And with FRIENDS, too!!! FRIENDS!!! I feel so lucky, masha'allah. So I met another English teacher in town, Gwen, and she's just wonderful. She could be a Whittie. That's one of the best compliments I can give her. And I've recently connected with an Arabic teacher from the school, Sa'ada. She's from Lebanon, and is … Continue reading Ahmed Awa, OKHAI (FINALLY)!
Saudade.
I love hearing from you all. I love knowing you're all out there, my loved ones. And, as self-indulgent as it is, I also love hearing that people enjoy my writing and hearing about my experiences. One thing I find intriguing is how many people say, "when you get back..." People assume this is temporary. … Continue reading Ira W Esta (Here And Now)
I often debate how much I should reveal of myself. Here, especially. In the states, what I say is dependent upon my comfort. Here, it's also dependent upon my safety. So where do I draw the line? Because here's the thing: I'm on very shaky ground here. I need friends, and I can't afford to … Continue reading Freedom of Speech?
Electricity off. Electricity on... Electricity off. This afternoon's count is 12. Since it's winter, people are using their heaters, which strains the system. And when it rains the internet slow way down. When there's a thunderstorm the internet goes out altogether. Appreciate what you've got. And have a good number of candles and books on hand.
When I meet Kurds and Iraqis in public, there are three questions I am invariably asked. Same order, same wording, same rapidity.1) Are you married?2) Where's your father?3) Where's your brother?And the answers - no, America, America - never make anyone happy. After the third question they always give up and sigh.Once I lied, but … Continue reading The Trifecta
Just finished a Thanksgiving at my flat with Arab, Lebanese, Palestinian, Kurdish, American, and Norwegian guests. So much food! And so many different types - people brought what they knew how to cook, which included brinj (Kurdish), hummus (Lebanese), baniya (Palestinian), and Budweiser (American). In order to be culturally ok with everyone, I only invited … Continue reading Thanksgiving
Honestly, who cares about the destination. The journeys are usually much more fabulous. So. Picking up where I left off a while ago: After Kirkuk, we drove on to Arbil. I wanted to see the Arbil citadel, which is supposedly the oldest continually inhabited structure on earth (supposedly), but when we got there it unfortunately … Continue reading EID CONTINUED: The Journey to Dar Mar Matta (St. Matthew’s Monastery)
Yep. I've been working in Kurdistan for 3 whole months. That's like, a quarter of a year. Or a third of a school year. And the best part? This means there's only 1 month until winter vacation... Do I have my priorities straight? Who cares, I'm getting the job done AND having fun.
A scorpion wants to cross a river, and sees a turtle nearby. The scorpion crawls over, and asks the turtle to ferry him across the river on his back. The turtle asks the scorpion, "How will I know that you won't sting me once I've taken you across the river?" The scorpion says, "If you … Continue reading A Story From My Palestinian Friend…
In Mutual Weirdness 