orient and its countries has been my passion. Having worked abroad for several years, I spent three years in the Middle East and North Africa (Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates) and developed great interest, intercultural competence and respect for the Arab countries and their cultures. I speak Arabic with an Egyptian accent and over the years I have learned a lot from my Arab friends and they have learned from me. I am very grateful for this time in the Orient. Through these experiences, I have become who I am today: open-minded, interested, warm and sincere. A friend once said, ‚You have a German mind and an Egyptian heart.‘
I decided to start my blog ‚ORIENTAL FLAIR‘ because I would like to introduce you to the Orient, its customs and traditions. I would like to take you on a trip to the Orient and tell you about my experiences and feelings. In my view, it is important to deal with a different culture, to meet it with respect and appreciation in order to understand it correctly. It hurts me to see how the Arab world is increasingly being blackened, and is always put the blame on. Of course, the many attacks with Islamic background in recent years are terrible and incredibly sad. But unfortunately we mostly get only the half-truth which results in a bigger gap between the Orient and the Occident. I think it is only to intrigue people. Therefor it’s important for me to tell you mainly the positive side of the Orient in my blog, without overlooking its deficits. First of all I would like to talk about the Oriental culture, the style and the countries that I have traveled so far. It is not my intention to convert or proselytize someone. That’s why I do not want to talk too much about religion here. Occasionally, it will be necessary to explain something about Islam, but that is more the exception.
Now I am looking forward to an intercultural exchange with you. Write me if you have questions and suggestions.
Kind regards, Annette