Birthday Bowling Bash

OK, so it's a cheesy title, but so are the things we did this evening: bowling, fast food, and umbrella drinks! Today was "Mina" (a new teacher)'s birthday, so "Mary" (a returning teacher), Mina and I went to the Aqua Park to wait for iftar (during Ramadan, restaurants in Hawler are pretty much closed until the time to break the daily fast). Anyway since no pools are open due to a cholera outbreak, we bowled. YES! There is a bowling alley in Erbil. After one game, which the birthday girl appropriately won, we went to Today, a shiny diner-like restaurant for dinner. Our dinner of pizza and fries wasn't much to speak of (no salad- also because of cholera), but what you see to the left is one of the smoothies we finished with. They were unbelievable concoctions topped with slices of apples, bananas, plums, lemons, oranges, pinapples and a few walnuts- the lot held together with toothpicks and a bit of whipped cream. I promise anyone who comes to visit me here in Hawler one of Today's special smoothies.