Trees of Ainkawa

Just like Canada! (Except that the trees in Canada aren't electric). Can't wait to see these all lit up some night soon...

No More Carp!

Yummy yummy, yesterday's dinner! 

Hawleris are no longer restricted to nasty bony freshwater carp. Last weekend, there were giant prawns from Basra on the menu... and this weekend, it is silver pomfret (zubaidi) from Kuwait. 

For those of you who want to try, get the nice man behind the counter to clean it for you. Leave the head on. Score each side 2 or 3 times and rub with lemon. Then fry in oil (it should be enough to come halfway up the sides of the fish) for 5 minutes. Turn the fish over and fry for three minutes on the other side. I flavored mine with a little lemon juice spiced up with finely sliced Thai red chillis and a little salt. 

Next week, I might try nuwaibi or shoam. (I am not 100% sure, but I think these might be roughly equivalent to silver croaker and a kind of sea bream). 

Do you believe...

... that Burger King is coming to Erbil? My colleague J doesn't. He bet me (I forget how much or what we bet, but I know I accepted) that Burger King wasn't coming... and that if it did, it would be fake.

It could be that I have made a foolish bet. Frankly it could be several more months... or even years before Burger King arrives (not that it affects me much either way. Pret A Manger is my fast food of choice... that or an almost-gourmet burger with blue cheese at Numnums in Kanyon shopping center in Istanbul). However, if it does open in the relatively new Majidi Mall, it will be real. I know this because the other shops like Ecco (Danish footware), Mango (Spanish clothing), Mavi Jeans (Turkey) are all REAL! (Plus, please note that there are no spelling errors on the signs! Sure sign that it is not a fake).

Please see the posters adhered to the walls of the third floor food court and place your bet...

For better or worse, Erbil seems to be "developing" at quite the pace recently. (Feel free to insert your own definition of development).

"Nadeed Bedeed" (+ I have a new phone!)

Last weekend, I bought a new phone. Yes, I finally took the plunge and decided to abandon my 5-year-old Sony Ericsson (I forget the model number) in favor of fully gadgetized Nokia. I had been so loathe to part with the Ericsson model that I had superglued the number 7 button back on (so that the phone only be missing 1 button rather than 2). Who cares that the camera was broken and some of the functions didn't work? It was my phone and I liked it.

Anyway, after transferring my phone numbers to my new N97, I put all the other accessories neatly away and used my fingernail to try to stick back down the edge of the plastic covering protecting the face of the phone. Now this phone, being particularly nifty, attracted a lot of attention; but unfortunately, attention quickly shifted from the phone to the fact that I had left the plastic on. What has happened to me? In the past (with the exception of that phone which I had a strange attachment to) I have been more known for making impulse purchases that are outside my budget and then quickly proceeding to drop the particularly costly and/or fragile items a number of times. (Clearly I am not of the Baby Boomer generation, nor am I much of a "plugger").

And now... Nadeed bedeed... Indeed! A Farsi-speaking student explained this concept to me as he eyed my phone. A villager who suddenly moved to the city and buys the nice things that he has never been able to afford in the past is so awed by his new possessions that he decides to keep all the plastic on, despite the relative inconvenience (it isn't so nice to sleep on a mattress still in its plastic - even if there are sheets over it).

I feel the shame.

I remember when I first came to Kurdistan and couldn't figure out why drivers of new taxis had left all sorts of plastic wrapping/sealing on parts of their car (even windshields) , etc. It seems on some subconscious level, I now understand. I vow that tonight is the night the plastic comes off!

Fesenjan & Tachin @ Kh's

Almost every time I head to Shoresh for a weekend lunch at Bakery & More, I pass by a Persian restaurant called Hazar u Yek Shab (1001 Nights). And almost every time I pass, I make the split second decision to skip Bakery & More and see what Iran has to offer diners in Hawler. Unfortunately, in the split second that it takes me to make the decision, we pass Hazar u Yek Shab and a sigh of relief escapes. I mean, I am not normally unadventurous - especially when it comes to food... but the possibility of being the only woman in a restaurant with almost no windows and tables crowded with men who would likely be smoking, causing a heavy fog to hover just above the tables; other diners occasionally treating me to a hostile glare as I nervously try to figure out how I am going to order from the menu with no English... Well, obviously, my mind has arrived at a worst case scenario.

