A Day of Firsts

Thursday, the last day of the business week here, was my first day interning with PLC. My flight had landed in the middle of the night, but I managed to get about four hours of sleep thanks to jet lag. The next morning, I did not wake up to my alarm as quickly. The kids playing in a nearby room definitely helped, though. It helped me get up and start going. When I got out of bed, I immediately dug through my suitcase to find an appropriate outfit for work. I figured that most of my clothes would look pretty wrinkly since I didn't take any items out the night before.

I ended up putting on everything that seemed wrinkle-free. As a result, my outfit included loose-fit pants, a dress down to my knees, a scarf and a cardigan. Modesty? Nailed it. I was ready for the day apparel-wise, not energy-wise. I grabbed my bag and some water, and then I headed off to work.

On my way to work, I began to look around at all the buildings in the neighborhood. I couldn't really see anything the night before. The dusty streets lead up to different colored houses with different designs. I wasn't expecting everything I saw. It was a pretty developed neighborhood with cars made by Kia, Hyundai, Chevorlet and BMW.

I think I'm starting to catch on to why this is called the other Iraq.


Anyway, after one day in a new city, I've already encountered so many new things. I've shared a few examples with you. Here's my day of firsts list:

• First time I've worked in an office where you could take off your shoes. In this culture, when you visit anyone's home or work in an office, you're expected to take off your shoes before entering into the main part of the home or office. I could get use to this. Already a fan!
• First time at a Bazaar, the local market area where you can buy food, phones, scarves, etc. This was quite the sight. It made me excited to spend more time in the culture because so much was going on. People were dressed in both conservative and modern wear. You could hear the afternoon prayers from the mosque throughout the city. You could see crowded streets, walk through the traffic, cut off traffic (and hope you don't get hit by a car). My visit to the bazaar gave me a great glimpse of this culture. I just felt engulfed in the community, and I loved it. I'll take pictures when I go back next time. 
• First time eating food in Iraq. I also had my first Kurdish meal for lunch. It was tasty. Take a look at some of the dishes:
  
  
• First time seeing a squatty potty. Yep, 'nuff said there.
• First time in this region. I've never really had a desire to travel to the ME except to see the pyramids in Egypt, but while I was in the airport, I realized just how many cool things there are to see in each country, as there are so many different unique cultures in this part of the world. I'm just intrigued...
• First time understanding my status as a woman. I have no freedom. (I'll speak more to this later). This is not really an exaggeration. In this male-dominated culture, I'm already feeling the limitations I have just for being a 1.) young 2.) single 3.) foreign 4.) woman. The way I approach things is very different. And I'll be honest ... this is going to take a lot of patience.