Monsters Inc, Kashma, Remedy and Guys

How can this blog's headline NOT intrigue you?

Monsters Inc
I love this movie. The other day I watched (most of) it in Turkish. I still love this movie. BOOM.

Kashma
She's my new 14-year-old Kurdish friend. She's so sweet and her English is pretty good (much better than the intro English class that I co-taught and that she was enrolled in).

A few nights ago I went to her father's kabob restaurant, along with Kierstin (a teacher at the Life Center) and Kashma's mom and aunt. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS. He kept bringing out chicken, vegetables, chicken wings, naan, and some other meat for us to eat.

The restaurant, I think, was just for men, but because I was with the owner's wife and daughter it was ok to be there. It's still strange to me that they still have so much separation on where men and women can go. We did get kicked out after about an hour because we were taking business from him (we took up two tables and weren't paying, so this was completely understandable).

Kashma is definitely a 14-year-old girl. In class her best friend Hadn and her talk and giggle. She rebels a little against society here by her clothes choices. She says she hates living here and she wants to go to Alaska where it's cold and she can do whatever she wants. (Alaska, really?) Her mother shares these sentiments. I thank God that I get to talk to them, listen to their frustrations, and learn from them. I pray for each of them, especially Kashma that Jesus reveals himself to her so she can find the freedom she yearns for in Christ.

Remedy Mission VI
Remedy is underway in southern Iraq this week! While I am still a little bummed that I am not down there, I am encouraged by the progress this hospital is making and desires. The stories coming out of this Remedy are beautiful. How can helping save a child's life NOT be beautiful?

Even when reading some old blog posts that are sad, that illustrate the grief parents go through when it's too late to restore their child...the beauty of forgiveness and grace still is evident to me. Thank God for this, if these qualities didn't shine through I think it would be so easier to become hard-hearted, cynical, angry and bitter about a loss. (I am not saying I'm not angry, but those posts make me want to take my anger to change the ways things are so that more children and parents are not being told it's too late.)

If you haven't check out PLC's blog to see what is going on right now in southern Iraq!

Guys
Since Lydia and Alex are in southern Iraq right now, it's been me and 5 guy interns here.

Every now and then I need to retreat to my room to paint my nails or listen to Taylor Swift or Justin Timberlake, but for the most part I could not ask for better company.

I've learned a lot about guys, but not just from your average, American guy. No, I've learned a lot from great, intelligent, Christian men. So when I get home I hope I'm not too reverse-cultured-shocked by the average American college guy now that I've grown use to be around such awesome ones.

Also, on the topic of guys, there are more male Christians in this area than women. Women are the gate-keepers of Islam here. Another reason for this may be that men have more chances to hear the Truth than women. Women are generally confined to their home, or don't really socialize outside the house with friends. This makes it even more difficult to hear the Gospel. Keep praying for these women, but know that God is so powerful and that He can reveal himself to them in other ways. I heard a story from a Life Center friend the other day and she said she has a Kurdish acquaintance who, since a young age, had visions of Jesus, and knew that she needed to be searching for who this man was. This woman is now a believer, after hearing the Word and realizing THIS was the man in her dreams.

and that is the end of this post. I hope you all are doing well. Thank so much for supporting this trip. I love being here.

My Bazaar Life

Ha ha, I love how much I use the word bazaar as bizarre. I am so punny. ha ha, oh dear I hope someone laughed at that. Gayle would have laughed at that because she knows I am funny 24/7 365.


Speaking of Gayle. I am loving TEA Team's blog posts (CLICK HERE TO GET TO THEM). :-)


Anyways...


Yesterday Lydia and I went to the bazaar to get some long dresses/ skirts/ even more modest clothes for her trip down to southern Iraq. While I wish, wish, wish I was going down there with her I am thankful I don't have to endure 105+ degree heat in all black. She picked out some cute stuff, but it took a while because we thrifted  in IRAQ! Thrifted in Iraq. Liz. Liz thrifted in Iraq. AND I got two super cute (well they will be) dresses for less than $2. I am excited.


Today I went to the bazaar with Ryan and Ted. I wore my ballet klash and people just kept staring at my feet.  I am glad that I could advertise for the ballet klash a little. Ryan and Ted were great guys to go to the bazaar with. They totally nullify the cliche that guys hate shopping or are not fun to go shopping with.

[Lydia, Alex, and Cody left for Nasiriyah today for two weeks. Once again I am the only girl intern here. I am going to miss the other half of the so called "axis of evil" so much. Why are we called the "axis of evil?" Maybe because we're awesome.]

I didn't buy anything today, but I have several more weeks to start my souvenir shopping. So if anyone has anything super specific that you want you should let me know! Because as of now I've seen colored chicks, pigeons, scarves, key-chains, and ice cream that I'd like to buy for people.