Anyway, this weekend past, I was invited for a Persian dinner... not at Hazar u Yek Shab or Kingdom (another restaurant in Shoresh which I also suspect is Persian), but for a home-cooked meal at the home of a colleague from Iran.

And the verdict? FANTASTIC! Eggplant and ground beef stew in a tomato base... Fesenjan (walnut pomegranate chicken), Tachin (baked basmati rice with saffron and chicken) and white rice. The eggplant dish was somehow familiar, the Tachin undeniably delicious... but it was the pomegranate walnut chicken that really caught my attention. Small pieces of chicken suspended in a sticky dark sauce (the bottom pot in the picture); it wasn't much to look at, but the taste... tangy, savory and surprising! I will definitely be trying this one at home! (And I will also muster up some courage, find a fellow diner and try the fare at 1001 Nights.)

Let them eat Vegemite...

Yesterday, students received the dubious pleasure of being able to sample crackers spread with Vegemite and have their picture taken shaking the hand of a real honest-to-goodness Australian in front of the British (?!) flag.

A new student actually asked one of the teachers why the British flag was hung in the doorway... Oops! (That student isn't likely to do well in our department's pub-free versions of pub quiz). And a politics major commented that he was disturbed by such a display of nationalism (insert suppressed giggle here)! Our Australian colleagues don't even know the words to their own anthem. I don't think Kurdistan needs to worry about misplaced ultra-nationalism or nationalist ego-centric behavior from our genial Aussie staffers.

All that aside, hope all of the Australian expats in Erbil had a wonderful Australia Day yesterday and managed to get to the T-bar for a pint of... Sorry, VB hasn't made its way here yet.

Next year, instead of vegemite, I think D should prepare stir-fried kangaroo rump, spiced barbecued lamb and Aussie pavlova for distribution at the uni... or at least giant Anzac cookies (oops... biscuits). I will attempt maple cookies for July 1.

Turkish Kurds in Vienna

Even in Vienna, you can find the kebab so ubiquitous in this part of the world (Turkey, Kurdistan and the Middle East in general). After I took this photo, the man in white hidden behind the big lamb donair kebab thing came to the window and indicated for me not to take pictures. I started to walk away, but he waved me over. Apparently it was OK for me to take pictures after all, but only if I talked to him... or bought kebab. I opted to make small talk in English. Turns out he was from Diyarbakır.

Winter Break 2009-2010

Erbil:
Winter break started in Erbil this year with lovely librarian L's guests arriving to spend Christmas and New Year's right here! There was also a party with white elephant gift exchange at C and M's place. Perhaps the best part of the party however, was not the gift exchange, but rather a game in which we were given a list of song titles to decipher: songs such as Approach Everyone Who is Steadfast. Do you know this song? (answer at bottom).

Vienna: This year I was lucky enough to have a stopover in Vienna on the way to Canada. Fr and family were on a similar itinerary so together we headed (just before it started to snow) to the Christmas market in front of Vienna's impressive City Hall. I bought my mother one of Vienna's famous snow globes.
In the evening, I headed downtown for a piece of Sacher Torte at the Sacher Hotel (the lit up building on the right in below photo) and then to the Vienna State Opera (behind me) for a performance of Verdi's La Forza Del Destino. However, I recommend that if you visit Vienna during the winter holiday season, you skip this opera and opt instead for a performance either here or at Volksopera of Strauss' Die Fledermaus.
Saint John:
After a long journey (including a nearly 30 minute run through the Frankfurt Airport and some frantic and slightly acrobatic queue-jumping: Do NOT transfer through this airport if you don't have at least 2 hours), I arrived in the Atlantic harbor city of Saint John, New Brunswick. I was met there by my mother and her little dog. Shitzu's don't deal with the cold very well, but mom's dog was clearly more prepared for winter than me!
This year, Mom had two boarders from the nearby university. We did our best to introduce them to some Christmas traditions... like eggnog and Christmas crackers, putting out milk & cookies Santa and hanging a sock. (Thanks to L & visitors for introducing Mu to the same back in Erbil).

(Answer: Approach Everyone Who is Steadfast = Oh, Come All Ye Faithful).

