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. :)
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