Update 10: December 30th

This post can happen super early because I am sick and a major party pooper.

I woke up sicker than yesterday. I can't breathe that all. Medication is not helping. I am very sensitive to medication. Tylenol Cold and Advil Cold & Sinus work great. DayQuil doesn't do anything for me, except sometimes it makes me jittery. It doesn't help with breathing. Here I am trying a European brand called Panadol. It must be like DayQuil. Sad. I have also started throwing up since we got back from lunch. Sorry if that was TMI. I am miserable. I think Alan and Tanya will still go over to hang out with the cousins. I hope they will. I don't want to ruin their fun and I don't want to get anyone sick. It is better that I stay quarantined in my room at least for the rest of the day.

Our only outing today was to a hotel in Khanzad, Iraq which is north of Erbil and into the mountains. They are more hills than mountains. We have to go further north to get into the real mountains. We will go there soon. We are waiting for no lunch invitations and Shayan to have time off. The hotel was built originally for the public, but was hijacked by the Americans for the use of Americans with security clearance only! It was later opened for public use again. The gate to the hotel is guarded and the car had to be searched for weapons and car bombs. The view from the top is amazing. Please take the quiz I posted a little while ago to see how much it looks like home. It is shocking when you see the similarities.

Namir (Mahir's brother) invited us (Mahir, Tanya, Alan and me) to lunch. He arrived at 12:30 pm with Tawar, Reno, and Mostafa (spelling correction). Mostafa is another cousin that lives at the large family house next to the one Tawar and Reno live in. Mustafa's mom is Alan's cousin (Avan) who I met during my first day of family visits. We had a buffet lunch with a large table overlooking the Peermam Hills. They used to be covered in pine trees, but they were all cut down so the Kurdish rebels would have no where to hide in the 70s and 80s. For some reason, they have not grown back.

These are the chicken fajitas with pickles & mushrooms!

The buffet was very interesting. It had a mixture of Iraqi and American food. There was a cream of chicken soup that was simple and soothing for my throat. I had some rice with a beef and chickpea stew. There was a breaded chicken breast stuffed with cheese and maybe spinach. The other main dishes I did not try because they looked a little too interesting. There was "macaroni" that was really a try-colored penne pasta with marinara sauce. There were "chicken fajitas" that Alan told me were good, but tasted nothing like fajitas. The chicken and sauce looked normal enough, but the veggies used are usually onions and bell peppers. Here they were pickles and mushrooms! Oh man. There was an English Pie and fried potatoes. I did enjoy the salad bar quite a bit. There was some yummy hummus that I ate with large slices of cucumber. My dessert was a banana, plum and two chocolate-covered brownie bites. I also had two cups of tea. I was so full. Maybe that is why I started to feel so sick on top of the stuffiness in my nose.

Funny Side Note: I was sitting next to Mahir at lunch. I came back to the table with my first plate of food from the buffet. It was full of food! He looked at my plate and said, "Where is all the food?" I told him that I didn't understand. My plate was full! He said that they were all appetizers and that I needed to eat a lot more than that. I promised that I would, even I went back for fruit and dessert. I find it so funny. When I am home with my parents, they eat like birds. We are always talking about eating in moderation and small portions sizes to try to not gain weight. My mom will look at my plate and say, "Are you sure you want that much?" The mentalities are so different. I don't really like either option. I would rather eat just what I want... which is somewhere in the middle. I guess that is why we grow up, move out, and set our own rules. :)

Ok. I am calling it a night. I hope you are doing well.

I am very glad that my type of virus is not the type that can travel through computers.

You should all be safe from my germs. Love, the germy Megan & loving Habibi

Pop Quiz!

This is a Pop Quiz. Test your skills.

Where were these picture taken?

1. Look at the neighborhood below.

Choose the correct location:

A. Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

B. American Village, Erbil, Iraq

2. Look at the neighborhood below.

Choose the correct location:

A. Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

B. American Village, Erbil, Iraq

3. Look at the landscape below.

Choose the correct location:

A. Horse Heaven Hills, Kiona, Washington (state), USA

B. Peermam Hills, Khanzad, Iraq

4. Look at the landscape below.

Choose the correct location:

A. Horse Heaven Hills, Kiona, Washington (state), USA

B. Peermam Hills, Khanzad, Iraq

How did it go? Check your answers:

1. B, 2. A, 3. A, 4. B

It's weird to be so far from home, yet see it all around me. :)

Update 9: December 29th

My cold is getting worse, so I have decided to make my descriptions for today short and sweet. Well, as short as I can because I still need some level of detail. :)

Today we went shopping at the Family Mall. Tanya and Shownim said that we should keep our expectations low, so I was not expecting much. Alan and I were pleasantly surprised by how nice the mall turned out to be. We did have to go through a metal detector before entering and our purses had to be searched. The sign on the door coming in was a "no guns" sign like we would have a no smoking sign. People were smoking in the mall, so I guess those signs were left off for a reason.

