Amna Suraka- The Red Building:
"Do you know what this room represents?" asked our guide who arrived late, or maybe we were a little anxious to get moving since it was our last day in the country.
"No, but it's beautiful." Karina replied as we simultaneously decided that we would go at the guides pace. "Each piece of mirror represents a person who died in the Anfal under Saddam's regime." He responded. "There are a hundred and eighty two thousand pieces in total. And each light on the ceiling represents a village that was destroyed, there are four thousand five hundred of them."
So much beauty and yet so much trauma and pain. Mixed emotions were the feeling of the morning as we went from rooms with statues of the torture to rooms filled with beautiful carpets and pictures, hearing the stories of rape and the stories of those who stood in courage against what was happening.
Ten Pin Chaos.
As our time came to an end in Kurdistan we went for a spot of bowling with some friends who were generous with their time and words of kindness towards us. It was destined to be a brilliant showdown- three Kurds against three Kiwis! It was probably a good thing that none of us kept a close eye on the scores, because we looked more like 4 teachers, a reporter and a doctor than bowlers. Big ups to Aram- who kept asking questions about the rules but somehow looked like a seasoned pro at knocking down pins; Samira- most competitive bowler (ever); Gulala- most improved player, and John who bowled well but also doubled as our big brother for the three months we were in Kurdistan.
Jezhin Korban
It was the day when God asked Abraham to take his son up to the top of a mountain and sacrifice him. I don't know which was more unthinkable- that God would ask such a deed, or that Abraham would obey it?! Which ever way we might try to answer that question, we have to go on- Abraham made all the preparations to sacrifice his beloved son. He went all the way to obey God, but in the end God exchanged Abraham's son for a ram.
Was it Isaac? Was it Ishamel? Each year, the land of the Kurds celebrates Jezhin Korban- the day they remember when God provided a ram for sacrifice. Their practice is to sacrifice an animal in remembrance of the story as well as to atone for the sins that they and their family have committed over the last year. If you are a goat or a sheep, it is not a good time of year for you. For the people of Kurdistan it is such an important festival, that they take the whole week off to celebrate with friends a family.
Our day started early as we had plans to visit all our colleagues who are locals of Chamchamal. One visit equals one glass of fizzy drink (or something else sweet) as well as chocolate and probably some over-sweetened chai. I could see a liver attack on the horizon.
Although they may not have had our personal health at the top of their priorities list, I was reminded of how hospitable the Kurdish people are. One of our colleagues was keen to show us around the house that he had just built. It was quite a palace considering his circumstances, but then we found out that he had been given reparation money because of his family members who had been murdered under Sadam's regime.
On arrival to another house we were greeted by a colleague who was covered in blood. "Must've been a big sheep" I thought until he explained that he had decided on a cow instead (a cow covers 7 people whereas a sheep covers only 1).
The reality of what we saw and the Biblical narrative is pretty different though. Jesus Christ took our sins before we had any idea what was happening! Coming at it from this narrative, he did it motivated by a heart full of love for us. He cancelled our sins so that the sheep don't have to. In fact Christ dying was followed by something just as miraculous as his love- death isn't as strong as him, so it couldn't keep him dead. No more sheep needed because he overcame being "dead and buried". No wonder he is referred to as "the Lamb of God".
"Do you know what this room represents?" asked our guide who arrived late, or maybe we were a little anxious to get moving since it was our last day in the country.
"No, but it's beautiful." Karina replied as we simultaneously decided that we would go at the guides pace. "Each piece of mirror represents a person who died in the Anfal under Saddam's regime." He responded. "There are a hundred and eighty two thousand pieces in total. And each light on the ceiling represents a village that was destroyed, there are four thousand five hundred of them."
So much beauty and yet so much trauma and pain. Mixed emotions were the feeling of the morning as we went from rooms with statues of the torture to rooms filled with beautiful carpets and pictures, hearing the stories of rape and the stories of those who stood in courage against what was happening.
Ten Pin Chaos.
As our time came to an end in Kurdistan we went for a spot of bowling with some friends who were generous with their time and words of kindness towards us. It was destined to be a brilliant showdown- three Kurds against three Kiwis! It was probably a good thing that none of us kept a close eye on the scores, because we looked more like 4 teachers, a reporter and a doctor than bowlers. Big ups to Aram- who kept asking questions about the rules but somehow looked like a seasoned pro at knocking down pins; Samira- most competitive bowler (ever); Gulala- most improved player, and John who bowled well but also doubled as our big brother for the three months we were in Kurdistan.
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| From left to right: Aram, Gulala, John, Samira, Karina and Jeremy |
Jezhin Korban
It was the day when God asked Abraham to take his son up to the top of a mountain and sacrifice him. I don't know which was more unthinkable- that God would ask such a deed, or that Abraham would obey it?! Which ever way we might try to answer that question, we have to go on- Abraham made all the preparations to sacrifice his beloved son. He went all the way to obey God, but in the end God exchanged Abraham's son for a ram.
Was it Isaac? Was it Ishamel? Each year, the land of the Kurds celebrates Jezhin Korban- the day they remember when God provided a ram for sacrifice. Their practice is to sacrifice an animal in remembrance of the story as well as to atone for the sins that they and their family have committed over the last year. If you are a goat or a sheep, it is not a good time of year for you. For the people of Kurdistan it is such an important festival, that they take the whole week off to celebrate with friends a family.
Our day started early as we had plans to visit all our colleagues who are locals of Chamchamal. One visit equals one glass of fizzy drink (or something else sweet) as well as chocolate and probably some over-sweetened chai. I could see a liver attack on the horizon.
Although they may not have had our personal health at the top of their priorities list, I was reminded of how hospitable the Kurdish people are. One of our colleagues was keen to show us around the house that he had just built. It was quite a palace considering his circumstances, but then we found out that he had been given reparation money because of his family members who had been murdered under Sadam's regime.
On arrival to another house we were greeted by a colleague who was covered in blood. "Must've been a big sheep" I thought until he explained that he had decided on a cow instead (a cow covers 7 people whereas a sheep covers only 1).
The reality of what we saw and the Biblical narrative is pretty different though. Jesus Christ took our sins before we had any idea what was happening! Coming at it from this narrative, he did it motivated by a heart full of love for us. He cancelled our sins so that the sheep don't have to. In fact Christ dying was followed by something just as miraculous as his love- death isn't as strong as him, so it couldn't keep him dead. No more sheep needed because he overcame being "dead and buried". No wonder he is referred to as "the Lamb of God".
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