Öz-Has

As I often post photos of my plant babies, I thought that I should also post a photo of the nursery where they came from. While not the cheapest nursery in Hawler, Has is my favorite as the plants are healthy and beautiful.... and there is a goodly selection of plants that might be considered exotic: bird of paradise plants, bottle brush trees, a variety of palms for both inside and out (by the way, I do realize that "exotic" is relative to where you are from).

The picture below is what you will see from the road after you pass Rizgari Hospital and are on the way towards Modern City.
Below is something fragrant and beautiful which I have as yet NOT purchased for my balcony...

When I arrive (if on my own), the greenhouse full of house plants is the first place I head for...

My last visit was with Lesley, who lent me her camera to take these photos. She wanted to browse and possibly buy another houseplant for her thriving collection. She also bought me a little gift - an orange gerbera! (Thank you Lesley, I haven't killed it... yet.)

And below is Ali, who always makes us sit for a cup of Turkish coffee before we pay for our finds and head home.

Armed and Hungry?

But unlike at the bank, the bakeries and coffee shops don't provide a place to leave your mobile phones... or guns?

Smell of Petrol

For just about two years, most of us Naz CIty residents have been wondering why it is that upon our return home each day that we are greeted with such an overwhelmingly strong smell of petrol it is like a sharp stinging slap in the face. Many of us have been worried that it was due to some kind of gas or petrol leak that could end in something dire.

Mystery Solved?
I have recently been informed that it is not in fact petrol, but kerosene. Could it really be true that the cleaners clean the stone floor in the hallways and stairs with kerosene? If so, I hope that none of my smoker neighbors (or guests) light up on their way in or out.

PS. Is it normal to clean anything but engines with kerosene?

Just like home...

After a hard week of struggling to get caught up with marking, to get my exams ready, to help students with last minute qeries about their essays, etc... today was a welcome break. The whole day felt almost like a day back home. After a leisurely (and happy - see below) brunch, I went shopping and bought a dress with such lovely embroidery, it inspired envy among my friends. After this, although people rarely ring my doorbell anymore, I had a steady stream of visitors (although one was just a colleague needing a corkscrew). But the highlight of the day was really opening the edible treasures brought from the UK by my houseguest! So nice in a landlocked place to have smoked salmon as an appetizer followed by mussels cooked in a garlic and white wine sauce. Now I am really itching for vacation where I will be able to stuff myself silly with sushi, grilled prawns, sauteed scallops, cedar planked salmon, raw oysters... and maybe even lobster!

Shopping with MAXI MONEY

Eggs, hot chilis, tomatoes, bread... It seems that I haven't been shopping for anything other than groceries in years. This seems strange as I used to go shopping EVERY weekend when I first arrived... Ah, all the wonders of the sprawling bazaar; Indian kohl, henna, spices, gold from Dubai and India, 50-year old handmade kilims, carpets & camel saddlebags, cheap plastic shoes from China, synthetic "Islamic fashion" from Turkey and piles of soap from Syria! But as for my own clothes? With the exception of a few rather uncomfortable synthetic appropriately modest shirts, I buy all my clothes overseas.

So today was rather an event... While at lunch at Bakery & More, T reached into her purse and pulled out some MAXI MONEY! Before when you wanted to get to Bakery & More, you could just ask the taxi driver to take you to Sky Cafeteria... now it is MAXIMALL, which is located directly across from Bakery & More.
MAXIMALL is also filled with Turkish clothes (like the bazaar), but unlike the bazaar, it isn't all synthetic... it just looks like regular shop, containing clothes from Turkish high street brands. Think H&M. I actually bought stuff. After this experience, I have decided that I should get over my skepticism and try Istanbul Bazaar and the shops in Rhine Mall in Iskan.

Happy Friday Brunch

Living in Erbil, one has to work hard to find ways to amuse oneself and one's friends... sometimes one resorts to the downright childish... Above simmers my version of Turkish breakfast favorite, Menemen (eggs poached on top of a vegetable saute: mine includes onion, cubed eggplant, green chilis, orange bell pepper and tomatoes).

It is regretful that despite the addition of a little cheese and fresh basil from my balcony garden, the end result (below) wasn't quite as happy!

