Kiwis can Fly: "Test everything, and hold on to the good"

Earlier on in our trip–back in India–a highlight was going to the barber's. But Kurdistan is a cut above ;) The local barber's in Shorsh is not only the place to get your hair cut, but also the place to socialise, get out of the hot sun, and catch the football highlights on the tele.

But the thing that I really liked about that place was the community feel. Twice while we were in their, people came in off the street for a quick trim. The first guy walked in, shook everyone's hands, made sure that each person's family was well before then picking up the spare clippers-machine and, standing in front of the mirror, proceeded to shave off his stubble himself. The second man did a very similar thing, but he decided to go for the scissors instead in order to shape his classic Kurdish moustache. On both occasions the men said a polite “spaz kaka” (thank you sir) and walked out of the barber's, without any exchange of money taking place.

Another side note about hair- to all the girls (and guys) who have had hair removed using thread to pull it out: I admire your courage and long suffering. It was the most painful cotton experience that I've ever had. As they say “beauty is pain”, so I can now say I have the most beautiful facial hair this side of Beckham.

As we mentioned in our last blog, the local football pitches/courts are unused until after sunset due to the heat of the day. After dark, however, the locals move from the barber's shop (and probably more likely, their homes) to the nearest pitch to watch the matches happen. Jeremy has been playing a couple of times each week which has been a real highlight for him. Although he doesn't match the likes of the world's professional footballers, he is making his wife proud by managing to get a sort of celebrity status in the neighbourhood. On the pitch he is given the ball by the opposition when there is a dispute over which team's throw-in it should be. Off the pitch there are kids he hasn't seen before who “greet him in the street and the marketplaces.” Let's hope that he doesn't go from celebrity status to pharisee status!

Last weekend we went out for a day of fun with some friends. We asked to have a very Kurdish afternoon. We started with a very Kurdish idea–we went to the market, got material, followed by the tailors for fitting our traditional Kurdish outfits. After that, an Italian restaurant for a lovely dinner, and then onto Chavi Land–the local equivalent of Disneyland. We had a choice time watching fountains dance to music, eating ice cream, and debating theology.

Although our Kurdish afternoon didn't initially seem to be very “Kurdish”, I had to stop and think about what I was hoping for in a Kurdish day. One thing that struck me was how generous our friends and the locals generally are. Our friend Samira insisted on paying for Karina's dress fabric, not to mention that our other friend Aram insisted on paying for our meal, as well as the whopping 1000 Dinar (NZ$1) entry fee to get into Chavi Land. On top of that, Jeremy's haircut money was rejected by the barber, and taxi drivers here always try to do the same for the fare.

We want to take the same advice that the Apostle Paul gave to the Thessalonians: “Test everything, and hold on to the good.” The adventurous generosity and hospitality that we've experienced here are good that we want to make a part of our own lives more and more!

A few more pictures of enjoying life in Kurdistan: