After a few less than pleasant posts, I will joyfully apprise the 5 people who read this blog of some positive developments. First off, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. I have no idea whatsoever what the temperature is, due to Celsius to Fahrenheit conversions, but it is a) warm, b) slightly breezy, and c) sunny. All of these factors lead to a generally upbeat attitude and desire to frolic outside. Luckily for me, the opportunity presented itself on a fine Thursday morning.
Wednesday our students again brought in an assortment of Kurdish dishes to indulge in before Terminology class. Like sneaky ninjas, they must have made the calculation that if they stuffed us full of delicious food, drew it out right up until class was about to start, and acted all nice about it, we would cancel class. They were right. Nobody had the desire to sit and learn after such a feast, and I certainly did not have the motivation to lecture. During this extended lunch they also told me that a group of the guys were going on a picnic the following morning. Despite the early departure on my day off, 9am, I felt inclined to accept.
I walked to the meeting spot with my deflated American football, hoping that one of my students would triumphantly arrive with a pump in the car. To my surprise, a bus pulls up with 17 students and tells me to hop in. I had no idea that this many people would be attending, but it made the atmosphere pretty awesome. Kurdish music was blasting in the car, and although the smell of cigarettes permeated the bus, their dancing like fools as the bus chugged along alleviated any concerns of carbon monoxide. We made a pit stop along the way to try and find another CD to play in the bus; while stopped, we enjoyed some shwarma and ice cream, and in the best surprise of the morning, a random store owner had a pump which we used to inflate my football. The day was going perfectly now.
We arrived in Amedy and started to trek up the usual path. It is a cobblestone road that meanders up the side of a small mountain. Presently closed shops and summer homes line the path, and a pool with a diving bridge marks the “end” of the public trail. Beyond that the road continues, but commercial development ceases. There are new homes under construction but there isn’t much but a foundation and some cinder blocks. A steady stream continues all the way down to where the cars lay waiting in the parking lot, and even after 10 minutes of walking uphill, we did not come to the source. There was still a great deal of mountain above us, but given the large size of the group, and a lack of a desire to hike, we stopped after a few additional minutes. Already, the views were amazing. (pictures)
My students and I, mostly my students, were snapping pictures left and right. I only have a few at the current moment, but once I receive them I will surely post them online. After about an hour of hanging out on the mountain we started our short descent. Next, we ended up a small hookah shop which rested on a ledge overlooking the road. While the boisterous students danced their hearts off, some of the others and I smoked hookah, played Komkin and even some Texas Hold ‘Em.
After about an hour I was pretty hungry, and I was happy to know that we were heading to lunch. The restaurant has a wonderful view of Amedy, a pretty city resting on a plateau, and the valleys below. The food was bland and the service sucked, but I didn’t expect too much from a waiter serving a table of 17 not working for tips. What was interesting was the game a student came up with while waiting for our food. It was essentially spin the bottle, but instead of kissing you asked the person a question. In staying with being a good sport, I obliged to play, and was amused by the direction it took. Most of the questions involved some form of asking, “Have you had sex before?” I laughed at the immaturity and pent up desire of it all, especially considering we were certain that some people had lied about their answers.
Another question that I asked, and perhaps shouldn’t have, was whether my students thought that non-Muslims are destined for hell. I have been reading the Qur’an lately and the first 15 pages discuss the status of non-believers like me. Essentially, I am going to hell. I have heard similar things from Christians so it isn’t exactly shocking, but it is always an uncomfortable attitude to confront. We had time, so I wanted to get their responses. They were mixed, as expected. Some were forthright in saying “yes,” while others adamantly countered, “no,” and a few refused to publicly respond. If their level of English was higher, and the group was smaller, I probably would have pressed the issue further. I can never stray from a good debate/discussion, and I seem to frequently foray into the topic of religion whilst being here.
After lunch we took a drive to some cave which overlooks the remains of one of Saddam’s now decrepit palaces. One of my favorite places, a beautiful lake, is also nearby. Here we tossed the football while chatting in the sun and danced to Kurdish music inside the much cooler cave. After some time in the area we started to head back to Duhok, about a 45 minute drive. I was originally skeptical about being gone for so long with no set schedule, but I am glad that I went. All in all, it was a really fun day and the perfect start to spring.
This last picture is the "Deanary," where evidently they churn out deans like yogurt.
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