کۆلیچا Kolecha

Here's a recipe for some simple cookies that I like. I had my friend teach me how. She said 'oh, it's easy, it's easy'. I was thinking 'yeah right', because nothing in Kurdish food is easy. Domla takes 2 hours, if you have 3 people working on it. Kube takes 2 hours. Biryani, maybe an 1.5 hours.

But these little cookies are delicious and as it turns out they are easy. airly simple. All the measurements are a guess, so be free if you try to make these! Exactness doesn't really matter.

Kolecha

filling:

2 cups dates, seedless

2 tbs oil

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs cardamom

Throw all of the filling ingredients into a small pot and cook slightly, just to make them soft and flavored. Maybe like 5 minutes, don't burn them!

Cookie:

3 cups flour

2 packets of baking powerder (4 tbs)

1 tsp salt

mix together.

Add 1 cup of oil.

Mix to form a dough, mix throughly.

Add 1 cup milk

Mix throughly, kneading well until the dough is soft and slightly wet, but not too sticky.

Tear off a palm sized amount of dough and roll it out with a rolling pin until thin, like a thick crepe or something. Take some dates and flatten them with your hands. On the flat, rolled out dough, put pieces of flat dates as you like.

Then with one end of the dough roll it up to form a little "roll". Cut the roll into 1 inch sized pieces. Brush the tops of the cookies with an egg wash and add sesame seeds if you like.

Baked on a greased baking sheet for no more than 20 minutes.

Then broil the top for like 10 minutes.

Delicious!

And fairly healthy!

I wonder if any of you will try to make them!...

Halabja

So this weekend I went with my friend Chra, her husband Tolaz, and her family to visit Sulimanai and Halabja. Wow what a weekend!

Visiting a place like this is so sobering and hard to see—it’s unbelievable the stuff that Sadaam did during his reign. What happened at Halabja is only an example of the horrible things that happened against the Kurds. He went on this campaign (called Anfal) to ‘move’ Kurds to bigger cities, but really it turned into trying to wipe out cities and villages. I personally think Sadaam was insane, possessed, a mad man, whatever you want to call it, like sick. But he was so paranoid that the people of Halabja would be working with or allowing Iranian military to enter (because its a city close to the border of Iran), so on one morning in March the Iraqi airforce dropped bombs and chemical bombs on the city of Halabja, 60,000 people were in the city. I'm not sure of the number that died, but MANY.

So many died. Ugh. I mean, I don’t even know what to say or how to blog about this.

This is a mass grave of 1500. This was one of a few in one cemetery area.

Chra (picture) and her family are survivors of the attacks. Chra was two years old. Her father decided after the first bomb fell at 11am to run for the mountains. They went by foot, immediately, as soon as the attack started. They ran for two days, no eating, stopping only to rest enough to keep going. They saw the bombs and heard the screams from miles away.They made it to Iran and lived there 7 months. Her mother, a new bride, sold her gold for food for the family. After the Halabja attack got international coverage, a few months later Sadaam built a new place for the refugees back in Iraq. He built this new city and welcomed the Halabjans back to Iraq… even sending busses into Iran to return them back to Iraq. Chra’s father decided not to go on the buses, even though most did. The busses took them to a “ new city” with a fence around it… the city’s houses were built in a way so that it spelled out Sadaam’s name from an aerial view… ugh, sick. And most of those people that went to the new city didn’t live very long. They wasn’t water or food or electricity, and they were trapped in by the fences and couldn't leave.

The monument and museum consisted of mostly pictures that had been taken a day after the attack.

So hearing this story from her father and Chra… I mean, wow, it came alive to all of us. I’m praying that God restores double the amount that those people have lost. RESTORE peace and LIFE to these people!

Me and Chra and Hadji (grandma). Sha also survived Anfal.

There are some really great places to picnic around Halabja, too. You know, readers, that Kurds are die-hard picnickers… and we experienced how much so. It was raining they whole day and cold, but we still found a place to picnic, under an unfinished school building.

Chra’s father, I can tell he’s a survivor and lived for some time in the mountains. He’s a mountain man! He’d come back to our camp site with little cushions for sitting on or a trashcan to make big fire with or sticks, or anything. It was always a surprise to see what he would come back with. His personality is amazing and he loves his three daughters more than any Kurdish dad I've seen here. It's cute.

