Nepal, Jan. 30 -- Among the hundreds of Nepali words that have been borrowed from Arabic, there's one that has always remained fresh: taza, which just so happens to mean 'fresh'.

Shreiqi was born and raised in Saudi Arabia to Syrian parents, who were working in the country. They lived in Saudi Arabia until Shreiqi was 10, before returning to their hometown in Aleppo, Syria.

Bassel completed his secondary-level education, majoring in Commerce, in Aleppo and then moved again to Dubai, in search of better employment opportunities.

This was in 2010, just about a year before the civil war broke out in Syria, as the government cracked down on peaceful demonstrations against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, protesting increasing unemployment...