Had to share this cute pic from a Skype call the other day:
Another side note: I bought eggs on Wednesday and they actually came in a carton! Normally we get our eggs in a plastic egg or by the flat. Duhok is moving up in the world...
Today was the science fair / art show at school. It was quite the production!
A project from fifth grade:
Invisible fire:
Thirsty candle:
I was in charge of monitoring 5B. Everyone arrived at 8:30am to set up their projects, then parents arrived around 10:30am for the fair. Unfortunately, it didn't take two hours to get projects ready, so students had to sit in the classroom and wait. I played "I Spy" and coached my kids on how to present their projects. A couple of the boys ran out of matches (even though they'd been warned not to play with them in case that very thing should happen!) (And yes, I know, matches in school?! We do what we can and try to make sure the kids don't get hurt...) When the parents arrived it was fun to watch my students explain the science behind their experiments (a couple of the boys kept looking to me to make sure they got it right) :) I kept thinking about one year ago and the many times I left 5B ready to burst into tears. We've weathered a lot together and it is such a blessing to see how far they've come.
At 12pm, Lisa picked up Hannah and me so we could head down to Erbil for Andy's game. Lisa drove the first half and I took over for the second part (which was crazy and fun at the same time!) We made good time and arrived just at the end of the first quarter. Hannah taxied to our teammates' house to visit with them while Lisa and I watched the game. The guys played one of their better games, but the reffing was pretty bad. We lost by 4 points :( Their last game will be on Sunday (which I will miss since it is in a city that is 7 hours away. Andy and Lisa will stay in Erbil and leave from there.)
The team bus ... saying goodbye to Zander:
After the game, we went to dinner at Dal's Burger. The burgers were made with real beef, and the restaurant even had a play place for the kids!
Went back to our teammates' house for a fun evening, just hanging out.
Friday, April 26th:
This morning the ladies (less kids, thanks to the guys!) went out for coffee and parfaits at Second Cup. We sat outside, enjoying the nice weather and each other's company.
We picked up pizzas and brought them back to the guys, and then headed back out (I know, the guys were good sports and did a lot of babysitting!) We went to Langa (Erbil's secondhand market) and bought some shoes and 1000 ID shirts.
At 4pm, Hannah and I taxied back to Duhok. We arrived just as the sun was setting:
It was fun to get out of Duhok and "live it up" - from burgers to Blizzards to bargain hunting, it was refreshing to do something different. I was thankful for some time away where we didn't feel quite so foreign. Definitely an energizing weekend that got me ready to come back to life in Duhok.
Mary saved us some broccoli cheddar soup and bread bowls so we didn't have to cook anything when we got home. Nice! Got to Skype with Dad in the evening before going to bed.