(Chra's mom) So we picnicked, of course. I had fun, it was slightly cold for my city girl tastes, but in light of what we just saw at the Halabja museum… I will NEVER complain again!! Seriously, life is so good! I’m thankful for it. Thank you, God, for life!! Life is good, full of his loving kindnesses.

A Taxi Ride for My Life

One of my favorite things to do here is to take taxi rides to Hawler, the big city about an hour away. Taking a taxi, is like the thrill of gambling, the excitement and risk of it all, keeps you coming back. (that’s a weird analogy cause actually I’ve never gambled…) but anyway, I go to the “garagi Hawler” and walk up to the shouts of “Hawler, Hawler, Hawler” and “Rayna, Rayna, Rayna” the names of cities nearby… as if shouting will draw me from one city to another destination… “Huh, I did want to go to Rayna today.” So for 5,000 Iraqi Dinar ($4) and a 20 minute wait or so until the car fills up with other passengers, you get make it from one city to the next all over Iraq. Again, it’s like taxi lotto with what your taxi vehicle will be like--- cause you’re either going to get a really nice new Toyota Corolla taxi with AC and nice coushy seats… or a totally busted junkerville jillopy that you are wandering how in the world a car like this is still running and how a taxi driver this old can still see. It’s dicey… you just never know which one you will get, and you can’t choose. This is one system that you can’t mess with. So two days ago I went to Hawler to see my friends the Rays. I was lucky, I got a good taxi! And I had to seat, even more lucky. Seating in the front seat is usually considered somewhat shameful for girls, but that was the only way it would work because the alternative, sitting next to a man, was worse. Our thighs might touch! They asked me to move to the front seat. Sure! I don’t care. Little did I know that by moving to the front, I was saving myself a lap of throw up from the 2 year old little buddy in the back seat. So our old taxi driver says ‘Yullah’ and we’re off on the road to Hawler. Now, I personally find these old men taxi drivers very safe…. They must have done this drive over 1,000 times in their many years as a driver. So they zip, and fly, and pass like crazy!! (You think Texans pass a lot, hah! They’ve got nothing on the Iraqi free for all roads). But again, I also feel safe with them, and enjoy their gestures and honks and groans at car who are driving so slow. Cause you usually get a mix of scared drivers and beat up cars, flocks of sheep, tankers and trucks driving too slow, caravans of politicians in Land Cruisers, teenagers in BMW’s, shepherd dogs, donkeys, flying chip bags. But anyway, it’s just a fun ride. I enjoyed myself in the hand of such a capable old Iraqi man and took in the unbelievable scenery of Iraq. This particular ride was just giggling the whole time, and when we were arriving in the city, I heard him asking all the passengers where they were going (in Kurdish) and I was ready to tell him where I wanted to go, and Baba Taxi driver turns to me and says “Where are you going, Madame”. I was shocked! ‘Englizi dezani?!’ (you know English?) I said. “Wullah, kum”. He said (by god, a little).

So that was definitely the long version of my taxi experience. But I had a WONDERFUL weekend hanging out with my sweet friend Dawn and her boys. Love her! I wanted to get some time with her and ask her all my questions, gleaning from her wisdom and experience and lifestyle of FAITH and hearing God. And we of course, shopped and found some hot new restaurants in Hawler… including an Italian restaurant, I know… get out!

We found some fountains, too.

Dawn gave me such a sweet personal gift, which I’ll always keep, and we had fun! Thank you Rays!!

An American-Iranian Wedding

So this is my American friend Chrisie and her new husband Ali, who's from a believer from Iran. They got married two weeks ago (I hope she doesn't mind me blogging about her wedding), but I find myself so fascinated with this wedding, one because it's a blend of cultures and traditions, but also it's the this thought that rolls around in every single girl "m"s mind-- could I marry a national? Could I do it? Live here potentially forever and dive headlong into their culture, language, traditions, ideas... and commit to it, forever, til death do me part. Could I marry a man who's not from my culture and we don't speak the same native language.

