Newroz we piroz be

picture stolen from Lonely Planet
This year's Newroz picnic was much like last year's, except that I had 2 invitations to 2 different picnics which turned out to be the same picnic. I got up late and missed the departure of the people who invited me first (Izzy and his gang)... such a shame. However, it meant that I didn't have to get all dolled up in a borrowed candy pink Kurdish dress. Instead I went with Dr. Z, Pambette, Mu, the owner of Cafe de Paris (the restaurant where I spend the evening before dancing to live music), and one of his staff.
Anyway, we arrived at this year's chosen picnic spot- outside the village where Salahadin lived. There were tents and the musicians from the night before's party were there. Many people were dancing and alas, as we made our way towards the dancers, we tripped over Izzy's party. They were grilling and eating meat and Juan was wearing a green Kurdish dress (which my borrowed pink one was to accompany). We listened to music, ate and then got back on the road home (which was packed with picnickers). This year, I saw just a few things that I didn't see last year: Bedouin men on the hillsides walking in groups and a few solitary guys watching their sheep. Also, I saw lots of swings. I guess they were there last year, but I didn't notice them... all over people had attached ropes looped to trees, a pillow or blanket anchored in the middle and women in their dresses sitting on those pillows just a swinging.

My camera was given to a friend of Mu's today who will take it to Istanbul for fixing... However, I will get pictures from Izzy and Pambette and replace the one from the Lonely Planet.

Akre

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have already been to Akre, but I was only able to post picnic photos. I didn't really take any of the beautiful landscape (as I was in a foul mood for being forced to go and for not finding Lalish). And due to the incredible picnic traffic which led to us being stalled on the sides of the road with others who were entertaining themselves by blasting their car stereos and dancing beside their cars, I didn't actually see the city itself.
Below are a couple of pictures of the coutryside and one of the city nestled into its mountain. This time what I missed taking photos of (because we viewed it from our moving vehicle) were the large groups of women in their abayas. What was different about this scene is that the women were wearing something I had never seen before in Kurdistan... not exactly your usual burka, but instead there was a oval-face-shaped piece of black mesh sewn into the head-covering of the garments so that from any distance, the women all just looked like completely black ghosts floating around the city. In the peaceful country setting, the effect was a little unsettling. Were they attending some special function? Is this just a local custom? Why haven't I seen this in Hawler?

Picnic #3

And although on Friday, I thought that all the picnicing was over, it was not to be so. Mo called me up (a friend I hadn't been in touch with for a while) and invited me on a picnic with his family... So here I am at my final picnic of the Nawrooz break in a spot somewhere between Hawler and Sallahadin.

I don't know who this boy is as Mo had too many sisters and brothers with children for me to keep everyone straight. This boy is holding the flag that Mu tried so desperately to find on the way to picnic #2.

This is one of Mo's brothers' wife and her sister. They were nice to me (as Mo spent his time playing cards with the men) and even though we had serious language barriers, we seemed to have no trouble communicating. The women seemed to feel that I fit into the family well (at least with the women and children) and asked if Mo and I had plans to marry. Hmmmm.... I guess Mo doesn't really hang out with his family much or they'd know this wouldn't be likely.

The gaggle of little girls dancing with Khanzad Hotel in the background.

The DJ.

And the bonfire which ended the evening.... but not without a little more dolma and kefta.

Nawrooz Picnic (Picnic # 2)

On Nawrooz, I went on my second picnic of the Nawrooz break. This was an event I had really been looking forward to since my friend Mu had mentioned plans with someone I would like to call 'the Godfather' to go to Lalish. I won't write about Lalish here as unfortunately, we didn't make it. At 8:00 I was ready and waiting... Then we went to pic up K, his French wife and twin daughters. We also picked up another SUV as we needed more room for all his extended family and professor friend. Unfortunately, the friend was still in bed and we had to wait. Then the Godfather, in his own SUV, was busy fighting with his passengers and passport control, so we really weren't on the road to anywhere until 10:30. At least while waiting, we were able to shop... Mu wanted to decorate the car like everyone else's with Kurdish flags, but what he ended up with was a tribute to Rastafarians; green, yellow and red with a lion in the center. Ah well, he didn't decorate the car, but wore it around his neck instead. Then after another 2-3 hours of driving around, Mu gave up on trying to find Lalish and we settled for Akre... At least this way, there is more that remains for me to do in Kurdistan. Anyway, the photos below are not the best from the picnic, but I would prefer to post for now until someone else shares their photos with me.

This is one of K's twins, pleased to be the coolest one at the party.

K's brother, his wife and me. As much as I don't care for kebab... K's brother's kebabs were fantastic.

K's brother's wife and something that was surely delicious.

And this is Mk and Dk... Mk led the 'halai' so I was able to learn yet another form of Kurdish line dancing from Turkey... different from the one danced by students at Ruwandez... and different from the one danced the evening before with the Kurds from Iran.

Shinglbana in Ruwandez

Although I had also been to Rowandez before, I hadn't even heard of Shinglbana. Up to this point, as the weather was quite bad, the highlight of the picnic was really mostly the opportunity for teachers and students (and students with students) to bond... and to be entertained by 'Bellydancer'. But Shinglbana was something else. There were these little cars that you get in and you are propelled along a treacherous little track, braking by yourself when necessary.

This is new teacher Tf getting into his car. He had the great misfortune to be sandwiched between me and Bellydancer... me braking continuously in front of him... and Bellydancer carrening into him from behind at full speed.

This picture taken on the way back up the track hopefully shows why I felt the need to brake all the way down... Too bad you can't see the signs that say "Brake" and "Ride at your own risk".

This is the Shinglbana dance club. While people like Tf decided to experience the 'rollercoaster' a few more times, some of us others danced to the Kurdish music blaring from the bus' distressed sound system.

And finally, we have a view of the bus entertainers in action: Bellydancer dancing... and Re playing the daf.

Picnic portaits

These pics are of key personalities from my first picnic... and first outing with students en masse.
This is 'Bellydancer'. He is thusly named for his non-stop dancing... some of it quite acrobatic, especially moves undertaken when the bus was in motion. This is him using the daf (tamborine) as an umbrella.
This is B. The rifle is not his, but we thought he looked appropriately serious holding it given his garb and against the backdrop at Jundian.

These are some other key personalities from my first picnic. Note R, our picnic organizer. He is the one looking straight at the camera.

Guly Ali Beg... again!

So the picture below was taken on my first read picnic in Kurdistan... and second trip to Guli Ali Beg.

The students are pleased to pose in front of the centerpiece of the $5000 Iraqi dinar!

Fuzzy Picnic Pic

Friday is not only for praying, it is also for picnics. This was the view for almost the entire way back to Hawler from Sulemaniyah... And almost the whole way back, our driver's wife kept calling him in a voice loud and agitated enough for us to hear her even though the phone was pressed tightly against his ear. Seems she was eager for him to get home and take her on a picnic too. Anyway, since then I have also been on my own picnic (with colleagues and students), but unlike this one, ours was in the rain. More later...