Choni, Bashi?

Every time I start writing a blog i don’t know where to start or what to write about. There is just so much going on worth writing about and sharing.Experiencing the culture, playing soccer with kids, and my work withPLC fill up my days. I’ll try and give you a little glimpse.

When speaking of culture, the biggest culture shock I’ve had to deal with is the many restrictions to which women adhere. Men, by far, are able to be more relaxed than women in public. So many things that women do affect their reputations, such as not making direct eye contact with any man that’s not their husband. Women are not to go to the little side tea vendors or to little tea shops at night. As a man is leaving the house, he is not to say thank you to another man's wife if he is in the house by himself. This could be seen as infidelity. Also, a woman can have a job but it is much more respectable for her to work in the house from nine to five. Now before you run off thinking that this must be some male chauvinist society, know that the rules are not violently or unmercifully enforced (even though many rules are upheld by the law). They have to do more with how a woman portrays herself, and many of the restrictions seem to be out of respect and protection of a woman’s reputation (I’m saying this with only a few days experience, so I’m definitely no expert). In America women are almost expected to have jobs sometimes, and if a man were to tell his wife she couldn’t, it would be disrespectful. However, here a woman is respected by her husband when he provides for her entirely. The argument is that if a woman has to give birth and is expected to work in the house, a husband should be able to work and provide. Men also know too respect their women because of their reserved behavior. I’m guessing many of the restrictions also come from the Islamic religion.

If the southern people are known for their hospitality, then Kurdistan is the South of the Middle East. The people's kindness goes beyond hospitality. For example, I walk into a man’s house with a friend of PLC to discuss business. From the moment we entered the house we were greeted (choni, Bashi?), and served water, hot sweet tea (sweetest ever and delicious), and watermelon. Walking down the street people are so quick to say high, and people are very excited to have conversations in English. On thursday nights, there is a coffee shop get together where Kurdish and American people get together just to have conversations. There really is no hesitation in getting to know somebody here (besides the whole men and women not really talking thing). Also, Today I walked out the door and started playing soccer with six kids. Then I went to the market and ate the best falafel ever, told the man it was delicious, and he made us pay next to nothing. The examples of Kurdish kindness and hospitality are endless.

Working with PLC, the reason I”m here, is perhaps the most exciting thing to talk about. As I said in an earlier blog, I’m working a lot with PLC’s Klash extraordinaire KakAram. I’m also helping to plan a banquet for our kids that have gone through surgery, and working with doctors. Most of what I’ve done so far is work with Aram. A few days last week a fellow intern and I went to visit Aram. While we were there, communicating was definitely difficult, but after a few minutes we were laughing at each other and getting to know each other on a basic level. Of course, being the kurdish man he is, he served us tea and even showed us how he makes the sole to a Klash (I should have a video up). Seriously, he is one cool guy, and he is willing to listen to our new ideas for Klash even though his work has been a tradition for years.

The Klash is just one way that PLC creatively partners with people to raise funds for heart surgeries. It’s what I first connected with because of the people behind the shoe. To me, selling Klash is a simple yet inventive way to empower the Iraqi people and help these children, and working with Aram is the coolest.

Hope and love,

Preston