I think it's safe to say the bazaar is one of my favorite places here. 

7 Things I Want More Than Coffee

Iraq doesn't have coffee. They have NesCafe, but I miss my Satellites and Starbucks and coffee dates. But I can live without coffee. These are the things I wish I had here in Iraq:

1. Dolce. I feel so bad that dogs don't understand why people leave them- all they know is they left. I just want to hug her and sleep in the same bed as her and have her sit in my lap when I'm being all emotional. I know my parents are taking GREAT care of her (right mom and dad?), but I still miss her a lot.

2. A camera. Can you believe I forgot mine?! I still can't. My Blackberry is doing an alright job of capturing key things, but it is no replacement for a camera. Especially because I almost never upload pics from my phone to my computer.

3. Gayle. I so very wish my little sister was here right now. I know she's having an amazing time in East Asia and making the world more salty! I just miss her and could really use her wisdom, humor, and empathy right now. You better Skype with me when you get back! I MISS YOU and the big owl misses the little owl very much! (shout out to the tea team)!

4. My family. Korean soap operas are so popular here and every time I see Dong Yi I think of my mom and how much I just want to hug her right now. I'm so thankful that Facebook, email, and phones exist, but they are no replacement for actually sitting around the dinner table talking about each other's day. I pray for my family and thank God that He blessed me with such a wonderful one. (thanks for all the prayers and support mom and dad)!

5. A car. I don't mind walking to work and home, but I miss being able to sit, drive fast, and listen to loud music. It's a lovely feeling and I miss it. I do however think that I will get pulled over here and my car taken away, so I am glad I don't have a car in Kurdistan.

6. Green Chile. Is it weird coffee doesn't make the list, but green chile does? I miss it on pizza, burgers, burritos, and everything else. When I get home I would LOVE it if someone would greet me with green chile pizza from Dions/ Village Pizza, red stuff from Flying Star (or the friotella), and Dolce. (*hint*hint*)

7. Shorts. I have put on pants so many days this week. I think it's safe to say that pants will not be making an appearance from August- October. I welcome skirts, dresses, and shorts. On this note, wearing pants and long skirts aren't bothering me so much. I respect that women here take caution in how they dress. They want to look nice, but not so nice that it's a distraction. Or that other women think they are trying to attract men. I want to respect their way of dressing, just like they are being so helpful in my lack of knowing the language or where things are. I do, however, want to wear shorts when it's over 100 degrees.

Obviously I couldn't put every friend's name on this list, but I do miss miss miss my friends. SO MUCH. I miss river time, flying star dates, photo shoots, movie nights, popcorn and cheese, DAM club, baking, tanning, Baileys, riding, music-ing, and all the other friend stuff! 

Super Secret Cool Club

So my roommate happens to be an amazing photographer and super cool friend, and she invited me (Wednesday and Thursday) to go to a Metrography conference. (Metrography is Iraq's first photography agency). For the conference they brought in internationally known photographers and editors (like TIME and National Geographic).

Where was the conference?

Oh, you know, just at Amna Suraka.


The area where the conference was held was a complete 180 from the torture cells I had just seen. Yes the buildings were still covered in bullet holes, but inside was, what looked like, a mini movie theater.

Walking into the conference was like walking into the coolest place ever, where the coolest people ever were.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but just walking in you could feel the creativity and amazingness these people possess.

I had a great time being able to talk to some of the talented, inspiring photographers and observing how much time and discipline goes into their work. and maybe even for a few days being invited to sit in on their super secret cool club.

Did I Ever Really Leave NM?

This is what I am blessed to see every morning when I wake up!

photo credit: Adam Brandt

Don't these pictures kind of look like Albuquerque?

photo credit: Adam Brandt

I love that there are so many similarities to Albuquerque, and at the same time LOVE the creativity God used when making the world and people!

10 THINGS IRAQ HAS TAUGHT ME (so far)

Little boys have SO MUCH MORE ENERGY than nuclear fission.

Dressing stylish and modest is a sign of respect, not just for you, but for the people you are going to see.

Chickpeas are pretty good.

Drink water, think you’ve had enough? Drink some more.

Learn to live without electricity and the internet; you never know when it will go off.

Be hospitable- regardless of your material means. Give what you have, and remember that God is the ultimate provider.

Americans (in general) are weird- we’re loud, we’re ill-mannered (for the most part), we don’t like to lose ourselves to gain community, we want everyone to speak English, and we won’t take the time to listen to what others have to say. [I don't mean to step on any toes here, because I am still, constantly, learning how to live in another place).

Not every country has coffee. Stop being dependent on it and move on. (or learn to drink caffeinated tea).

When you’re on the phone say the “I love you” part first, it’s the most important and the call will end without you knowing it. (Again- learn to live without electricity and internet).

God is good, all the time. His plan is far greater than what I think should be, and glorifying Him even when I am disappointed and confused is what He asks of us.