Recipe for a Terrible Sleep

Ingredients:
summer heat (yes, evenings are hot already)
dysfunctional air conditioner
mosquitos

Instructions:
1. Turn on air conditioner until room is cold.
2. Turn off air conditioner (as it is too cold even on low setting to leave on) and sleep.
3. Wake up with several mosquito bites stinging.
4. Get up and search for plug in apparatus that releases Raid mosquito killer into air; try to avoid inhaling mosquito killer in too deeply yourself.
5. Rub whatever cream you have onto swollen bites and make a mental note to try to buy after-bite cream or calamine lotion.
6. Get into bed and turn on air conditioner again to wait until cool enough to turn off. (If you suffer from 'dry eye', this is a good time to apply eye drops.)
7. Listen for mosquito whine (they are easier to kill after being drugged with Raid) until you drift asleep.
8. Wake up hot and sweaty and play with the air conditioner again...

Roxana Saberi: Out of Iranian Prison, Into a Soap Opera

Last month, after frantically trying to find a Ghobadi film (subtitled in English) to watch and discuss with my class (I have been an even bigger fan after meeting him at the Deutscherhof last year) I stumbled across the open letter written by Ghobadi to his fiancee, Roxana Saberi! I had no idea. Of course now this is old news, but I couldn't help but post a link to this story simply because I liked the title. Please click the link to read the WHOLE (including the info about her release from prison) article and not just the juicy bits I pasted below.

Roxana Saberi: Out of Iranian Prison, Into a Soap Opera:

"Even as Saberi's parents rejoiced at her release there was additional drama in front of the prison. Also waiting there was internationally acclaimed filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, who had published an open letter last month declaring that Saberi was his fiancee. He told TIME that he believed it was in great part because of his endeavors that Saberi was being released so quickly. He said he had a meeting with government and judiciary officials a few days ago, in which he explained to them the importance of Saberi appearing at the opening of his new film on Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival, 'because she was going to talk about the Persian Gulf. I told them it would be good for Iran.' Ghobadi has cited Saberi as a co-writer on his latest film."

There was clear friction between Ghobadi and Saberi's parents, who kept themselves several feet apart from the director. At one point, Ghobadi approached Saberi's visibly shaken mother, but she pushed him away, motioning him away with her hands. After Ghobadi's letter, Reza Saberi announced that he could not confirm Ghobadi as his daughter's fiancee. One source close to the family said they perceive him as taking advantage of her recent newsworthiness to publicize his film, and wonder why he was not speaking out for her before her case attracted such international attention. Ghobadi said he had been ordered to keep silent by sources he could not reveal, and finally broke his silence when he "could no longer hold it."

Kurdish home away from home - Sweden

Turkish ideas about issues related to identity never fails to surprise me. Before booking this summer's ticket to Sweden, I knew that Sweden was one of the "gateways" out of Iraq since they have friendlier immigration policies, that they have a significant diaspora community (about 50,000?) and that some of those in the Swedish diaspora are now returning back... to study in our university!

What I did NOT know is that some people in Turkey believe that the Kurds and the Vikings were blood relatives. This claim was discovered in a Turkish newpaper by another Turkish news agency, Zaman. I have never really read Zaman, but as its biases are somewhat in contrast to my own, it might make an occasionally interesting read. This article presents a short history of the contact between the Swedes (and the vikings) and the Kurds... including the 2002 honor killing which shocked Swedes and others. I was thinking that it might be interesting to try to visit the Kurdish Women's Association in Sweden and the Kurdish Student Academic Association (KSAF) in Sweden as it might be interesting/useful to do a little research before the next academic year... (students in our university also go through a kind of culture shock - the university culture is different to what exists outside in the community), but so far, I have not found any addresses for these associations... nor for that matter, for the Kurdish Institute in Stockholm.

To Sweden - Alternatives?

On searching the Erbil International Airport site, I found these other Airlines operating between Sotckholm and Erbil: Viking Airlines and Resnu Airlines. Upon visiting the Viking site, I found information indicating that the flights to Erbil were operating in coperation with Aer Olympic. The Air Olympic site will allow me to book a flight online (on a Viking plane) at the cost of $4,998 SEK (or $630 US) with all flights leaving and returning on Wednesdays. I called Resnu, as they would not allow me to book online, and they said they fly with Viking, but had no connection with Aer Olympic. All their flights leave and return on Tuesdays (strange that Viking would have planes coming and going for 2 different airlines on two consecutive days of the week...). Flights in July and August through Resnu cost $1000 US. Today is a Wednesday and there appear to be flights coming and out on Viking on the airport's website, so I guess I do this online and forget atrocious Atrosh? Please PLEASE you travellers to and from Sweden, share your experiences...

***************************UPDATE ***************************

5 hours later: As I was leaving the university today, I called Resnu and asked them outright about the Wednesday flights. Kawa from Resnu gave me a number and I discovered that Aer Olympic operates out of Miran Aviation located next to the Me & You ice cream shop in Iskan. He claims Atrosh no longer flies (which is strange as they still answer the phone and quote prices and flight times), but explained that Resnu are charter flights, but Aer Olympic run regular flights (as of 2 months ago). If you are bringing tons of goodies back from overseas, better to go with Aer Olympic as, while both use Viking planes, the Aer Olympic planes and the luggage allowance are bigger (30 kg as opposed to 20 kg). COST: $650 USD (less or more depends on how much in advance you book).

Atrosh Air... Atrocious?

As anyone who has ever tryid to find cheap ways in and out of Kurdistan knows, there are no cheap routes... except possibly overland! What's worse, is that with the exception of Austrian Airlines - which will cost you a wallet whalloping $1,700 just to London, the reputations of the airlines offering flights out seem to be sketchy: Atrosh to Sweden, Kurdistan Airlines or Zozik to Germany, Zagros or Kurdistan to Dubai, Flying Carpet to Beirut. This summer, I am considering a new route... Rather than take Atlas Jet through Istanbul and deal with less than exemplary treatment by the staff of Atlas Jet in the air and the Istanbul Airport, I am thinking of flying through Stockholm on Atrosh. The thing that worries me is the possibility of the airline cancelling my flight, which is a charter, which would mean that I would forfeit my SAS flight to London (which I intend to schedule for 4 days later as I already know that delays of hours and/or days is possible), or be stuck in Sweden on the way back with no way of getting to Erbil.

If any reader has flown Atrosh Air, please share your experiences as the more I read about Stockholm, the more I think it is a great place for a few days stopover.

This April's herbs

Sorry for boring you with pictures of my "green babies" (as Mu calls them). I don't have a real baby or pets to bore you with pictures of, so... ) My herb garden this year contains... very slowly sprouting Sage, plenty of Basil babies, Coriander that we will soon be able to start picking... and Mint which recently reached adulthood.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...

While not quite Mary, I have always thought of myself as having a black thumb - ask the dying marigolds on the window sill, I have managed to keep some of my balcony garden alive... and it is one of the few things that cheers me up in the morning... Here are some of the plants that are starting to bear fruit...
Strawberries remind me of home. I regret to say, I ate this one yesterday, but there is a new one coming.

Kumkwats, so delicious... you can eat them, peel and all... or slice one in two and drop it in your gin and tonic.
And finally, who knew that a budding lemon looked like this? I finally have my own lemon tree... now if only I can stop myself from picking the blossoms (which smell Jasmin-like) so that the lemons will grow.

Stuffed camels, Singing camels, Cloned camels....

My biggest regret from my trip through Rajastan, India, is that I got sick in Jaipur - my illness stealing several days of my intinerary, including Jaisalmer - the city described as a golden mirage. In Jaisalmer, it was plan to take a camel safari into the desert and possibly even camp among the dunes. Sigh.

I missed my chance to ride camels, and I refuse to pay money simply to sit on the back of a nasty old camel tethered at the side of the road neat a tourist attraction in Turkey just so I can say that I can have my picture taken on a camel. Somehow it is NOT the camel experience I always wanted to have. And by always, I mean since high school. My first work in Arabic was actually camel (taught me by one of the women I was supposed to be teaching English literacy to in the UK). So how did I end up in stuck between Syria and Saudi in a place where instead of camels, I get dust storms? My only came is the one you see in the upper left corner - a silly stuffed version that was a gift from a friend in Dubai.

In Taiwan, I was gullible enough to email in to the Taipei Times to try and get tickets to see Shuma, the singing camel. There was a nearly full page article about this incredible camel troup that was to "perform" at Chiang Hai Shek Memorial Hall. How stupid did I feel when a colleague realized it was April 1st. I guess that we were tired enough from working without enough sleep for several weeks in a row to forget what day it was. Since Shuma (does she even exist?) performing in Erbil (or anywhere else for that matter) is an unlikelihood (there could be a Shuma- even if she is just a normal non-singing camel!), and I have neither the time nor the money to travel to Rajastan for a camel trek... perhaps the next camel plan should be to Dubai to see Injaz (the Arabic name of the world's first cloned camel) before, like Dolly, she has to be put down... I will put this on next year's travel wishlist along with Jordan (camel trek possibilities?), Syria and Iran...