Teaching, Football, etc.

This week has been so great. I started teaching at a local language institute here on Monday and have had two classes. I have one group of about 15 students who range in age from 15-40s. We have been having a great time so far, and I've even learned all of their names! It's definitely a learning curve for me as well, and teaching English as a second language when you don't speak the first language certainly has its challenges. But the students really want to learn, and I think it is going to be a great summer class.

On Monday night, Preston, Landon (an american friend here for a few days) and I went down to the football (soccer) courts and played some late night matches! They start playing well after the sun has gone down here, since it's way to hot to play in the day. We played from 10pm 'till 11pm with a group of local Iraqi/Kurdish guys! There were 9 of them and 3 of us, so we split up and played some 6v6. The courts are concrete with a short concrete wall all the way around each and a huge chain-link fence rising from that. There is also an unbelievable amount of dust. Five minutes into the game, my clothes, my face, my lips, my shoes, and even my LUNGS were coated with dust. It definitely takes some adjusting! The court is even slick from the layer of dust covering it. Nevertheless, it was a great time, and I actually held my own! Preston is a defender on his college soccer team, and Landon use to play competitively, so I think we shocked them with how good these Amerîkî could be at football!

We played again last night, this time it was Joshua Gigs, Preston, Landon, and I, and we ended up playing against a group that included the guy who ran the courts! They also played their 5 against our 4 the whole time! We held them off for a while, but eventually ran out of gas against their numbers advantage. I love playing here though, it is competitive but at the same time no one really keeps score or gets upset about anything. Almost the opposite of pick-up basketball back in the States. We were also invited back to play this Thursday and every Monday at 10pm! I love how easy it is to make friends here.


In the next few minutes we will be living our house here in Sulaymaniyah to head to Halabja. Halabja is the site of the largest chemical attack on the Kurds: a genocide committed by Saddam Hussein, and the largest chemical attack on a civilian population in the history of the world. I am trying to get myself emotionally prepared, although I'm sure I will not be ready to see the memorials and the graves. I'm very glad we get to do this. I think it is extremely important, as someone working primarily with Kurds, to see this huge and terrible event in their history. Although this will in no way allow me to know what it feels like to be a survivor of multiple genocides committed against my people, I think seeing the place will at least give me a little better picture than simply knowing some facts.

We are preparing to leave now, so I'm signing off. I'll try to post when I get back!

Much love from Iraqi Kurdistan,

Alex