Visitors

Having done research on Kurdish diaspora and subsequently worked for more than a semester at our university, it was no real surprise that S was returning for a few weeks in Hawler. But when I received an email informing me that British based Turkish Cypriot friend Y would be visiting from London, it felt completely out of the blue... perhaps because unlike mutual London-based archivist friend, Y never indicated an interest in visiting Iraq or Iraqi Kurdistan. So far, it is more than interesting to have these two friends here at the same time; S who is surprised to find being back almost unbearable, and Y who is pleasantly surprised by what he is encountering and keeps saying, "I never expected..."

I am sure that the shiny new face of the Erbil International Airport, the new ground transportation and the ease and organization of Austrian Airlines made Y's arrival smooth and comfortable... like a mini Dubai without the duty free shopping? And exiting the airport, he would have passed our "luxury" apartments (at least clean and modern from the outside), massive construction sites complete with imposing and impressive stone gates, a few sample homes and cranes inside (how would he know that they have sat abandoned for months?), shiny facades of shopping centers and finally, his home in Hawler, "Erbil International Hotel" (the fake Sheraton). Not that our visit together did much to initiate him into the realities of life here. After coffee, we had to stop to pick up a suit for Mu at a new men's fashion showroom - the likes of which I have never before seen in Hawler. We then went to a Turkish barbecue restaurant which was clean and was patronized by well-turned out locals and internationals alike. But I must admit, I also noticed (with Y pointing things out through the window), that things had changed... at least superficially. The roads back to the hotel were all well lit, and many of the islands between lanes were decorated with a row of fledgling palm trees.

Above photos (by Y) at Manqal Restaurant in Ankawa.
A brief stop for gas, not as flashy as Khak or Sher, not as dingy as the roadside kids with the plastic containers of gas. Photo also Y's.
And this would be Y's first view as he enters the "Sheraton" - the barbecue pit outside of the Atrium garden restaurant.

With S and Mu, it is other things I am reminded of... that the vacuum created by the absence of a rule of law persists and with it, arbitrary decision-making, cynicism, distrust, nepotism and "wasta" (everyone connected to anyone gets a big bite of the pie)... all as just part of the rampant corruption. Every minor government official drives around in a Landcruiser or BMW and the agencies they work for are "too poor" to do anything for the people... not that the people really expect anything or do anything to assist change. What's the point? And for those who really do want to do anything that could be deemed "worthwhile" for Kurdistan, it seems it is necessary to schmooze with any number of greasy politicians who talk about everything except...

OK. Enough of that because it is likely that either I am boring you by restating the blatantly obvious... or making you angry, so I will stop. Last night while out with Y, I got a text from a colleague asking me to dinner tonight because today he has a couch surfer is arriving. Shall I wait and see what his initial impressions of Kurdistan are?