Doha by Night

One of the highlights of Doha (for me) was the "nightlife". Not the dancing in nightclubs and bars (if they exist), but rather the wandering around the city, through little side streets flanking the old bazaar. The entire city looks a lot more attractive bathed in the glow of a variety of illuminations.

The picture to the left is the Qatar Islamic Culture Center. Too bad it wasn't open as it aims its message at non-locals: to "motivate Non-Muslims to become more informed about Islam" and to "enlighten non-Arab Muslims about all matters in relation to their faith." I suppose I need both informing and enlightening... but on all varieties of things beyond Islam.

The photo above is of the Museum of Islamic Art designed by architect I.M. Pei. Unfortunately, it was closed each of the several times we attempted to go. Over Eid, it seems there was only one brief window of opportunity and we missed it.
Above is the silvery skyline as seen from a dock near the museum.
And finally, welcome to my favorite of all the places we visited in Doha - Souk Waqif. It has been most pleasantly renovated and is now a hang out for locals, expats and tourists; men and women...

Below is a strange performance, presumably put on by non-Qataris where pale ethereal (with the exception of the red yarn-like wigs) figures danced inside of giant bubbles... As for my group, we didn't stop to watch, in our desperate search for culinary satisfaction.
Finally, after edging past a few stray giraffes near the Bismillah Hotel, we decided on a fragrantly enticing Indian restaurant, although options included Moroccan, Indonesian, French, and even Iraqi.

I even did a little shopping in the bazaar (mostly books and postcards). Finally, I went into a shop to buy someone a souvenir, a string of amber prayer beads (tesbi) and was shocked at the prices. Then the guy in the shop rolled out a special pouch containing what he claimed to be the very best... Iraqi tesbi!!! Well, now I know that for Middle Eastern souvenirs, Iraq is as good as anywhere else. I have to scour the bazaars in Kurdistan a little more carefully.
And finally, when leaving the bazaar, we heard music and realized that some sort of event was about to begin. We wandered over to check it out and were greeted with the sight below. Seems local Qataris, while they can completely turn a blind eye to scantily clad foreign female joggers, they are still very much traditional when it comes to the dress and behavior of their own.

(In case you can't see the figures clearly, the women are the ones in black on the left).

Exploring Doha - Eid Qurban

Last year over Nawruz (the shared Kurdish/Persian New Year) , a few colleagues and I traveled to Lebanon and had an absolutely fantastic time. Now when there is a week off approaching, we quickly start planning where the next trip will be. For Eid Qurban, 2009 (yes, I am posting VERY late), the decision was Doha, Qatar and/or Manama, Bahrain. I know that these may not strike everyone as the Middle Eastern destinations topping everyone's travel must-do list; however, with less than a week off, practicalities must come into play. In the case of Doha, the decision was largely decided by the fact that Gulf Air had just starting offering DIRECT FLIGHT from ERBIL to BAHRAIN!
Having just come from land-locked Erbil, the first sight of Doha was rather refreshing... Even before reaching the bay, I could feel the ocean breeze and (here I must admit that I have an inexplicable fondness for palm trees) couldn't help myself from smiling just at the sight of the gently waving palms.
Doha was equipped with many modern amenities and for us, the first stop was to avail ourselves of the shopping facilities, restaurants and cinemas on offer in one of the many many bland, but convenient shopping centers. In fact, all three of our traveling trio had brought extra bags packed inside our bags to fill with those items as yet unavailable in Kurdistan - brown rice, exotic cereals (like flavored instant oatmeal), English Christmas sweets, puddings & preserves... English-language novels, non-pirated DVDs, and more (most of all this at Marks & Spencer's... although the picture above was taken of the staff at Lush).
We were then ready to explore the bay. The corniche was a little over 5km long and made me more than a little envious. Not only can expats enjoy relatively beautiful nice scenery while getting in a little exercise, but they (including expat women) can run in shorts and tank tops. I am stuck in full length sweats staring at the road along the inside of a drab wall in the complex I live in going around and around like a hamster in a cage.
Although kind of cheesy, we also went for a little ride in a kind of motorized dhow-ferry. (There wasn't much to do as many culture venues were closed for Eid). The water was lovely, but the music was loud and the other passengers confirmed that the shorts and tank-top outfits visible on the cornichewere NOT de rigeur for all women in Doha (see below)!

