Some Randoms

          Tonight should be a fun night as I am getting to play some Texas Hold ‘Em with my students.  It is funny because they asked me to play at a bar and mentioned not to say anything to anyone about it lol.  Everyone is turning into rebels. 

            An additional source of joy today is getting to FINALLY play with a dog.  I have always had a dog ever since I was a little kid and I love their companionship.  Paige recently asked one of our students if we could have a “sleepover” with his little Jack Russell terrier named Chucky.  He is a spunky little rascal, and his presence in our apartment, despite his incessant shedding, is most welcome.  Chucky was already jumping all over my bed until I kicked him off for humping my arm. 

            Lastly, here are a few pictures from a couple of days ago.  The female political science students organized a party where they all cooked traditional Kurdish food and brought it into the cafeteria for the whole program to enjoy.  They did a fantastic job and really had an impressive array of food.  This is another instance of Kurdish hospitality which exhibits the mindset of looking at things from a community perspective; otherness as opposed to “me”ness. 

           

 Here are some good pics of Duhok after a recent dusting of snow.  The mountains surrounding the city looked really pretty.