Has it really only been three days?

May 23

I woke up around 5:30 am. I was just too excited that I was in Kurdistan and could not wait to get to see some of it! After several more hours everyone else was awake too and at 8:45am we headed to the PLC office. J The office is right above a bakery- yum. There we received some information and our task for the day. The task was for us to split into two groups of three (you know so we wouldn’t draw more attention to ourselves than necessary) and explore the bazaar. Anton, Ben, and Ted were in a group and Adam, Ryan, and I were in the other. Tasks we needed to complete at the bazaar included exchanging $100 to Kurdish currency, picking up SIM cards for our cell phones, drinking fruit smoothies/ juice, learning a few Kurdish phrases, and making it to a restaurant by noon. It was kind of like the amazing race in that as soon as we left the building we were on our own and praying the taxi driver we found knew where he was going and what we were saying. We arrived at the bazaar, walked around, walked some more, and then walked until I developed blisters on my feet. The bazaar has EVERYTHING. Everything from fashionable modern heels to traditional Kurdish Klashi; from spices to live animals; from smoothies to cell phones, from DVDs to fabrics, it is so much cooler than a Wal- Mart. An interesting thing about the bazaar is that the people are probably more into building relationships and getting to know people than selling and buying. It isn’t uncommon for a shop- keeper to just sit down with you and have a cup of tea. When we were searching for specific items we discovered it isn’t uncommon for a shop- keeper to leave his store (potentially losing business) to help you find the store that carries what you are looking for- and also making sure the person there is respectful to you, because you are now his friend. We need more of this hospitality and less of the self- service mindset we’ve been taught for so long. I am thankful that I was able to experience the service of the bazaar because while I am here to serve, I need to learn from them what exactly that looks like here and how I can most respectfully serve and love them.

After the bazaar we ate a delicious, extremely filling lunch, and then came home to learn of the house rules, what each member already on staff at PLC does, safety ‘rules,’ and some more of what is culturally acceptable in Kurdistan.  Right now I am overwhelmed with information, but more excited to start building relationships, learning, and loving here in Iraq.

Kurdish Wedding/ Engagement Party

After writing my blog about the bazaar I went downstairs to chat with Cayla (Matt’s wife), who is amazingly sweet (more on the PLC staff later) and Jessica. They were in the kitchen prepping for dinner as the kids (Emma and Micah) were eating watermelon. After chatting with everyone for a bit, Emma and I started playing Polly Pockets upstairs in her room. Not more than 10 minutes into Polly Pocket playing (or really just setting it all up and making up background stories for our Pollys) Jessica came in and asked me if I wanted to go to a Kurdish engagement party. It was for the older sister of the first girl that PLC sent to Turkey for heart surgery. THIS IS HOW AMAZING AND IMPORTANT THE RELATIONSHIPS PLC BUILDS WITH FAMILES ARE! I, of course, said yes. We literally had 15 minutes to get ready (as Jessica thought the party was tomorrow night and not tonight). Jessica, Emma, and Micah all wore traditional Kurdish clothes (gilly-kurdi?) and I wore more make- up than I had ever worn, or feel comfortable in, because I needed to show how much I respected the family we would be paying congratulations to. After picking up Michelle (Cody’s wife) we headed over to the party. Little did I know that engagements are SHORT in Kurdistan. Like we missed the engagement party in the time it took us to realize the party was tonight, decide to go, get ready, and go and we were there for the wedding reception and pictures. The women there were all dressed in gilly- kurdis and looked absolutely beautiful in their bright/ sequined/ beaded outfits. They were all smiles and immediately took us inside to sit on the couches when we got there. I think the reason for this was to take pictures with the foreigners. The bride and groom were busy taking pictures with the other guests of the wedding, so I didn’t feel like we were upstaging the beautiful, BEAUTIFUL bride at all. After sitting, trying a little bit of the super sweet breaded desserts, the dancing began. It was not Western wedding reception dancing, but a Kurdish dance (basically side stepping, while holding hands in a circle, and moving your shoulders up and down). It was a lot of fun, but for those of you who know me it was also still a lot of not Liz to get up and dance. After some dancing we left the party and I pretty much just went home, ate a late dinner, and slept.