Walking up to the Family Mall

Inside the Family Mall... it could easily be in the states.

It made me think it would be ok to hold Alan's hand in public. Nope.

A shop with Turkish sweets. Mom, I would have gotten you presents here, but I worry about declaring that we were taking food out of the country. It has become a no-no.

We made some really nice purchases at the mall. Alan got a nice pair of shoes and we bought some original paintings on canvas of Iraq. I did not buy the most awesome find of the day because I could not think of who to give it to. It was a faux fur slap bracelet with a large beaded feather in the middle. Who wears these things? Alan was saying that I should get it because I am missing Topo so much. I could just pet my bracelet instead of a cat.

We did not go through the whole mall. I think a large section is like Dave & Busters with a movie theater and game center. I saw a ferris wheel as we were driving in. We decided to have lunch at a Turkish restaurant named Mado. The menu was extensive and everything we ordered was super tasty. We shared their famous "Caesar salad" and a plate of grape leave dolmas that were served hot. The picture will show that this is in no way a Caesar salad. It does have lettuce and croutons, but it also has carrots, cucumbers, olives, pickles, chicken and a yogurt dressing. It was very good, but not what we were expecting.

Mado was originally an ice cream shop. The menu told us all about how the ice cream was made from snow. It was an interesting story and made us need to try it. Shownim got a banana split (which came with apple slices and orange slices) and Tayna, Alan and I shared 4 scoops of ice cream (plain, chocolate, piscatio, and caramel). It had a stickier texture than what you find in the states, but it had a great flavor. We were done and asked for the check. Three men were sitting at the table next to us. I saw them talking to our waiter and motioning towards us. Instead of bringing us the bill, he asked if we wanted tea. We said no, just the bill. He came back with tea and cookies on the house. It seems the men own the restaurant and wanted an excuse to talk to us. Tanya thinks it is because they heard me speaking in English and they wanted to talk to me. They asked us where we were from. Tanya said we were from Erbil. They asked me where I was from. I said Colorado. I forgot that I should have just said the US because states mean very little here. He took that to mean that I was also from Erbil. He explained that he was from Latvia. I think he wanted to keep talking, but he got a phone call and we ignored them until we were able to leave. You have to be very careful here. It is not like the states where any girls can talk to any boy. You have to keep everything proper. I am a married woman, so I don't think it is as strict for me, but I don't know the rules well. I think I just need to resist all of my natural instincts and I will be ok.

In the evening, Shownim's aunt (Fikret) and uncle (Samir) came over for a visit with their son (Ali). Notice that the names are starting to duplicate. We now have two Vian and two Ali. They were all very nice. Ali spoke English well. We had a nice conversation on topics of Erbil, education and business. He is getting married this spring to a very beautiful girl named Neba-eh. He is having a New Year's Eve party and has invited us to join him. I think we were planning a larger family affair, but we will see. Tanya's birthday is January 1st, so New Year's is really a big party for her. We will let her decide.

That is all for today. Namir is taking us to a restaurant to the north of Erbil tomorrow for lunch. That seems to be the solidified plan for tomorrow. I would not mind another low key day to fight this cold. I assume it is the same virus that Alan had. It only hung around for a few days, so I am hopeful that it will be in and out quickly.

Good night all. Love, Megan

PS. As a cute side note, I will share an observation made by an aunt. She said that it was funny that Alan had traveled half way around the world to find someone like me who looks like one of them. They really think I could be part of the family from Mahir's mom's side of the family. I think it is so cute. It makes me happy. :)

Pictures: December 28th

The Agha family: Mohammed, Lara, Tara and Saeed

Tara and Saeed had not even realized that they were both wearing brown pants and a light blue shirt. That is what happens when you have been married for a long time. :)

Mohammed and Mahir

Alan and Tanya at TCHE TCHE

The concept map menu at TCHE TCHE. The picture of the steak sandwich I ordered is to the right. The grilled onions look great! The cheese also looks more like feta.

This is that same steak sandwich that got delivered to me.

Sadly, there were no onions. The potato wedges were great!

The concept menu map for the ice cream desserts.

The chocolate land ice cream were ordered is in the bottom right.

There is no mention of mixed fruit, yet half a can ended up in our melted ice cream.

Update 8: December 28th "Can a popsicle move?"

Good morning. I have succumbed to the cold that Alan had. I am a little stuffy, there is some tightness in my throat and I have a headache. I hope that once we get moving I will feel better.

