Over the last week or so, things have started to blur together, in a good way. Every day seems to bring new experiences and stories. As a result, separating the days and writing a blog has become a increasingly difficult, but here are a few things that stick out in my mind.
One experience has been developing a bit more of a social life here. A few of us interns go out at nights and find pick-up soccer games to jump in with, and in the process meet some really cool guys. Soccer is definitely a huge deal here for everyone, so no one game is the same. Tonight we played with a guy and a lot of his family. It was basically Americans against Kurds (we got destroyed). The game was a big deal for him organize, and it was a privilege to be invited. The World Cup has also been a huge deal here. Coming in, I expected it to be somewhat of a soccer pandemonium here as the games began, but it turns out that a lot of people watch soccer in there homes or in small tea shops, which has a hospitality all its own. After playing soccer one night, my friend Alex and I walked into a near by tea shop and struck up a conversation some fellas. Turns out they’ve been living in Scotland for eight years and speak English very well (a Kurdish/Scottish accent is quite unusual by the way). So for the last few world cup games we’ve met up and had a great time together. We cheer on America and they tell us England will kill us. You know, the usual (Turns out England didn’t kill us). Tonight, after playing another soccer game we started walking with some guys to a near by park where the game was being shown on a big screen. On the way there, we stopped and had tea, and during the game the guys bought us water, some crazy pickle things, and sunflower seeds. Turning down someone’s offer of food or trying to pay for stuff is extremely hard here. First off, they won’t really let you, and second, it can be shameful (Iba) sometimes. Though people here don’t react to the world cup like I expected, their love for the game is obvious and expressed in a different way. It’s a way in which people can really get to know each other even better through the simple act of watching a sport.
Another great part of the week has been the making of the new feminine Klash, which has been dubbed ‘Klashy Lydia’ (Ballet Flats Klash is the official name I think). Part of my specific tasks here is working with our friend and local Klash maker Aram. Sharing new ideas and building relationship (aka hanging out) is a lot of what I’ve been doing, and though working with shoes might seem unusual or even trivial to some, the people behind the Klash shoe and their unique contributions to children in need are what first attracted me to PLC. While working with Aram, a few of us have tossed around the idea of a more feminine Klash. Ben, Claire, and myself got the ball rolling and the first pair of feminine Klash (pictured above) were purchased by a fellow intern Lydia a couple days ago. Many probably know this, but I’m not known for my style. So, designing a shoe has been a new and exciting venture for me, and I’m happy to be a small part of this contribution to PLC. Not to get a big head or anything, but if I we’re of the female persuasion, I would totally rock these shoes...just sayin. The shoes are up for pre-order now at:
http://buyshoessavelives.com/klash/ballet-red-white.php
So yep, that’s been some of my week so far. Thanks for your interest in my life in Iraq, and PLC’s work for children in need of heart surgeries (http://preemptivelove.org).
Ser Chow (your in my eyes),
Preston
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