In 2012, Bana and her family bought round trip tickets to the United States, planning to return to Syria once the war ended. But things didn’t get better, and they didn’t go home. With time, they made a new home in West Virginia, opening a restaurant called Beity, the Arabic word for “my home.”

I had the pleasure to work at Beity with Bana and her husband. Every shift I would come in smiling and go out smiling. If you’ve ever worked in a service job, you know that’s rare. Meet Bana, hear her story, and enjoy the last full episode of Sandstone!

When I first began my explorations in the Arab world, I was a dedicated Spy Cluber with big dreams and closed mind. I was searching for good and bad. East and West. Right and wrong. And I looked. I looked hard. But I just found people … and stories. And the deeper I went, the more uncertain I was. In this final mini episode, I share some of the feels that I’ve felt throughout this journey - how I’ve changed and what I’ve learned. Tune in and hear the behind the scenes of Sandstone!

Air strikes. Denied permits. Restricted freedoms. This is Gaza. Gaza is a Palestinian territory occupied by the state of Israel. In Episode 10, we’ll meet a Palestinian family from Gaza who will tell us what life is really like on the ground.

It’s said that this land is holy; it’s said that this land is home. Yet both Israelis and Palestinians claim this land and they both call it home. Nearly a century since the establishment of the state of Israel, hostilities and injustice remain. So what’s up with the Holy Land? Tune in and find out!

Poverty in Appalachia. Protests in the Middle East. In both regions, conflict and struggle have been defined as cultural problems, self-inflicted and incurable. But are we in Appalachia just behind the times? And is the Middle East inherently prone to conflict? The answers are more complicated than we might think. And when we attempt to explain the headlines of today, history might be worth considering.

Ted is Syrian, a refugee from a war torn country. But that’s just one of his stories, and it’s not the story you’ll hear today. Ted might be a refugee, but he’s an engineer, too. He’s a musician, an Uber Driver, and a Wendy’s Manager. He’s a friend and a fellow mountaineer. Tune in to meet the man named Solidarity!

Stay alert. Lock the doors. Keep your eyes peeled, your phone on, and text me when you get home.

Safety is important, but what happens when precaution is informed by prejudice? And when that prejudice is determined by color or culture?

In Episode 6 of Sandstone, we'll hear real stories and real talk about prejudice and how it affects the world around us. Tune in!

Mohammed was devoutly Muslim. Emma was devoutly Christian. Yet after years of devotion to their respective religions, they are both confronted with doubts and questions. Ultimately, they must choose to either make-up or break-up with the religions that they knew to be true.

Tune in to hear the full story!

In Episode 4 of Sandstone, we'll hear the story of Kip, a young Alabamian who converted to Islam and eventually became the religious leader of a Muslim community in West Virginia.

In Episode 2 of Sandstone, we meet Kafa, a Yemeni woman who spent a year studying abroad in West Virginia. During her time in West Virginia, she befriended a West Virginia gentleman, Andrew. But by the time Kafa and Andrew realized that they were falling for each other, it was too late. Kafa had already gone back to Yemen. Confronted with war, a travel ban, and an arranged marriage, will their love triumph? Listen to find out!