My Room
My Room
TV Room (Next door to my room)
TV Room
Western bathroom (off the TV Room)
Laundry/shower (on the other side of my room)
Shower
Living Area
Front door is to the right, Eastern toilet by the door
Kitchen is on the left
My room is behind and off to the right
Eastern toilet
Living area (from the front door)
Kitchen
Kitchen
Arrived safely in Duhok last night at 7:30pm. The neighbor brought us some soup for dinner and our fellow team members, Dan and Julie brought us some soup as well. Stacy and I ate, then I unpacked my bags a little before we went over to another neighbor's house where we visited with the two daughters. Came home and finished unpacking, then collapsed at 11:00pm.
Woke up this morning, took a shower which was an interesting experience (see picture), ate some yogurt and bread, then off to school. I got to meet one of Stacy's classes and see how things are run. They are definitely cute kids (I will post pictures soon)! Then we went to the market - every thing is an adventure right now and I am trying to be quiet and take it all in. I ask Stacy plenty of questions when we get home and then I'm exhausted.
The market was filled with colors - bright fruits and vegetables, decorated towels and rugs, gold trimmed dishes - and every so often we would pass by a vendor selling savory spices. Getting a cell phone proved to be an ordeal (and would've been much more complicated if I hadn't had Stacy by my side.) They wanted a copy of my passport and a passport photo (why two pictures? I don't know!) otherwise they were going to charge me $100 instead of $2 for not "registering" my phone. The ordeal completed, I signed the registration with my thumbprint, and was once again readmitted into the world of instant communication. After getting my internet card and a few household items, we came home for a lunch of rice wrapped in fig leaves with garbanzo beans (very flavorful, but not bitter). I set up my internet and played with my phone for awhile until we left for the "Holland" store where everything is imported from Holland. It was easier to find some of the more modern conveniences (air fresheners and toilet bowel cleaners - which the Western toilet is desperately in need of!) and I will definitely be going back for some of the Dutch specialties - Melk chocolate sprinkles, for one.
Everything is within walking distance, so it was nice to get all the exercise. Enjoying a relaxing evening at home, before beginning the adventure again tomorrow.
