THE ELEVENTH HOUR

So here I am in the eleventh hour of the last day here in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.

I don't know what to feel.

I am so excited to see my friends, my family, and my loved ones (you know who you are). But I am already sad that I must say goodbye to my PLC family, my new friends, and the greatest place I have ever been.

Don't get me wrong, Iraq isn't easy on the eyes. Its dusty, dirty, grimy, brown, beige, tan, and dusty. What makes it great is the people. I am going to miss the genuine, kind hearted nature of the Kurdish people. As great as America is, we are pretty bad at being hospitable, kind, or generous, in comparison to Kurdistan.

I make more friends on a daily basis (accidentally) just by randomly talking to strangers in tea shops and stores than I ever would in America (even if I was actually trying.

This has been the most enlightening 10 weeks of my life. UGH... I am so exhausted I do not even know what to say. Time to sleep. See you American's soon!

ONE WEEK LEFT?

Oh my goodness, I have only one week left. I can absolutely not believe that this internship is almost over. This has been the most incredible 10 weeks of my life. I have learned a great deal about myself and my future through this journey, and I have learned even more about a culture and a people that is truly incredible. Its been a while since I wrote so I am going to briefly mention a couple of really awesome things

Last monday the whole PLC team went on an exciting picnic to Amhed Awa, a waterfall that runs through the mountains of Kurdistan. We drove around an hour and a half outside of Sulyamaniyah to the river where we enjoyed a delicious lunch. After eating myself and 6 of our group hired a driver to drive us a couple of miles up the river. By up the river I really mean around extremely windy roads on the edge of precipices for 30 minutes. We careened around corners and between parked bulldozers and into what we joked was probably Pakistan. The dangerous ride was well worth it. We hiked up a trail adjacent to the rushing river littered with tiny shops selling touristy trinkets and ridiculous looking hats. It was absolutely beautiful, green trees, clear water, and cool air (finally). We spent about a 20 minutes walking up to the base of the falls and another 40 talking with arab tourists and scrambling up slimy wet rocks to try and feel the spray of the waterfall. This may just be the visual highlight of the trip! We hiked back to the picnic site instead of taking the high and dangerous road. This was a hot and long trek but worthwhile and beautiful as I got to see  simple stone homes built into the side of the hills and cliffs. Overall, it was an extraordinary day.

I have been learning Kurdish for the past month from my friend and pizza shop owner Meran. He is generous with his time and has been giving me lessons most nights of the week. I know the alphabet and can sound out words on signs and elsewhere around town. It is such a beautiful and exciting language. The completely different alphabet has its challenges but is incredible and interesting. Reading from right to left is becoming more habitual and I have even read signs on buildings in kurdish before I even see the english name. I am currently working on a logo for the klash maker that Preemptive Love Coalition has been partnering with, Kaka Aram. He is a master at making the traditional shoes, which take upwards of 40 hours per pair, by hand. I have already purchased a couple of pairs to support his business and bring some Kurdish culture back with me to America. You can order them through PLC's sub company www.buyshoessavelives.com

Kaka Aram's new logo. The kurdish reads the same as the english, Awesar (his hometown).

I am finding myself ready to come home and finish school, but I am excited to possibly return next year and I am eager to continue my work with PLC upon my return to the states!

I really suck at this whole updating thing

Hey everyone.

For the record, I am still alive, and while it seems that I have dropped off the face of the earth, I am in fact sitting in an internet capable hotel lobby in the eastern hemisphere of this planet.

A couple weeks ago my mother left me a worried message explaining that there was a bombing in Iraq and that she was concerned I had not called her since it had happened. She was right to worry... not because I was in any danger, but because I indeed am her son and she my mother, and thus it is her right. But just in case you were worried about me too, let me explain to you how in danger I was. I did not even hear about the bombing until my mom's message, and I have yet to hear about it since. This either means that Yellow Journalism is still alive and well in America and blew (no pun intended) the news out of proportion, or that Iraqi news doesn't travel all that well. I have a feeling that it is a combination of both.

I am so sorry for not updating you, my friends and supporters in quite a while! Truth be told, I hate writing about myself, and this trip isn't exciting enough for me to feel like writing daily posts. Now don't get me wrong, I love being here, and my experience has been incredible thus far, but I am not off exploring the hidden caves in the border mountains or running around town searching for hole-in-the-wall shops and trinkets. This is not a vacation. It is a 10 week intensive job, and it comes with a lot of responsibility. Aside from daily chores ranging from cooking for 10 people to cleaning the living room, the interns are working 9 to 5 5 days a week. For me this usually turns into 6 days a week as I am constantly designing for PLC.

At this point I have more than settled into the routine and it feels like I am an not just an intern but a part of the PLC family. With only 3 weeks left, I am already realizing how much I am going to miss being here!

P.S. My camera is broken, but I am going to try and get some photos up soon!