Kurdistan PART 1: Questions & Giveaway Winner!
Thank you to everyone who entered into the Kurdish Giveaway!
CONGRATS TO MONICA HORST For winning! I hope you enjoy the prize and remember Kurdistan and the work over here every time you drink the 2n1 and look at the rug!
On another note:
This is Part 1 of a 3 part series about KURDISTAN. This post will be my response to a few of the questions and comments you asked as a way of entering the Giveaway. Not all the comments were addressed, but I hope to cover them in the next post, PART 2.
(Me playing Mancala with a lady who is over 100 years old)
Question/Comment: "I’m sure there’s more than one, but what is something that you have incorporated into your life there that you learned from the culture/ just in general that you would like to make part of your daily life when your come back to the U.S or wherever you go next?" & "What are you learning there that you'd like to apply stateside. How has this changed your perspective in some way?"
Response: One of the most major things I try to incorporate into my life now is that people are a priority. The culture here is very relational and relaxed in the idea of visiting each other and spending time together. Some days I come home and want to just sit in the house and breathe a little, maybe draw or write, when a knock comes on the door and its a few local friends of mine inviting me to walk with them or come to their house. I know that I wont regret being with them, every time I choose to go with them I have such a great time. The challenge is overcoming my own comfort in the moment for a potential deep conversation or memory making with those around me. (I love being with people, so this seems to get easier and easier for me. But there still are times I feel like being so very selfish with 'MY' time.) I know that this life lesson will follow me wherever I go in life.
Before travel and experiencing culture was a part of my world, I defiantly use to see life from the mentality of, 'What can I get out of it,' rather than, 'What can I be giving/doing for those around me.' My first experience leaving America was going to Costa Rica, but I had experienced different subcultures right in the US before that. After being in so many different cultures (even just for a short time) I began to realize the broadness of this world and life that God has given us, and the selfishness behind our own agendas instead of doing all we do to honor God, not ourselves... this is a life changing perspective to live by and it has followed me all around the world.
Comment/Question: "You should write about your favorite place to go/thing to do in Kurdistan."
Response: The mountains, they call my name every time we drive past. Every time I look out the window, or stand on the roof roof, they whisper for me to climb them. But, after a long week, going up the mountain that looks over the city does so much good for my heart. Something about zooming out and watching life from a different perspective helps me put my own life into perspective. It really is a majestic thing. And, contrary to popular belief, this is not a desert land, and there are some beautiful spots near the Tigris to swim and watch the sun sink into a new day.
Comment/Questions: "What were your first impressions of Kurdistan? Did it take a while to love the food and culture? What’s something it took a while to get used to?"
Response: I distinctly remember thinking about all the trash lying around, and how the fields seemed to be growing small black bags rather than any crops, since the majority filling the field was the bags. I almost immediately loved the culture. Its very relational and laid back, not in a hurry to get things done and be at places on time. On the other hand, something that i still have to get use to is how laid back it is, and how plans change according to what is higher priority for the person rather than holding to what they said. A basic example, if someone said they would come to English class first, but then later decided they would rather go shopping that day, they don't feel the need to hold to a prior commitment. Also how late people wake up, and how late they stay up is something I had to get use to. Sometimes my friends in town will invite me to their house for the evening at 10:00 pm, but I am already in bed. Sometimes we show up a a ladies house at 10:30 am (having called the evening before to confirm our visit) and they are still asleep. Very different than what I'm use to.
Comment/Question: I'd love to hear more stories about the people you meet.
Response: Maybe I will revisit this topic in a later post as well. It would be a joy to describe and explain some of the people I interact with each day, as well as give back story on them!
Comment/Question: "I'd like to hear about a day in your life in Kurdistan. I've never been there, don't know much about it and I'm interested in what you're up to there." & "You do well in general overall, but what is your Daily Routine?"
Response: BASIC DAILY OVERVIEW (Mon, Tue, & Thurs) (The other days are reserved for English Classes)
6:00 - Wake Up! Do all the things (Morning Walk, Personal Devotions, Coffee/Breakfast, Get ready for the day,)
8:30 - Team Devotions (Currently reading through Exodus)
9:30/10:00 - Pack Grocery Sets/ Leave for visiting. (The ladies tend to wake up later in the day, so visiting in the morning can be difficult sometimes. Some contacts live in our town here, and some live up to an hour away)
We can usually visit about 3 households in one day, approx. an hour a visit each. Our visits consist of sitting with the women of the house and talking to them... lots of talking. We talk about anything from the basics of their day into how their hearts have been feeling and how they've been doing on a deeper level.
6:30/7:00 - Supper with the team. This is the point we usually talk about what happened that day and unwind a bit. Sometimes we play games in the evening (Spike ball or Monopoly Deal are favorites), go get ice-cream or just relax.
9:30 - I'm usually about to fall asleep;)
MONTH OVERVEIW: A better way to explain our daily life is to understand all that we fit into one month. Overall we have a total of 30 households (approx. 48 survivor women) that we have active relationships with. Each month we make it a point to visit each household and see as many of the ladies as we can. We have the ability to give 20 sets of Groceries per month as well. These go to households that have no men supporting them. Grocery sets consist of (Flour, Sugar, Rice, Oil, Salt, Raisins, Beans, Tea, Liquid Soap and Laundry Detergent.) We have about 16 English classes per month (One advanced, One beginner happening twice a week.) We also try our best to prioritize taking the ladies places (Out of their house for something different, Shopping, Coffee Shops, Amusement Parks, Bazar, Walks, Visit friends in other camps, Doctor Offices, etc..) (This is good for their mental health to leave their homes and experience something different, also to allow them space to talk freely if they wish.) When a new survivor arrives out of captivity, we offer to take her shopping with a total of 60,000 IQD ($50 USD) This is enough to buy any necessities she may need as well as some special clothing of her choice. It is amazing to see a huge smile on the girls face when they find something that makes them feel beautiful! (Some months we do more shopping trips than others.) And of course in a months time many things can change, and ladies often immigrate to other countries so we must find time to say our goodbyes, sit with them extra long, and send them off with bittersweet hearts.
Response: I've grown to love the food here. Chicken and Rice is a stable food in any house or restaurant. But, of course, there are lots of other delicious dishes. A very odd one is cooked barley with cucumbers and salt and water in it (not my favorite.) On the other hand, one of my favorites is called Kultilk- Which is a dough made from Bulgar formed into little pockets, filled with a very flavorful chicken mixture, boiled in a pot of tomatoes and other veggies and served hot (or cold)... So Delish!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway and for all the great questions!
I hope to answer more of the harder, deeper questions in my next post... but until then, Adios!
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