For Chrissie that answer was yes. She wed Ali like two weeks ago, they had a Kurdish wedding party and an American style wedding party. These pics are the from the American style wedding, which was really fun in a rented hall in the Hawler.

And by the way, I tend to think that any girl who is called to a place could easily marry a guy from the culture, of course, as long as he is a believer. I think if you are a strong enough woman to leave home and go the another country, single, and then fall in love with the people, then it's really easy to take the next step to marry a native guy.

Could I?

Yeah, I think so. There's some really cute guys here! haha, don't freak out, Dad.
They exchanged bites of cake, the typical American wedding tradition.

And then, of course, it was smeared all over each other's faces! I was standing next to a British girl when they did this and she kind of gasped and said "do they always do that at American weddings??". I guess they don't do that in Brittan. It's amazing... what you think is so normal, isn't!

Then guest to Iraq and visiting for a few day, Juan, gave all the wedding guests dance lessons. He's a dance instructor.... this is the.... cha cha? I don't remember. I'm still figuring out American dancing... I wish we had ONE style dance that everyone knew how to do, then no one would feel awkward and feel like they don't know how to dance!!
Dawn and Billy, toooo cute. They are one of my favorite couples in Iraq and I get to spend some time with them this weekend in Hawler, yea!

Spring time!

Praise God for the spring! Spring time in Kurdistan is so enticing and alluring... it will make you want to stay for your whole life! ;) Like there's no one who can withstand the calling of Kurdistan in the spring time, the flowers, the mountains, the sunsets, the picnics, and bright colors.

Come visit! I'll start Kurdistan's tourism bureau. There is one actually. Who knows, Kurdistan could become the new Athens or Rome... or ancient place where people feel obligated to go visit once in their lives. It's just as ancient, if not more, and it's probably way cheaper... if you can just get here.

There's been lots of rain and thunder, too! It's cloudy right now... and thundering, whew.
The grandiose picnics. I love them! The Kurds know how to picnic... no sandwiches and a bag of chips here... it's the whole kitchen and the full spread of food! They bring all the plates and cups and propane one-pot-stove to cook the soups and biryani and to make tea. It's an all day event. Rain or shine, cold or hot.
I love this pic. It captures Newroz in Kurdistan... the festival of music and color that it is. Imagine this with so much noise and music.

You gotta come visit!

Mom? Dad? Wads? c'mon!

Man World Bazaar

Isn’t this woman beautiful!? I just see beauty in her, what a lucky perspective I have. I wonder if she thinks she’s beautiful… or if her husband has ever told her that in the 50 something years they have been married. She wears multi-colored prayer beads as a necklace and a black jili Kurdi.

She’s a woman we met at the village a couple of months ago.

But I love pictures of just the people and their faces.

And I might start dressing like her when I go out to the bazaar! Or at least borrow a black abaia (the long black drape things they wear). I’m serious, I’m almost to that point! Haha. Just cause we get starred at SO much, which I’ve gotten used to at some degree. I mean when we go to the bazaar it is really normally for every person in a 10 foot radius of walking to turn at stare.

So usually I just smile, and try and be the light of Jesus. They have to wonder why we smile…

But yesterday I was walking with Zeelan in the bazaar and it happened, a moment I’d played out in my mind of what I would do… what would I do if someone ever grabbed me? Would I yell ‘Iba!!”, would I slap him in the face, would I make a scene, or I don’t know. But it was crowded and we passed the big group of people and someone definitely grabbed my butt. Ahh! I thought at first.. maybe it was Zeelan, but it wasn’t. Gross! And he was long passed by the time I realized what happened. So I didn’t get to slap him, but I am in my mind! Haha. Anyway… gross! But I mean, I forgive that person… that’s why I’m here, people need Jesus and new life!

Easter

Ok, so I’m enjoying blogging! I’m not sure how many people out there read this, but I know at least my parents do. I have the best parents in.the.world. I’m still giggling about my dad’s suggestions for my life from our conversation last night on the phone. LOL. One thing is true—my Dad wants me to be happy! Thanks dad!