Thanksgiving -text to come

Baghdadi Black Market?

This morning, as I was getting ready for work, BBC was in Baghdad in Iraq's National Museum.... Thanks to Google, I - and millions of others - will be able to view thousands of Iraqi treasures from this museum online (as the security is still not good enough for the museum to open its doors to the public) .

Wanting to see what kinds of treasures we were talking about, I searched the internet and came across the VERY COOL playing cards above on the museum's own site. It seems they were given out to soldiers in order to help them understand the importance of the cultural sites many of them were being deployed to... and to understand the history and culture of Iraq. I wonder if these cards are going to be sold at the museum's gift shop in some distant future when Baghdad becomes a tourist mecca again.

Until then, it is going to irritate me that the only people I know that have been to Hatra and other archeological and historic sites in Iraq are the military... and that the only people with these cool playing cards are (again) the military. I am thinking about asking my students who weekend in Baghdad to check and see if I can get these from the black market in Baghdad. Until then...

PS. Feel free to take a virtual walk though the Baghdad Museum here.

The Mukhtar

Recently, the first of my English Composition class were due. And as you might imagine, in the anticipation of assignment due dates and midterm exams, there was an increase in the number of student absences. And following these absences was an increase in the number of students visiting my office... many armed with "mukhtars". (Actually, as a mukhtar is the elected head of a village or neighborhood; students in reality just held letters from a mukhtar). These letters stated facts like, "This student had a family problem and was in Baghdad from date to date." "This student was ill on date. "

In Iraq, these letters function much like a letter from a notary, but... and here come the questions... WHO is this mukhtar? Is he the student's uncle, father, brother? Is he someone with whom the student's family has connections? Is it possible to bribe a mukhtar?And what weight do we have to give this piece of paper?

Luckily, this is not a real problem for me as long as students must keep track of how many classes they miss and mind that they do not exceed the permissible absences as outlined by university policy. A mukhtar doesn't come into the equation (except possibly in the case of long-term illness and a request for deferral - but even then, why not a doctor's note? And not from your uncle, the eye doctor if your problem is a gastro-intestinal disorder) as it doesn't matter whether the absence is for legitimate reasons or not... An absence is an absence and students will be marked absent accordingly. They are just advised to save those set number of absences for times when they really need it (like when they are ill or have relatives visiting from out of town and have to help their mothers prepare the dolma).

Botan & Bnar - A Long Engagement

Some weeks ago (yes - I am really behind in posting), a student (let's call him Botan) came
to my office with another student (Bnar?) and offered me baklava. I asked what the occasion was and they announced their engagement. I was a little surprised, but happy for them as I knew them both well having taught Bnar in 2006-7 and Botan the following year. I asked when the weddign would take place and they explained that although Bnar would graduate at the end of this academic year, they would wait the two years until Botan graduated before actually getting married. I offered my congratulations and they both (!!!!) hugged me. (This is surprising as some of the students following a stricter path of Islam will lay their assignments on my desk to avoid accidentally touching a woman.)

Anyway, after this incident, I asked some of the students in the new year why Aysha (not real name) had to leave the university in order to be married. I was informed that she got engaged and that it was not the done thing to have a long engagement... people would talk!

So much like anywhere else, customs vary from one to another. Omer can't shake my hand, but Botan can hug me. Bnar can be engaged for 2 years before marriage, but 4 months is too long for Aysha. On the Internet, there are so many opposing views as to what is allowed in Islam.

I guess it is all relative. I am glad to find that at least I am in a place where people have the right to make their own choices about how to follow.

Botan & Bnar: All the best to the both of you!

Appreciation Dinner at the NEW Abu Shahab

The time passes and yet I write nothing on my blog. Alas, this is a sad state because it is always possible that my lackadaisical approach to writing could be interpreted by some as a lack of events taking place in Hawler. This is not really the case. Work life has kept me, to use an outdated phrase that so many here seem to know and love, "as busy as a bee". Anyway, not all work-related chores have been tasking.

At the beginning of the school year, while trying to drum up more applicants for our programme, we asked students to get the word out that we were holding an "Open Campus Day (lovingly shortened to OCD - and no, none of our remaining staffers have OCD) and help us to give campus tours to prospective students and their families.

