Some observations

I’ve been trying to come up with a good blog entry, but since this is my second time here, I feel like it’s harder for me to see things from an outsider’s perspective. Most things just feel normal to me now. But, I did come up with a list of random things that I find interesting here that don’t individually warrant a blog entry, but the combination of them might make a good entry. :)

First observation: A new screen. Last time I was here I got “attacked” by a bat while I was showering in my Kurdish family’s bathroom. Apparently I screamed quite loudly, and they all felt so bad for me since they’ve never seen a bat in the bathroom before. (They told me it must’ve been a boy bat, because only a boy bat would fly in to a girl’s shower. Then they decided I was safe since bats are blind!) Anyway, when I arrived back here in March, one of the first things I noticed was a screen installed in the bathroom window. Why? So Janine wouldn’t get attacked by a bat again. Thanks guys. Bat in Kurdish = Shamshamakwera. Here’s a picture of the newly screened window. Sorry shamshamakwera, no more attacking Janine.






Second observation: Spring cleaning. I think I wrote about this in my blog last time, but spring house cleaning is really intense here, and that’s what’s been going on the last few days here. They take out all the rugs and literally scrub down and hose the walls and floors. They shampoo all the carpets and hang them out to dry, then store them for the winter. It’s super hard work. It’s much more an activity of tradition than an activity of necessity. They do have vacuum cleaners now… but they still feel like they need to do this with all the rugs. Here’s a picture of one of one of Harsin’s mom’s rugs hanging off of Harsin’s balcony to dry.





Third observation: I must have been born in the wrong century. I’ve been realizing recently that life is much better when the electricity is off. Some of my most fun times here is when the electricity is out. There’s no TV and no internet to distract people from interacting with each other. So, that means we either sit on the swing on the porch and tell stories, or we sit inside and eat sunflower seeds and drink tea while listening to American pop music on a crackly battery powered radio, or we teach each other children’s games that we grew up with. Really, these things just become more fun in the dark! Speaking of eating sunflower seeds, this is an art here. I’m getting pretty good at it, but I still can crack and eat only 1 seed to their five. There’s no electricity in Kurdish = Karaba nia.





Fourth Observation: The steps. For some reason, most of the steps here are not evenly spaced. In general, the very top step is a lot bigger or smaller than the rest of the steps. However, sometimes each step is a different size. This can make for really awkward step climbing. This is especially true in the pharmacy building I teach at, and someday I’m sure I’m going to trip. I’ll let you know when that happens. Really, someone tell me, is it that difficult to plan ahead and space steps out evenly?? Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of this one. People might think I’m a crazy American if they see me taking pictures of their steps.

Fifth Observation: Shoes. We always take our shoes off as soon as or right before we enter a house. Here’s a pile of shoes in Harsin and Taib’s entryway. Can you pick out mine?





Sixth Observation: Food is fun and good. After weeks of fighting for this, I was finally able to take Harsin and Taib, Harsin’s parents, and her brother’s family out for dinner. We had a great time. This restaurant served us like 5 courses and I think we all made ourselves a little sick by eating too much…






Seventh Observation: Temperature Change. Since I got here the temperature has been quite pleasant. However, in a matter of days, it went from being pleasant in the afternoon to over 100 degrees. Unfortunately, it’s only May… I can’t wait until August. Last year I missed out on the August heat. I wanted to take a good picture of my thermometer reading, but unfortunately it’s a comfortable 94 degrees out there, and that doesn’t make for such an exciting picture! It’s hot in Kurdish = Zor germa.

Eighth Observation: Earthquake. We had one here two days ago at 6:30 am. No picture to prove this one either…


Well, that’s eight observations. That’s a good number, right? If you made it through to the end, thanks for reading. :) And I hope you enjoyed the Kurdish lesson.