May 24

Today started off early again, at least for me. I woke up at 6:00am to shower. I wanted to make sure I gave my hair enough time to dry. Walking out of your house with wet hair is a huge no, especially for women. We got to the office (which is just a 10 minute walk) and talked about office rules, maintenance, and weekly schedules. After this we were informed individually what we would be focusing on this summer. I learned a little of my tasks. I’ll be the blog editor. This means I’ll be reviewing everyone's blogs, picking pictures/ titles, scheduling who blogs when and what the content will be. It sounds pretty fun, but I know there is so much that goes into this that I’ll be learning over the next week- like what do people what to read, what makes the blog, editing, who will write what best, and things like that. Then we went to lunch at a falafel place- delicious. After lunch Awara talked to us about Kurdish culture and what we were NOT to do.  Then we headed over to Matt and Cayla’s house for chile, corn bread, snicker doodles, cake, and Megamind. I, of course, fell asleep.  And that is today- tomorrow morning Cayla and I are going to the bazaar. :-)

From Albuquerque to Kurdistan

Thanks to everyone who reminded me to bring things, next time please remind me OVER AND OVER to bring my iPod and camera. Yes, I forgot those. Thank God there is music online and other interns who are amazing photographers (and generous with their extra cameras that I can borrow). Thankfully those are the only items I forgot (I think).

All of my flights were extremely stress- free. Thank you for all of the prayers, I definitely felt them while the plane was taking off and landing. When I landed in Chicago I walked around the airport for a while before heading to the gate to meet the three guy interns. As I was walking to the gate I realized I really had very little idea what these guys looked like, thankfully I don't think anyone realized me staring at them as I tried to connect Facebook pictures with real- life. While waiting for a semi- familiar face I went on Facebook to see if any of them had updated their status to "In Chicago." Nope, no one had updated their status to that, instead one of the interns updated their status to "Flight schedule rearranged due to delays because of the weather in OKC. Now going through Amsterdam! Prayers much appreciated."  I was a little concerned about this status (especially since he had important things to give a few of the interns in Chicago). I waited, slightly more nervous than before, there for about half an hour before seeing Ben, another intern arrived. We introduced ourselves and not long after the boarding call was announced. We saw Anton, the third intern at O'Hare, but didn't get to meet him until we were all on the plane. After landing in Frankfurt we got to know each other a little bit more and met Adam (the new wolf to our wolf pack). The flight to Istanbul was relatively quick and painless. We got our Turkey visas and strolled through customs- literally strolled, we didn't even stop. Then we waited at a coffee shop (Gloria Jean's Coffee) for the other two guys. Ryan (and yes I say his name normally and not Ryyyyan like Maci in Teen Mom would say, well not yet anyways) came and waited with us for the last guy to arrive. I asked probably about a million (slight exaggeration here) questions. I was so relived that these guys were so comfortable to be around, but that might have something to do with the 24 hours of flying, no sleep, and a tired, slightly loopy Liz. After a hour or so Ted arrived (Ted was the guy who was suppose to meet us in Chicago). The 5 guys (ha ha 5 guys) and I went to go find our shuttle, waiting for the shuttle for a while, and then embarked on a fun, foreign bus adventure. Istanbul drivers are more adventurous than Guatemalan drivers, but I am thrilled to say they have nothing on Korean taxis. The drive from the airport should have taken about 15 mins, but after about an hour and a half we were finally at the hotel (I enjoyed the drive because we got to see some of the city). We pretty much threw our luggage in our hotel rooms (I had my own) and then took off to see the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, get dinner, and walk around a bit. Let me say this, if you are ever in Istanbul you should go with 5 guys (and take me please I want to go back)! We went back to the hotel, slept (well at least I did), got up to make the 6:00 am shuttle, arrived at the airport, checked in, flew to Erbil- the capital of Kurdistan!

I will update more on the drive to Suly, the first night, the house, the guys, ect later!

Thanks so much for the prayers! 

Love from Iraq,

Liz

The Night Before

God, you want me to go to Iraq?

Really?

Really.

REALLY?

Really.

And that’s pretty much the synopsis of how my conversation with God went about me going to Iraq for 10 weeks this summer.

I am so, ridiculously, excited to go. I cannot believe I leave tomorrow morning. I cannot believe I have a day of flying ahead of me. Going to Iraq is obviously from God because NEVER would I voluntarily fly without a sister with me. Even though my sisters are not flying with me tomorrow morning, I am so thankful that they are spending the night before I leave with me. It’s been such a needed break from over thinking this trip- to just sit, eat cookie dough, and watch a good movie with them. They know I am nervous, not because I am scared of going to a country we have so many stereotypes about, but because I don’t know if I can be of any use there (and because I love to over plan everything). These girls know me so well and I thank God, so much, that I have these amazing, encouraging women praying for me and standing beside me throughout this adventure. [These last few minutes before I go to sleep should probably be spent making sure I’ve packed everything, or creepily watching these girls sleep, but after some (over thought) contemplations I have decided to keep a blog this summer. A blog on my thoughts on Kurdistan, my reflections, experiences, the amazing works and people of Preemptive Love Coalition, new loves/ obsessions (who know maybe I’ll come back an expert on Iraqi music), and how God is working here and in me. I am excited about this new adventure, and sharing with it with you!

If you have any specific questions about my trip, Kurdistan, or Preemptive Love Coalition PLEASE feel free to ask me. :)