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!