Hello all… I am so sorry that I havent been keeping up with my blog. I have some pretty funny stories from Africa and I will try to make time this week and catch up on all of my July and August adventures.
I arrived in Kurdistan late on August 20th. I got to my great little two bedroom apt in the compound around midnight. This was after an 18 hour layover in Beruit where I decided to sleep from 3am til noon and then just hang around the airport til my 7pm departure that was delayed until 9pm, the last two hours I was asleep on the plane on the runway.
After arriving I immediately began to unpack, decorate my bedroom and at 4am my roommate arrived. We both finished unpacking, rearranged the living room, kitchen, and balcony and by 9am we were ready to hit the grocery store. Life is good here, the neighbors are great, the other teachers are cool, we managed to befriend some of the military guys so our thursdays (the last day of school for the week, so “fridays”)are spent at a place called The Edge. There is usually 3 other girls and 3 guys that dance from 11pm til 3am and we dont stop shaking and jumping and singing until the lights come up. I havent danced like that in a long time and at the end of the night my feet are tired but I always have such a great time. Lately we have also been able to expereince some amazing cooking from a chef who owns a restaurant in Costa Rica but is working on the military compound. So after we dance the night away we run into one of the guys house, grab a bunch of desserts (last two were tiramuso – the best i have ever had, and chocolate cheese cake with chocolate crust and chocolate shavings on top). Always great to enjoy an amazing dessert after a long evening of dancing!
It is still really hot here so I do take a lot of naps. We go out often but usually wait til dusk when the sun isnt scorching and you can actually enjoy yourself. We have taken a few excursions around the city, an exclusive tour of the citadel, and a all day roadtrip to two different waterfalls. I will give more details and pictures in the next coming days.
Life here is good. Basically the same as in the States except I have to wait for the school shuttle to take me into town on their schedule, I have to cover up more than I would like (no tank tops) even on hot days, and I recently was unable to go into a bar/restaurant because I was a women. I have found a few grocery stores that have everything I need. Ok, maybe not everything, cant find mexican taco seasoning packets, and of course no fake chicken nuggets or vegeterian burgers but I have my peanut butter, chocolate sauce and ice cream so I am set.
School started on September 14th after two weeks of training and a long 4 day weekend. I have never started that late in the school year and by the 2nd week of September I was really missing the inside of the classroom. I am now in a classroom with 34 kids, not enough books, and a room that isnt quite big enough for all those desks. I heard the class size will drop to 30 but I will not hold my breath. I love my kids, they are so adorable. I still have difficulty with some of their names, especially the classes where I teach yoga only once a week.
Promise to catch up with Africa and the beginning of my Kurdistan Daze, as soon as I can.