Yesterday was a much needed, low key day. We started the morning on official government business. We went to the Erbil Telecom Company to reactivate the DSL coming to the house. Now the wireless router that we bought should be able to work. It does work sometimes, but constantly needs to be restarted. Mom and Dad, it reminds me of being at your house when we have to unplug and plug in that cable to make the Internet work. The building was completely run down. It was dark and dirty. It looked like nothing had been remodeled since maybe the 50s. While government buildings in the states would have a picture of Obama, this office had a picture of Mustafa Barzani, the “godfather” of the modern Kurdish struggle. He was dressed in traditional Kurdish clothes and wielding a gun. He looked like a warrior. We were able to reactivate the DSL easily, and went on our way.

One of the main Erbil post offices was next door. We went in to see if the package that my parents sent might be there. My mom found the tracking information, but they do not list anything after saying it left New Jersey and that was over two weeks ago. The postal worker said that it was not there and that it may be at any number of other post offices. We will need to drive to each one and ask. Shayan told me that they will hold it for a certain amount of time, then send it back to the states if it is not claimed. So Mom, it may be heading back to you.

Mohammed was flying back to the Denver yesterday, so we drove over to see him. Alan and I will be seeing him in a week when we get back home, but it was much harder to say good bye for everybody else. It was a nice visit. The conversation moved to famous religious sites in Jordan. Tara would say that the same stories are probably in the bible that are mentioned in the Koran. I read the bible freshman year of college for a class, but I do not remember much. I was embarrassed for them to discover the level at which I am not religious. I know that religion means a lot to Alan’s family, so I am an oddity. However, I think it is really the only way to make a marriage between a Catholic-Jew and a Muslim work. J You can’t focus too much on the details.

We went home for a wonderful lunch. Shownim and Tanya made biryani, a rice dish with a lot of spices, ground beef and raisins. Alan usually serves it with a chicken curry. They made a lamb curry, instead. It was so good. We started with a soup made with bulgur wheat in a tomato sauce. They do not consider it a soup. If Rachel Ray was here, then she would probably call it a “stoup,” which is somewhere between an stew and a soup due to its thickness. I am always so pleased that everyone is so good at seasoning. There is always the right amount of salt and the right amount of spices. It is a culinary experience that I really wish my parents could be sharing with me. Mom and Dad, you would just love the food. Feel free to be jealous. J

After lunch, I took some time to finish my blog entry from yesterday and we relaxed for a while. Tanya was taking us to dinner at TCHE TCHE, a Jordanian restaurant that serves American-style food. Dinner is served late here, so at 5pm I decided that a short afternoon nap was needed. I know, I am breaking my note to self from earlier. It is cold outside, which is making inside cold as well. I cannot seem to get warm enough. Getting under the covers and napping sounded like the best answer. The 20 minute cat nap became a 2 hour full nap because Alan came to bed as well. At 7pm we knew we had to get up for dinner. Alan took off the covers and a blast of cold air entered. Alan said that I needed to get out of bed. I said, “Can a popsicle move?” We laughed so hard. It became our new favorite phrase for the evening.

TCHE TCHE is also a Hookah bar. When we came in, the waiter told us to choose a table in the empty family section. Why would three people in their 30s need to sit in the family section? We all found it weird, but went back there anyway. The menu was cool with its concept mapping style. The problem was that they do not have most of the things on the menu. Tanya wanted a lemon-mint soda. They had the lemon, but no mint. Alan wanted a Ferrero Roche milkshake, but that was no Ferrero Roche. I was the only one who was able to get the Pepsi I wanted, so we all got Pepsi. I did not luck out with my choice in dinner. I wanted a spicy chicken sandwich. There was no spicy chicken. I got a steak sandwich with halloumi cheese instead. Alan got a cheese burger. Tanya ordered a club sandwich because this one had no bacon, unlike the states. All of the dishes were ok, but nothing to rave about. This was my first time trying halloumi cheese. It looks and kind of tastes like the egg whites of a hard-boiled egg. The potato wedges that came with my sandwich were the best part by far. They had great seasoning with a nice crispy outside and a warm, soft inside. They were much better than the fries that Alan and Tanya got. We ordered the Chocolate Land icecream sundae for dessert. I am posting the picture for you to see the menu: chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Much to our surprise, there was a soup of chocolate ice cream that arrived with canned-mixed fruit and no whipped cream. So weird! I scooped out all of the fruit into the ashtray and we used straws to drink our chocolate sundae. At least the chocolate ice cream was really yummy.