Easter in Iraq kicked off with Kristi throwing an awesome Resur,ection Party for the neighborhood kids. It was so much fun. We dyed eggs and decorating cookies. 15 Kurdish kids, 6 bowls of dye, and 7 colors of icing on the floor—Krisit trusts God! But no disasters happened! In fact, she was able to keep their attention through the full story of the Resur,rection. They all heard! Little hearts are changing!!

Grandma. Ok, grandma is HILARIOUS! If you’ve ever seen that movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, she’s like the grandma that comes in from Greece and is a little crazy and you have to keep an eye on her. At events, I always keep an eye on Grandma who come in from Iran. She’s hilarious and I’m always curious at what grandma will do next. At the party, she came in and I offered her a cupcake on a plate. She looked a little confused, but I could tell she wanted it. She reached out with her shaky hands and took a big glob of the frosting with her fingers and licked her fingers. And then was like ‘thank you, thank you, that’s all, thank you’. Interesting. Later, I offered it again, because I could tell she wanted it. She set it down on the floor and I heard her whisper to her granddaughter asking for help. Zeelan turned around and took the paper wrapper off the cupcake. Ohhh! That was the hang-up. She couldn’t figure out how to eat a little cake and one that had paper on it. I’m sure back in her day, in Iran, they didn’t have cupcakes…

After the story and egg dying, the kids hunted for eggs in the driveway area. They loved this!! I tried to get as many pics as I could because they were all bright eyed and smiling. Usually for pictures, they don’t smile, but I got em! Here’s Shokhan and Hawzhin showing me their eggs.

For the wee hours of Easter morning, we decided to watch the sunrise at the top of the mountains. It was awesome, cold and awesome. We worshiped a bit and will get together later this morning for a service. (i've been up a while!)

He is Risen!!

Thank you, God! What an amazing and indescribable God I’m in love with!

Sincerely, Baghdad

I've mentioned my friend named Farah, and I love her! (Farah means Joy in Arabic. I'm really into name meanings and so is everyone in the East). Her and her family moved to the Kurdistan region for safety reasons and works at the place where I teach English. Farah is one of my favorite people-- she's really smart, loyal, beautiful, and spiritual. She loves God.

I went with her to Dukan to pick up her kids after their spring break with Grandma. These are her two boys-- one an explorer (I can't remember his name!!), the other a comedian (Runak, which means spiritual in Arabic). The younger loves to play and make faces and dance spontaneously and cries when Grandma says he can't have cake. He cried and said "But, I love cake!".... I know, I don't understand either, buddy.
We attempted to have tea outside before the storm... but the storm blew in. Farah's brother in the t-shirt and shades has an interesting story... he was actually abducted and held for ransom in Baghdad in 2003. Many terrorist groups would target wealthy families with only one son and abduct them for ransom. So his dad was taking him to school and some men with guns stopped their car, the father was talking and answering their questions, and they opened the door and grabbed him out. He was held for ransom for nine days, until his parents could confirm that he was still alive and could pay the money. I think, obviously, it was quite a formative experience for him. He said he still got feed well, I asked him if they fed them. He said 'yes, of course!'. what, I thought it was a good question! Farah's uncle was also abducted. The family never heard a voice confirmation and so refused to pay the terrorists (authority advises this so there's no frauding in abduction). So they didn't pay, and never saw him again. Isn't that horrible!?

God, bring peace and restoration to Baghdad and Iraq!!! Seriously, we need to pray restoration and LIFE for the city of Baghdad.

Another New Kid on the Block

Another precious, tiny little baby was born on my street! World, meet Hunia. She's my new little neighbor. She was born in the middle of the night, around 1.30a.m. and I went over to see her at like 9.30am, so in these pics she's around 7 hours old! wow, incredible.

Here she is! 7 hours. She still quivered a little and opened her eyes only once.

It was amazing, I can only imagine what it feels like for all you moms, to hold your baby... and all you who are soon-to-have! (my best friend, yea!)

Here's the proud big sis and grandma. The baby was going to be born at home, but the grandmas and mom made a last minute decision to go to the hospital. Many women have babies at home here, which is so interesting and wild and great, I mean that's how it's been done for thousands of years!

