This is the start of workday number four here in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq and and I'm sitting in an office staring at my reflection in my own desk! (Technically there are three other chairs at "my own desk," which usually makes it a table but we're gonna keep that on the down low...)
In four days I have already experienced just about the extent of all Iraqi weather.
On Saturday, the day my plane arrived, it was hot! We went for a walk around the bazaar to pick up a couple of absolutely vital things for dinner and intern-life (bananas and house keys) and we couldn't take the heat so we stopped to replenish our sun-drained selves with the Kurdish equivalent of Starbucks, the local juice stand! I started off with some jazr juice which was a little odd to throw down at first...mainly because liquid-carrot was kind of a new experience for me. It totally unexpectedly grows on you though, so if you ever have the option for fresh squeezed (can you squeeze carrots?) carrot juice, try it once. Anyway, to tackle the heat I washed that baby down with some of the sweetest tasting grape juice I have ever allowed to linger upon my palate. But really, most grape juice has a hint of bitterness or tang or something going down, right? Well, imagine that tiny bit of odd, tangy, bitter-y-ness removed and replaced with a pound of straight sugar. I know what you're thinking... liquid ambrosia. It was.
Sunday cooled off a little due to some cloud cover, which was a great way to start the first real Iraqi workday. Four of us interning here were sent on a little excursion/scavenger hunt around parts of the city to give us a little hands on learnin' of how to get around and it was perfect weather for urban exploration.
Monday actually brought a fog of red dirt. During the night the remnants of a sandstorm from southern Iraq brought dirt that seemed to mysteriously fuse to the oxygen in the air and just sit there. It was like a crazy humid day in Waco, but replace the heavy watery feeling with dirt. Maybe just saying "Lubbock" is a better analogy.
To top off the weather extravaganza Tuesday brought rain! I came here this summer thinking I wasn't going to see rain again until maybe December in Texas. I'm in Iraq, right? It doesn't rain here...Well, apparently it does, and it's a great way to quickly get rid of the awkwardly annoying dirt that just sits in the air defying gravity... because it can.
-Side note: I'm a huge fan of Cokes spelt in a different language.
That about sums up Update #1...tune in next time for more from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq!
In four days I have already experienced just about the extent of all Iraqi weather.
On Saturday, the day my plane arrived, it was hot! We went for a walk around the bazaar to pick up a couple of absolutely vital things for dinner and intern-life (bananas and house keys) and we couldn't take the heat so we stopped to replenish our sun-drained selves with the Kurdish equivalent of Starbucks, the local juice stand! I started off with some jazr juice which was a little odd to throw down at first...mainly because liquid-carrot was kind of a new experience for me. It totally unexpectedly grows on you though, so if you ever have the option for fresh squeezed (can you squeeze carrots?) carrot juice, try it once. Anyway, to tackle the heat I washed that baby down with some of the sweetest tasting grape juice I have ever allowed to linger upon my palate. But really, most grape juice has a hint of bitterness or tang or something going down, right? Well, imagine that tiny bit of odd, tangy, bitter-y-ness removed and replaced with a pound of straight sugar. I know what you're thinking... liquid ambrosia. It was.
Sunday cooled off a little due to some cloud cover, which was a great way to start the first real Iraqi workday. Four of us interning here were sent on a little excursion/scavenger hunt around parts of the city to give us a little hands on learnin' of how to get around and it was perfect weather for urban exploration.
Monday actually brought a fog of red dirt. During the night the remnants of a sandstorm from southern Iraq brought dirt that seemed to mysteriously fuse to the oxygen in the air and just sit there. It was like a crazy humid day in Waco, but replace the heavy watery feeling with dirt. Maybe just saying "Lubbock" is a better analogy.
To top off the weather extravaganza Tuesday brought rain! I came here this summer thinking I wasn't going to see rain again until maybe December in Texas. I'm in Iraq, right? It doesn't rain here...Well, apparently it does, and it's a great way to quickly get rid of the awkwardly annoying dirt that just sits in the air defying gravity... because it can.
-Side note: I'm a huge fan of Cokes spelt in a different language.
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