Side Note: Alan and Mahir just told me that the reason we were placed in the family section is because we were girls and most of the people sitting at the front of the restaurant were men. Apparently, the men would have looked at us. Alan would have had to be our protector, looking at them saying, “I see the way you are looking at my sister and my wife and you better STOP right now!” We didn’t want to cause a scandal.

When we were eating, Shayan called to say that Renwar (Reno) had arrived home from Germany and wanted to see us after dinner. Alan had already said that dinner was interrupting our nap, so going on a family visit at 9:30 at night did not sound like a good idea. When Alan told Tanya that we did not want to go, Reno demanded to talk to Alan. Reno must be very persuasive because we were soon on our way to their house.

Reno is the younger brother of Tawar, Kosar and Shayan. He already has him medical degree and is now specializing in southern Germany. Reno is full of energy and was every excited to be home. He was so funny.

Side Note: Reno was hurt that I said my blog was only being read in four countries. I need to send a shout out to Germany because Reno was reading it while he was there. In my defense, I really didn’t know. J

It was great to see all of the cousins together. We decided to play Uno. They had me practice my numbers and colors in Kurdish as part of the game. I now know four colors: sore (red), sheen (blue), kesk (green) and zard (yellow). You have to roll the r, which I can’t do. Therefore, yellow and I are not friends. The numbers I remember are yek (one), pentz (five), no (nine) and beast (twenty). The cousins were having so much fun and were so playful. Tanya later said that you just need to give them some cards and it is like they are 15 years old again. It was touching.

Today we are going to the mall. There are malls EVERYWHERE! They say we are going to one of the best malls, so I will report back later. Reno wants to hang out again tonight, but we have Shownim’s aunt coming to visit for dinner with her son and his fiancé. It should be a good day as long as this head cold stays under control.

Hope you are all doing well. Love, Megan & Habibi

Update 7: December 27th

Good morning. Habibi is eating a second helping of yogurt now, but he will be coming over to help me spell names soon. I will get started without him. I am feeling a little self conscious writing today because I know so many people have been reading the blog. People are now asking me things “off the record” and telling me “don’t write about this part.” It makes me nervous. Alan is my editor and makes sure that I don’t say things that I should not. I hope I am writing things that people enjoy. Thank you for all of the nice comments that have been sent my way. I know that the blog is being read in at least four countries: the US, Iraq, Jordan and Sweden. Who knew I would have such an international audience thanks to Facebook? Oh my.

Yesterday was a very good day filled with family. Alan has so many relatives! He has 25 cousins just on his dad’s side! I tried to make a family tree once, but there were so many people that I got overwhelmed. Now that I have faces for almost all of the names, I am thinking of trying again. I can’t help but compare this to my family. My parents have a total of five siblings and I have a total of nine cousins. We are spread all over the US in Washington, Illinois and Georgia. I did not grow up with any of my relatives around me, other than my dad’s mom later on. It is so different here. Family is everywhere. It is so nice to watch the strong bonds they share. I feel lucky to now be part of this large network of loving people.

Our first visit was to the house of Inaam, Alan’s aunt and the wife of Mahir’s step-brother. She was full of energy when teasing Alan that he has been in America for far too long and that he should have come back much sooner. She was full of smiles towards me. Alan’s young cousin, Hassan, came inside during our visit. He saw me and quickly hid to the side of the door. A few seconds later, I saw his little face peek around the door. He saw I was looking and ducked away again. We kept telling him to come in, but he resisted. This seems to be a common trend I have seen with the cousins. They all seem to be shy. The aunts tell me that they all go to English schools and learn almost all subjects in English. They even speak almost all English when they are with their friends. However, they don’t speak English with their families even when they ask. They also did not want to practice their English with me. Most were too shy to talk to me at all. As we were living, Alan translated that she thinks I look a lot like her. I agreed. We have the same skin tone and similar soft features. Apparently, this has been a comment frequently mentioned among the relatives. They have been saying that there is no way I am foreign because I look so much like Mahir’s mom’s side of the family. She had light skin and blond hair. Maybe we have a common ancestor in the distant past.

Our second visit was to Alan’s aunt and uncle, Nezhet and Mohammed. Their daughter, Vian, was in town with her husband Ali. Vian and Ali are doctors that live in Manchester, England. They have lovely accents and it was nice to have a conversation in English for a while. They showed us pictures of their granddaughter and invited us to their son’s wedding in England. The traditional engagement event is in May and the wedding itself is in August. Unfortunately, one is right before finals and the other is right at the beginning of the school year. England is too far away for just a weekend trip. I told them that Alan may be able to get away, but I don’t think it would be possible for me. The house was beautiful. I have already posted a picture of it from the balcony overlooking the sitting room. I have more pictures of the layout that I will post when I get home and we have a faster connection speed.

