This post will recount my first day living in the Courtney's house in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan. Right off the bat, I would like to adress the lack of photos so far. This is because I have not taken any, not because I do not want to, but because it is a very sensitive thing in Kurdistan... and the power just went out.... now its back. Anyways. PLC asked us not to take camera's out on the first day to the bazaar, so that we could get a lay of the land without drawing extra attention to ourselves. In the past, interns' cameras have been taken away from them by police because they took pictures of certain buildings or of uniformed individuals. For this reason PLC wanted to make sure we knew what not to photograph so that we can be conscious of our actions. In this culture ramifications for mistakes can be great. Honor is incredibly important, and if I do something foolish I can bring shame on Preemptive Love. That being said, we have been given the ok to take cameras with us as long as we are smart about it and we don't photograph police without asking them, we don't photograph women or families without asking, and we never ever photograph government buildings, as it is a security risk.
DAY 1
So... everyone in the house woke up by 7:15 and the guys who have the downstairs bathroom took turns taking showers. By 8:30 we were all in the living room updating Facebook and checking emails. At 8:45 the six interns piled into Jessica Courtney's car and drove to the PLC office, which is only a few blocks away! The office is extremely conveniently located. Every person directly involved with PLC lives within walking distance of the office (such a God thing). We had buns from the Turkish bakery below the office for breakfast, and were given our task for the morning: Go to the bazaar and buy a SIM card for each of our cell phones, buy passport photos for our Iraqi visas, drink a fruit smoothie, meet some Kurds in the process, and meet up at the Sara Restaurant across town for lunch.
We split into two groups (I was in a group with Ben and Ted), and we began our adventure. First thing we had to do was flag down a taxi, and using the limited Kurdish on our PLC reference cards ask the driver to take us to the bazaar. We found a driver. At first we thought the taxi driver understood us, but as we traveled further and further into the city, and as he spoke more and more rapidly in a language we were deaf to, we began to feel uneasy and little worried. But, we were just being white. He did in fact know where the bazaar was, and took us there promptly. Once on the main street my senses were assaulted. The street was lined with shops selling fruit, meat, jewelry, cellphones, clothing, shoes, photos, and so much more. We walked up the street looking for a place to exchange our money into Dinar. We finally found one about a quarter mile up the bazaar, and exchanged 100 dollars which equals roughly 119 Hezar (119,000 Dinar). Our next goal was to locate AsiaCell SIM cards. We found a shop back down the road and the man, whose name we later learned was Basquiat (thats phonetic, and definitely not how his name is really spelled) asked us for our passports and pointed to our photos. It seemed as if we were supposed to give him passport photos of us before we could purchase the SIM card. We departed and walked to a nearby photo shop where we got passport photos taken. The owner of the shop was very helpful and even spoke some english. He took us into the back room where he had a camera set up for just this kind of thing. He snapped a photo of each of us and we awaited patiently as he printed out 5 each for us. We paid and walked back down to the SIM card shop, where we learned that we needed not only passport photos but a photocopy of our passports. We said "Basha" (its good) and returned to the photo shop to inquire about photocopies. The man there was incredibly kind, not only did he make copies for us, but he gave them to us because we were his friends! In Kurdistan it take about 4 minutes to make a friend. Awesome. We went back to the cellphone shop, and finally were able to secure SIM cards. He took our passport copies and our fingerprints and filled out an AsiaCell form with our info. I assume this is the equivalent of a Verizon contract. We had about an hour to kill, so we found a juice bar and ordered a refreshing smoothie. I had strawberry. It was delicious. Then we walked back up and down the bazaar before hailing a taxi and making our way to the restaurant.
Upon getting in the taxi, I noticed photos on the dashboard, and so, using my Kurdish dictionary, I attempted to strike up a conversation. He was extremely nice! He helped the three of us in the car hone the few words of Kurdish we knew and we asked about his photos. He told us a little about his family and was very open to sharing. He dropped us off, and refused payment for our ride despite our insistance, telling us that we were friends! Friendship here is awesome. I hope to meet Zana, the taxi driver again so I can pay him double for my next ride, because he is my friend.
Lunch at Sara was ridiculously good! We were served Naan (flatbread) rice, beans, stewed eggplant and vegetables, savory cooked apricots, chicken kabob, and beef kabob. It was incredibly delicious, incredibly filling, and incredibly cheap. In total it was about 4 to 5 Hazar for this meal per person, which equals roughly $3.50-$4.50. SO FREAKING GOOD.
Anyways, the rest of the afternoon comprised of additional orientation, sharing of goals, and information about PLC and Iraq. At 5:30 we ate dinner (taco salad), at the Courtney's which I will now be calling home. Then the ladies went to a Kurdish wedding, while the guys talked, and prayed. Overall it was an excellent day, and was more than eye opening! Day 2 to come soon, but for now, time to read and seek!