To thank student for their efforts, our department invited all of those who volunteered to dinner at a local favorite, Abu Shahab. I think the staff at the new (and much more pleasant) Abu Shahab had never seen such a huge party before. They encouraged us to a set menu so that they could deliver everyone's food at roughly the same time (odd thing to worry about as I have never known restaurants here to worry about presenting meals to diners at a single table at the same time)... also a shame as I have been waiting to try the famous ??? (I forgot what it is called, but is essentially biryani baked in a pastry shell).

Anyway, this new branch is at the crossroads of the road into Ankawa and Gulan Street and (in summer) situates a goodly number of tables in the grass outside the restaurant, grass which is interrupted with fountains, streams and bordered on one side by a rose gardens. As you can see, everyone was in high spirits (most of the students seem to prefer the food at Abu Shahab over the food of expat favorite, Bakery& More)... In addition, the can smoke shisha here...
And here comes the army of waiters necessary to serve our table of 40+.

Mmm... mixed grill, lamb quzi, and the remains of the multitude of side dishes... the stewed apricots being my favorite...

Thanks to Manhal for the photos

Trick or Treating in the M Block

Unfortunately, Halloween in Kurdistan is usually a bit of a non-event. An afternoon kids party after which the kids go around to the few doors of people their mothers know. This year, I sent an email to the residents of M Block asking that anyone who could provide sweets for a few costumed kids draw a pumpkin, bat or other Halloween image and tape it to their door. Frankly, I was surprised at how many came! 
Fr and Co (adults above) provided a Jack-o-lantern and games for the kids. 
Below, Fr plays "What time is it, Mr. Wizard?" with the kids. 
Post games, us adults sat around drinking spooky punch and watching the kids play. 

Jemma'iye - Yezidi's Feast of the Assembly

I finally made it! On my fourth October in Kurdistan, I finally made it to the Feast of the Assembly - the week-long celebration in Lalish where Yzidi pilgrims from all over the world make their way to Lalish. I arrived in Kurdistan in 2006 and within a week of my arrival, a group of professors was taken to this festival. This was the first time the festival was held since the US invasion on Iraq... and the last for some time. Shortly after the festival in 2006, a number of events, including the honor killing of Du'a and the killing of a number of Yezidis on a bus in Shekhan, caused the festival to be cancelled. This year was a special opportunity.

We drove to the start of the road to Lalish. There were cars parked along the road for as far as the eye could see. We abandoned our car, leaving the driver to find a place to park and started along the road into the temple area. Although there are cars here, not everyone could enter. Most pilgrims were on foot, some carrying bedding, buckets, food and all sorts of things. We went on the 11th, but many had arrived on the 7th and many more planned to find a post to camp and stay until the 14th.
Below, one of our group (blond hair) stops to pass some time with some Yezidi boys. There were people everywhere and it was hard to find a spot to stop and rest... and everywhere you stopped, somebody wanted to chat in English... even if they only possessed a few words of English. One such boy went to a booth to buy a disposable camera to photograph the foreigners he had provided "translation" for. 

From here, we started to climb in order to find a good view of the proceedings. There were people everywhere: people sleeping, cooking and eating, putting on makeup behind make-shift screens, then  going out and flirting and returning to apply more make-up. As Yezidis are only able to marry other Yezidis, this festival is one of the main places where the young can find their future spouses. 
These little girls were members of a lucky group which managed to get a spot on the balcony of a building where they could have relative privacy... Others camped in more open spots, pitching tents made of sticks and blankets. 
In truth, I came hoping to see the special sama, a sort of sacred dance where the Baba Sheik dressed in a black robe and a head gear leads the elders (in white) around the sacred fire 7 times (to represent the 7 archangels?). Onlookers then kiss their hands and press them to their forheads and offer praise to Melek Taus, the peacock angel. Unfortunately, the crowd was wearing and we were quickly tired. We tried to return to the main area (below) to find a stall to get some tea, but on the way down the narrow and steep hill, we were pushed, shoved, groped and were witness to children being nearly trampled. And yet, some of the kids in the midst of this melee seemed to be having the time of their lives. 
Not so our group: by the time we reached the bottom, we decided to skip tea and head home. I must recommend that if you have never been to Lalish, it is best to go when there is no festival taking place for your first visit.