It was now time for lunch. Aunts Sharmin and Faryal had invited us over for Kufftah, the dumpling soup that I had on my first day here. Lunch is no small affair. It is the main meal, but still larger than any main meal we have for dinner. I think I eat at least twice as much here. People keep telling me to eat more. I don’t want to act as if I do not appreciate their hospitality, so I always eat more. I am lucky my clothes still fit! ☺ You will have to look at the pictures of the lunch, if you have not done so already. It was a lot more that a casual lunch of soup! I forgot to take pictures of dessert, but there were also at least four different types of dessert to go with our tea.

Joining us for lunch were Sharmin, Faryal, Namir, Araz, Tawar, Kosar, Mahir, Tanya, and Shayan. The new addition to the party (to me) was Alan’s cousin, Leezan, and her three daughters, Dunya, Danya and Deema. Deema is only a year old and I had to go talk to her as soon as she came in with Danya. Dunya and Danya had been too shy to talk to me earlier. I got Danya to open up a little bit when I asked her questions about Deema. There is a picture already posted of Alan and I with Leezan, Dunya and Deema. Apparently, Danya used to have a big crush on Alan before he left. She was too shy to talk to him here. We need to hang out more, so they know we are not scary at all. I hope that can happen before the very end of our visit. We still have eight more days.

We left the family house for another compound of family houses of cousins Awat, Awreng, Sarok and Rashid (Rasho). Mahir, Tanya, Alan and I were escorted into a very large sitting room. The large room was needed and was soon filled with new faces. Rasho is married to Vian, and they have four daughters: Shem, Shara (my new BFF), Sharmin, and Danya. Shara is taking chemistry. I was known in the house already as “the chemistry teacher.” Namir called the girls that told them to come and to bring their science books with them! It was time to tutor! Most of the girls were shy, but Shara loves strangers and foreigners. We got along well from the start. I taught her about my reaction type square dancing, which really helped her remember the reaction types. We talked about how some reactions are BOTH synthesis and combustion. I made her get paper, so we could practice balancing. I told her that she needs to use Heather’s strategy of using different color Skittles to represent the different elements, so she can picture what these numbers mean and what the molecules look like. She doesn’t like Skittles, but she like M & Ms. I told her that she can do her homework and then eat them as a reward! ☺ Tanya told me later that they pay tutors $10,000 per student and a session usually has 4 to 5 students. They think I should come back this summer to be a tutor. They have promised me constant air conditioning and a lot of money. I will have to think about that. It is $6000 just for Alan and I to fly over. I doubt it will happen, but it was nice to be asked.

Instead of tea or coffee, sugar-free hot chocolate was served with icy cold pieces of chocolate. It was a yummy way to pass the time. Towards the end of our visit, we were taken to the family house still under construction in the compound. The roof has amazing views that I have posted pictures of already. The skyline is beautiful with all of the lights. Vian really wants to make a cheesecake. The thing called cheesecake at the Lebanese bakery tasted nothing like cheesecake. I shared the link for the recipe my mom and I use with Shara on Facebook and she is giving it to her mom. I have heard that sour cream is hard to find here, so we may have to play around with the ingredients. While we were roof, I saw a cat running along another part of the roof. I get so excited when I see a cat. There are strays all over the streets. There is a cat that the family feeds. They do not take the cat to the vet, but they thought it was ok for me to pet. That cat was so tiny and skinny. She ran towards me, but would not come close. I called out, “Wedda Pasheela,” which means “come here kitty.” The pasheela did not wedda. Sad. I don’t think I will have another opportunity to pet a cat while I am over here. I am missing Topo a lot.

Side note: Alan and I are arguing about the spelling of “come here.” I hear it as “wedda.” I know that when I say “wedda,” Alan says that I am saying it correctly. The problem is that Alan thinks it should be spelled, “warra” where you have to roll your r. I can’t make this sound at all. If you are American and pronounce it my way, then you will be saying it correctly. Do not worry. However, if you are middle eastern, then you probably think I am as crazy as Alan does right now. This means that you know how to roll your r’s and can say it Alan’s way. Mom, you are the speech therapist. Please give your expert opinion. You know how to roll your r’s.

We got back to Alan’s house in time for dinner. That is right. We are always eating. Good thing that the food is always so yummy. We had leftovers from Christmas dinner. It was light and casual. It was a quiet evening at home, watching TV and relaxing. It was a good end to a good day.

More Pictures!

The Habibi is sleeping, so my update about today will have to wait.

We had visits at four different houses.

There were so many relatives that I will need Habibi to help me with name spellings.

Here are pictures from the last few days.

Driving Tour of Erbil

View of the Citadel from the market below. We climbed up from here.