DAY 1
So... everyone in the house woke up by 7:15 and the guys who have the downstairs bathroom took turns taking showers. By 8:30 we were all in the living room updating Facebook and checking emails. At 8:45 the six interns piled into Jessica Courtney's car and drove to the PLC office, which is only a few blocks away! The office is extremely conveniently located. Every person directly involved with PLC lives within walking distance of the office (such a God thing). We had buns from the Turkish bakery below the office for breakfast, and were given our task for the morning: Go to the bazaar and buy a SIM card for each of our cell phones, buy passport photos for our Iraqi visas, drink a fruit smoothie, meet some Kurds in the process, and meet up at the Sara Restaurant across town for lunch.
We split into two groups (I was in a group with Ben and Ted), and we began our adventure. First thing we had to do was flag down a taxi, and using the limited Kurdish on our PLC reference cards ask the driver to take us to the bazaar. We found a driver. At first we thought the taxi driver understood us, but as we traveled further and further into the city, and as he spoke more and more rapidly in a language we were deaf to, we began to feel uneasy and little worried. But, we were just being white. He did in fact know where the bazaar was, and took us there promptly. Once on the main street my senses were assaulted. The street was lined with shops selling fruit, meat, jewelry, cellphones, clothing, shoes, photos, and so much more. We walked up the street looking for a place to exchange our money into Dinar. We finally found one about a quarter mile up the bazaar, and exchanged 100 dollars which equals roughly 119 Hezar (119,000 Dinar). Our next goal was to locate AsiaCell SIM cards. We found a shop back down the road and the man, whose name we later learned was Basquiat (thats phonetic, and definitely not how his name is really spelled) asked us for our passports and pointed to our photos. It seemed as if we were supposed to give him passport photos of us before we could purchase the SIM card. We departed and walked to a nearby photo shop where we got passport photos taken. The owner of the shop was very helpful and even spoke some english. He took us into the back room where he had a camera set up for just this kind of thing. He snapped a photo of each of us and we awaited patiently as he printed out 5 each for us. We paid and walked back down to the SIM card shop, where we learned that we needed not only passport photos but a photocopy of our passports. We said "Basha" (its good) and returned to the photo shop to inquire about photocopies. The man there was incredibly kind, not only did he make copies for us, but he gave them to us because we were his friends! In Kurdistan it take about 4 minutes to make a friend. Awesome. We went back to the cellphone shop, and finally were able to secure SIM cards. He took our passport copies and our fingerprints and filled out an AsiaCell form with our info. I assume this is the equivalent of a Verizon contract. We had about an hour to kill, so we found a juice bar and ordered a refreshing smoothie. I had strawberry. It was delicious. Then we walked back up and down the bazaar before hailing a taxi and making our way to the restaurant.
Upon getting in the taxi, I noticed photos on the dashboard, and so, using my Kurdish dictionary, I attempted to strike up a conversation. He was extremely nice! He helped the three of us in the car hone the few words of Kurdish we knew and we asked about his photos. He told us a little about his family and was very open to sharing. He dropped us off, and refused payment for our ride despite our insistance, telling us that we were friends! Friendship here is awesome. I hope to meet Zana, the taxi driver again so I can pay him double for my next ride, because he is my friend.
Lunch at Sara was ridiculously good! We were served Naan (flatbread) rice, beans, stewed eggplant and vegetables, savory cooked apricots, chicken kabob, and beef kabob. It was incredibly delicious, incredibly filling, and incredibly cheap. In total it was about 4 to 5 Hazar for this meal per person, which equals roughly $3.50-$4.50. SO FREAKING GOOD.
Anyways, the rest of the afternoon comprised of additional orientation, sharing of goals, and information about PLC and Iraq. At 5:30 we ate dinner (taco salad), at the Courtney's which I will now be calling home. Then the ladies went to a Kurdish wedding, while the guys talked, and prayed. Overall it was an excellent day, and was more than eye opening! Day 2 to come soon, but for now, time to read and seek!
Dude, I didn't say take pictures of sensitive buildings, people, or anything that will get you in trouble. How about them green hills you spoke of or any part of your beloved Turkey - turkey! How about the place you are living, the cool people you are hanging and working with. Sheeesh.
ReplyDeleteHi Anton;
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why, but my comments aren't showing up on here. I'm trying again though. Will be so looking forward to a few photos of you, where you are staying and the crew you are with. There are a number of people asking about your welfare. I'm passing the blog spot on. Love you if you get this comment!
Excellent blog info Anton!! I think you have the gift of explaining just the right amount of detail. I'm excited to hear about your friendships there. I'm sure your charming personality and the ease with which you speak to others makes the people there comfortable with you. I know they appreciate that you are trying to communicate with them in their language. God is doing mighty things already; I just know it! Praying for you, and missing you too.
ReplyDeleteLove, Dawn