A) The 60 year old, feisty Arab man at work was trying to get us to teach an extra 9 hours a week. He was really pushing and pushing, even resorting to being disrespectful. Like a boss, I handled his criticism with tact, threw it back at him in the form of wit, and managed to get him to agree to 4.5 hours (my original proposal). While frustrating, I appreciated the experience of a tough negotiation, especially since I got my way ;)
B) One thing I love most about Kurdistan is the frequency that I am playing sports. For me, there is no greater feeling of contentment than being on a field/court playing a competitive sport. It is the teamwork, competition, intense battles, and drive to win that fuel my fire. I love it. I need it. Regardless of weather, they play soccer every week like clockwork. Twice I a week I play with different teams and am potentially joining a third. Next up is finding a day for basketball. Coupled with my weekly workout routine at the gym, I may be in the best shape of my life.
C) When most people think of Iraq they think of camels, desert, and maybe Saddam’s mustache. But there is so much more! Especially here in Kurdistan! I never expected to see much snow, but on a recent trip to Amedy, about 45 minutes north of Duhok, I was pleasantly surprised. Snow was falling in droves. Cars were sliding off the road. Traffic was jammed up but people were stopping and playing in the snow.
It felt like a winter wonderland in the Middle East.
To add to the allure of the story, once we pulled off on a side street we had a beautiful view of the clear blue sky, rocky mountain above, and steep drop-off below. It was the perfect place to pull out 3 pistols and start shooting at an OJ container. BOSS.
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