Barnabe Geisweiller

Barnabe F. Geisweiller’s love affair with writing and travelling began after reading Wade Davis’ One River: Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon Rain Forest, and attending an adventure guiding school in British Columbia. He went on a 10-month trip to Latin America, discovering first-hand just how “magical” Amazon potions brewed by indigenous shamans in the jungle could be.

Following his numerous adventures, he resigned himself to higher education. After graduating with distinction from Concordia University with a degree in political science, Geisweiller travelled to the Middle East in 2007, where he spent nine months in Nablus, the Palestinian territories. There, Geisweiller founded West Bank Tours, a tourism company which took people to all areas of the West Bank, from settlements to refugee camps. He also taught English to Palestinian children. He later trekked across the region to Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. He recommends people hold off on backpacking through Iraq, for now.

Back in Canada, Geisweiller took a position as a policy analyst with Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, an advocacy and policy group based out of Montreal. He did research for them and wrote reports, as well as met with members of parliament.

He is currently a graduate student at Columbia University’s School of Journalism in New York City, and his articles and essays cover an array of topics, from health to foreign affairs. His work can be found at www.barnabeg.com.