Between our new accomodations and the road to the airport is a field, a rather largish field containing a sort of pond and lots of ummanicured greenery through which every morning sheep wander. With them is a youngish shepherd who every now and then prods them westwards by hitting them with a stick. The sun chases after them and the temperature climbs towards 40 C.
Forget that the banks are strewn with garbage and the pond stinks like sewage, greeting the sheherd and wandering with the sheep (in the cooler early morning) was Cy's pastoral dream of Kurdistan... one which she didn't really get to indulge before leaving. Too bad as I had a couple of students (D and A) who could likely find greener, more romantic sheep/goat-grazing pastures ( like the mountainsides of Shaklawa) for her to tromp around in... and tromp safely.
D & A recently handed in research reports using background information and statistics they had collected at work (whereby they identified areas contaminated with mines and UXO - unexploded ordinances). Now thanks to their efforts, I know what the various types of mines imported by the former Iraqi government look like, what triggers them (and other UXO) and that the majority of people killed or injured by them in the last few years were teenaged shepherds. I am sure there are no mines in the field behind our apartments, but should you try to tromp through it, you would be reminded that you live in Kurdistan. The machine gun toting guards that inhabit the vacant lot to the right of the field might chase you,and ask you what you are doing in the field and direct you back to the road.
I write this post not because of Cy's recent departure, but because today I was reminded of this wish of hers by and the dangers of being a shepherd by an article in the Kurdish Globe on "Kurdistan Region's minefields". It mentions that the minefields are being successfully cleared and attributes the success to awareness campaigns of which my two students were clearly a part. Good going guys... "Harbiji Kak D & Kak A!"
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