There was a ramp. I did not go rock climbing!

Um... They spell what they hear and do not use spell check.

This was another interesting find at the grocery store... bondage horse?

December 26th Pictures:

Mohammed and Tanya dressed to see the chickens.

Sarteeb and Alan also dressed to see the chickens.

Why does Alan get to wear the fun jumpsuit? :)

Alan and me dressed to see the chickens.

I liked the level of safety, but would have loved a pair of goggles to complete the look.

Our tour guides for the chicken visit. The man on the left spoke very nice English and explained to me in detail how the raise the chicken by specific guidelines. He was very knowledgable.

Lunch at Tara's house. This was the Persian Kufftah. Yum!

Alan's parents, Shownim and Mahir.

Tanya was so helpful with getting lunch ready.

I am glad that she finally got a chance to eat!

Got dessert? Yes I do!

Tara is cutting the Kanaffa. The chocolate mousse is towards the front with the fruit.

The smiley face cake is off to right. I ate them all!

December 27th Pictures:

The second visit of the day. I forgot to take pictures at the first house with Alan's aunt.

This is the house of Alan's aunt and uncle. There son designed the house.

The railings and the grates in the windows were all recovered from the Citadel.

The design was inspired by the family house at the Citadel and definitely had that feel.

Do you see the large platter of cookies? They were from the same Lebanese bakery we had visited on Christmas day. These cookies were so good! Thankfully, they served tea rather than the Turkish coffee which is too strong for me. I am on a constant caffeine high here!

Aunts Sharmin and Faryal invited us to lunch. It looked like the same size feast as we had at Christmas dinner. When I said this they disagreed. They said this was a more "spur of the moment" kind of lunch. Wow! I can't imagine eating like this regularly!

Food from left to right: Kufftah, turnips, black eyed pea stew with chunks of beef, a rice dish called Parda Plow with meatballs and a lot of cinnamon, and a soup with tender chicken. It is a soup of rice and yogurt. You mix the rice and yogurt together for three days to absorb and dry. You roll them into balls and refrigerate or freeze them. When you are ready to make soup, you just add them to water. It has the texture and taste similar to porridge.

This is the other side of the feast that was not a feast.

Food left to right: chicken and potatoes (I did not have a chance to try this one), the Kurdish flat bread that I have been having for breakfast, pickled beets and cauliflower that they just call pickles (the beets were so good), a regular green salad, rice, eggplant sheikh, and that is the Kufftah again on the right.

Alan's cousin and two of her three daughters. The girls were so cute!

One of the oldest minarettes in Erbil. It is hundreds of years old.

A group from Italy is restoring it and has added lights to see its beauty at night.

Alan and I on the roof of Alan's cousin's house that is being built.

It was my first panoramic view of Erbil at night.

At one time it had a view of the Citadel, but it is not blocked by one of the ten thousand malls that have invaded Erbil. Can you tell people think there are too many malls?

This is me with Shara, the daughter of Alan's cousin. She is working of types of chemical equations and balancing chemical equations in chemistry. I happily went into teacher mode. I made her get paper and started giving her practice problems that we worked out together. It was nice to feel useful, rather than just sitting and smiling as if I understand what is being said. I may get together with her mother, Vian, to try out a cheesecake recipe. I am trying to convince Shara to come to the states (Denver) for college. :)

Christmas Day Pictures!

More pictures at last! This is my eventful Christmas Day adventure. Enjoy!

Our day started at the Citadel. It looks like a castle sitting on top of a hill.

Erbil is the oldest city in the world that is still inhabited.

The Citadel is the oldest part of the city and where most people lived.

This is the front door to the house where Shownim was born in the Citadel. The house was converted into the Textile Museum of Erbil. It was closed. We thought it was because it was Christmas day, but it looks like it is actually closed for restoration.

It will not be open before we leave.

The courtyard that leads to a guest house that is connected to the house where Mahir lived for 10 years. The Citadel Fountain sits in the center. It no longer works, but is being restored.

You can see the building in the background. I love the archways and metal scroll work.

Funny story: When Mahir was small, he and his older brother Farouk used to play in this courtyard. From the stories, I picture Farouk as an adventurous and creative child. One day, Farouk decided he wanted to be Tarzan! He told Mahir, I am going to try to swing across the courtyard on a vine like Tarzan. If anything goes wrong, then it is your job to go and get help. Farouk tied towels and sheets together to make the vine. It is difficult to tell from this picture, but there is a metal beam on the first level above the fountain that he managed to tie the vine onto. He stood on the railing and flew off on the vine with a Tarzan yell. Unfortunately, the knots between the towels were not nearly strong enough to support his weight. He fell straight down onto the marble floor. Mahir said that Farouk was completely knocked out. He was supposed to go for help, but rather he just ate a snack and waited for Farouk to wake back up.