One thing that they do here that I CANNOT imagine... oh wow, so to celebrate this new birth, EVERYONE YOU KNOW comes to visit you, as soon as they hear word of the birth... and then you have to HOST!!! I can't imagine. So you give birth, you're exhausted and tired and overwhelmed, and then everyone you know comes to visit you and you have to be customary and serve tea and offer dinner to them... wow! Luckily, the moms usually have daughters and sisters to help with the hosting duties. I brought them a chocolate cake, which they thought was special.... and I brought mom Zulfan a bottle of Advil, cause she had nothing but amoxicilin from the hospital... and that ain't gonna do anything for her pain!!

Newroz

Newroz is my favorite time of the year! The warm weather, the spring, the food, the bright colors… it’s little piece of Kurdish bliss. It’s an ancient holiday, daiting back before 2000BC, I think… don’t cite me on that. They celebrate when someone defeated someone… and he ran up on a mountain and jumped over a big fire as a sign of victory. They still make big fires and crazy Kurdish boys still jump over the flams. But now in 2010, Newroz looks like picnicking, dancing to loud Kurdish music, waving flags, and getting new jili kurdis. Here’s few pictures from this year:

These girls are as sweet as they are cute!

wild riders.

Green and gold! Sic em' Bears!

It did get quite cold… we’re under a blanket, you can’t really tell, but it was cold. But we stayed out at the picnic site in the cold and dark, they are tough picnickers!

I did get a new jili kurdi, too. This was the first one that I really helped design/pick out. Our seamstress neighbor sewed it. I like it! I'll have to put a picture of that later, though, the internet is quite slow right now and Carol and I are going on a walk to get some Vitamin E (sun!).

My Sunshine Friend

Happy Birthday, Jocita!

One of my best friends is turning 25 today!! Wow, this girl is an INCREDIBLE friend, I had all these great pictures picked out from our many adventures and stories over the last few years, but the internet just wasn't enough to load all the pics, but I got this one!

Jolynn, I just love you, you are one of my favorite people of all time and I'm so glad we met freshman year at Baylor. Just knowing you has taught me so much about friendships and relationships. I credit you with teaching me how to be a friend, seriously, YOU taught me how to be a friend! Before I didn't know, but you pursued me as a friend, leaving notes on my dry erase board, calling me to hang out, or to go get food at Memorial, you taught me how to love and pursue a person with no strings attached. You love and accept people unconditionally, really really, you do! How many people do that? No one! I love that you really savor people for who they are, and find a way to appreciate everyone... everyone... and we've encountered plenty of weirdos that tested that, haha.

I've been consistently loved and blown away by the ways you have loved me-- sending me letters and packages, giving gifts and trinkets from all over the world, squeezing orange juice when we're sick, planning parties, taking trips and adventures in Memphis (rest in peace, faithful vehicle), living the high life in big cities all over the US, laughing pool-side and hot-springs-side.... and you're gonna be in Texas when I get back!!! I'm so excited about that! I knew you'd come back... or maybe that was wishful thinking, but whatever, you're gonna be back in Texas!

I love you tremendously, and am so thankful for you and the way you serve and bless other people- you're so refined and beautiful. You have amazing artistic and creative giftings, which always bless me! You love laughing, you love LIFE, you enjoy everything... except maybe sciences and rules, haha. And I love and treasure our sleepy going-to-sleep talks about God, beauty, and life. You hunger for the meaning and purposes of God.

Beautiful!

Beautiful! You're so beautiful. Happy Birthday!

A New Kid on the Block

Congratulations! There's a new kid on the block, his name is Yehiah, I think... I'm still working on the pronunciation. He is now 7 days old! Our neighbor delievered him at home while we were traveling in Greece. So as soon as we came back we went to visit the baby. He's amazing, so tiny! I've never held anything that 6 days old! It's like holding years of pontential and dreams all in one little 9oz bundle.

really happy and relieved mama Siwra

The whole gang- 4 girls and now one boy and two american neighbors.

I'm so happy for them! Piroza, and we have one other really pregnant neighbor, like any day she could go into labor. She's also going to have her baby at home. Kristi and I have asked if we could help and be apart of that delivery, so I'm really praying that opportunity will happen! That would be incredible!

Also, If you want to see more greece pictures, I put some here.

Athens, Greece