Tag archive: culture
Mammon
“But it is not the rich man only who is under the dominion of things; they too are slaves who, having no money, are unhappy from the lack of it.” – George MacDonald — I wrote this poem after having… continue reading »
Happy Birthday, ADA!
Happy Birthday, Americans with Disabilities Act! Exactly 21 years ago today, you were passed, ensuring no disabled person be discriminated against. So, bring on the cake! Bring on the ice cream! Let’s celebrate! I’ve been an intern with the… continue reading »
Missing Suly
I want to cry when I think of this: I preferred to buy groceries in the basement of the mall, Rand Gallery. Sure, there was a market just at the end of our block, but it had less variety. Rand… continue reading »
Why I hate when you smoke, a poem
How I hate when you smoke Revised with a new title and everything. A special thanks to Mary Brown. On the rare occasion I want to stand outside with you while you hold and light, inhale and exhale in puffs… continue reading »
Jesus Wore Klash
The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.—Kurdish men wear these funny shoes called klash. They’re handmade, hand-sown clogs with a hard sole and white top. Ever since Lydia and I first arrived at the Sulaimania airport,… continue reading »
Jeremy Courtney is legit.
I’ve had this blog in my head for a while. I didn’t want to write it until I was home in the States. I didn’t want anyone to think Jeremy coerced me into writing it. I promise: no coercing took… continue reading »
Happy (belated) America Day from Iraq
It’s fun celebrating an American holiday abroad. I highly recommend it. I love that no one understood why we ran to the basement Ferdos market to find sparklers; or why we made a makeshift American flag and saluted to it.… continue reading »
Nom nom nom
I think I’ve grown out of my picky eating phase. Unlike 8-year-old Lauren, I now eat mushrooms, onions, thin crust pizza, Subway, most fruits, etc. I still won’t eat tomatoes, but that’s beside the point. Finding food in Iraq that… continue reading »
Baghdad
Last Friday I met an girl named Shahoda who’s a university student in our city. She’s one of the first Arabs I’ve met since being here, which immediately piqued my curiosity. I got lunch with her, Claire, Elise and Sarah… continue reading »
Life in Iraq: education
Yesterday afternoon, Claire and I visited Zeba and Amir in their office, two floors below the Preemptive Love office. One of Zeba’s friends was at their shop and we conversed with him about womanhood in Iraq, life in Texas, PLC,… continue reading »