--- Hi Farouk! I heard you have been reading the blog. Hope you like the story! ---

One of the main rooms in guest house at the Citadel.

Sabriya says that the ceiling still looks as it did originally.

The windows at the top look towards the painted ceiling of the hallway beyond the wall.

The painting is part of the current restoration project. The family moved out in the 1950s.

Mohammed is on the left and Tawar is on the right.

Tawar was a great tour guide. Thanks again for taking us around. :)

This is the famous tea house that we went to in the middle of the market place.

The tea was good and we had so much fun looking at all of the pictures on the walls.

This is the Lebanese bakery where we got dessert for Christmas.

Doesn't it look amazing? We wanted to get everything!

Our Christmas feast! The dish at the top is the spiced, yogurt-marinated chicken with rice and grilled vegetables. In the middle is the stuffed chicken with green rice. I do not know what made it green, but it was yummy! This dish was my favorite of the three. The large platter in the front had the breaded chicken with vegetables. It was covered with Iraqi fries. Alan doesn't like them at all. He says that they have little flavor and are never crispy. There is flat bread and a veggie tray at the bottom of the table. Look, mom! They let me set the table like I do at home!

Update 6: December 26th

Good morning. There is not as much to report from yesterday because I just slept for about 13 hours! We got home from lunch/dinner at Tara’s house at 6:30pm. I had been falling asleep there and even a big cup of tea did not seem to help wake me up. I think the house the perfect combination of sleepy qualities. I had been cold when we got to Tara’s and got surrounded by warm shawls. I was now warm, well fed, and listening to people talking in soft, soothing voices in a language I don’t understand. I decided I would just go to sleep as we got in. I tried to stay up as Alan read my blog entry from yesterday, but I can’t remember if I even got through that. I slept in the same position for 13 hours. My neck hurts a little bit this morning, but otherwise the sleep has done wonders. I feel that I may have finally kicked this jet lag.

Ok, time to describe yesterday.

A large SUV picked us up around 11am. Sarteeb sent his driver to take us to the office. It is a new office and we were the first family members to get a tour since it was completed. It is such a fancy office! Everything is stainless steel and nice wood. There are large flat screen TVs everywhere. Sarteeb is the epitome of the powerful businessman. He took us into an office that had beautiful replicas of Iraqi historical structures on the bookcases. He told Alan that we could choose one to take as a gift. I hesitated to take one. In response, he told us to take two. Mom and Dad, you will love these. They remind me of all of the special objects that grandma used to bring back from her travels around the world. You can expect one in the mail when we get back to the states. You can add it to grandma’s display cabinet.

After choosing our gifts, we joined Sarteeb, Tanya and Mohammed in Sarteeb’s office. His secretary brought us tiny cups of sweetened Turkish coffee. It is so strong! My tummy was still upset, so I drank very little. Sarteeb sent for his man in charge of advertising to show us the latest commercial for the chicken. They are working on brand recognition right now. While Sarteeb was out of the room, the four of us brainstormed marketing ideas. The Iraqi youth seem to be obsessed with gangsta rap. There is graffiti everywhere here. Most of it is in Arabic writing, but at the Citadel I saw “50 CENT” written in large letters. We said that Sarteeb should hire rappers to make commercials that look like rap music videos where 50 Cent and Snoop Dog rap about the yummy chicken. This led to lots of laughter.

The plan was to drive south of Erbil to visit the poultry empire. I can’t think of another term to describe that I saw. The whole company is self-contained and (to my understanding) soon to be the largest poultry company in Iraq. Their only real competition is by companies in other countries. They have the breeder chickens to lay the eggs. They have a hatchery to incubate the eggs. They raise the broiler chickens to the exact weight needed to slaughter and sell. The have a factory for slaughtering and cleaning the broilers when they reach the right weight. They have another factory for making egg cartons for the eggs produced to sell. Everything needed is produced on site. It is very impressive. There are armed security guards at the gates to the compounds. There are guns all over the place as I have traveled around the city. They are not small hand guns that you see police officers using in the states. They are BIG, scary looking guns. I guess all guns are scary. It is just weird to see them.

As we pulled up to the new office building at the compound, Sarteeb got a phone call from his wife, Nayab. Nayab talked to me on the phone. She has been reading the blog and feels left out because she is in Jordan.

So Nayab, here is a paragraph just for you! J Nayab is Alan’s aunt and Shownim’s sister. She lives in Jordan with her three children, Omar, Lana and Zaineb. I met Omar and Lana at Tanya’s graduation from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Omar and Lana go to school in Canada and are home in Jordan for Christmas break. Nayab really wants to meet me. She was right when she said that by the end of the trip, I will have met almost all of the family. I will only be missing Nayab and Zaineb, and Alan’s family that lives in Sweden. Alan had tried to convince Nayab and the cousins to come to Erbil while we were here, but Omar and Lana have too short of a break from school for extra travel. However, I am now a part of this family for life. There will be more visits in the future and I know we will meet then. Nayab was so nice and friendly on the phone. She has wonderful English, which made talking to each other easy. I look forward to meeting her in the future.

Hearing that Nayab is reading the blog made me feel somewhat like a famous journalist. I have been writing this to let people back in the states know how I am doing. However, I have realized that people here are also reading it to see how their home is being portrayed. Maybe I can help with Sarteeb’s brand recognition when my blog becomes famous and Hollywood starts calling me.

EAT AL-SHAMAL CHICKEN! J

Sarteeb let us go meet the broiler chicken during feeding time. I was worried about breathing in anything from the chickens, so we all got decked out with shoe covers, lab coats, gloves, hairnets, and face masks. I would have loved some lab goggles as well, but I didn’t want to sound pushy. I think it was the chemist in me that always feels safer wearing lab goggles. The person in charge of running the compound spoke very good English. He looked directly at me as he described the science that goes into raising the chicken based on the exact guidelines set for healthy chicken. Sarteeb prides himself on doing everything in the best way possible. I thanked the man so explaining everything so well for me in English. I felt like I was being treated like a foreign investor… or maybe that famous journalist again! J

EAT AL-SHAMAL CHICKEN!

After the tour, Sarteeb drove us back to Tara’s house for lunch. Lunch is usually served around 2pm, but we did not get there until closer to 3:30pm. Driving to and from the chicken compound was an experience. I have mentioned that the traffic is crazy. I should take a video to show the insanity. People make their own lanes. There are no stop signs, so people barely slow to make a turn onto another street. I just grit my teeth, hold on tight and hope for the best. There is nothing else to do.

Tara’s house is in a section of town called Dollar-ville because rich people live there. It used to be called Frog-ville because the only thing that lived there were frogs. The house is beautiful! I told Lara that she is so lucky because it looks like she is living in a museum. I went around and took pictures of the furniture, the light fixtures and the art work. It was so opulent and striking. I loved it all.

Lunch was fantastic. We started with a soup called Kufftat Ajam, which means Persian Kufftah. It was similar to the Kufftah dumplings that we had the first day here, but rather than having the beef surrounded by a rice shell, here the beef and rice were mixed to make the dumpling/meatball. It was so yummy. This was followed by black rice with tabouleh and a bean stew. I don’t think that I explained black rice when I mentioned it earlier in the blog. For those of you that have not had the pleasure of eating black rice before, it is rice and chicken that are cooked in a sauce of pomegranate molasses. The molasses you can buy in the states tastes sweeter and tangier to me than the ones I have tried here. Alan makes this at home with a lot more sauce. So far, the ones I have tried here are cooked to be drier. They are both good, but I think I refer Alan’s version. The rice Tara made was better because it had the perfect texture. It’s not too hard. It’s not too soft. It is just right.

Traditionally, black rice is served with beans. The bean stew had white beans in a tomato sauce. They had been cooked for a long time with chunks of beef that were so nice and tender. I ate my bean stew with the tabouleh, which added a nice amount of acid to the stew from the lemon juice. The parsley in the tabouleh makes the salad taste so nice and fresh. It was much better than a majority of the tabouleh that you can find in the states.

Let’s talk dessert. During dinner, I had noticed a cute chocolate cake on the counter. It was decorated with a smiley face in white and pink frosting and covered in sprinkles. It looked great. Shownim started cutting into it. Tara asked if I wanted cake or if I wanted Kanaffa. Kanaffa is my favorite dessert of all time. It is made with a cheese custard that is covered in shredded philo dough and drenched in honey and rose water. Tanya recommended that we look at both and then decide. Tara brought out a dish of something that looked like chocolate pudding. I was pretty confused because I thought she was bringing out the Kanaffa. I said that this is not like the Kanaffa that I am used to in the states. She had actually brought out a chocolate mousse with layers of bananas and cookies. The Kanaffa soon followed. What does a girl do when she has three yummy desserts staring up at her? How is she to choose? Here the choice is simple. Eat them all. That is exactly what I did. The Kanaffa was absolutely wonderful. It was not as sweet as the ones that I have had before, meaning that it is light enough to where I could eat a lot more of it. This is dangerous… very dangerous.

I was full. I was warm. I was happy. It was time to sleep. J