The gentlemen from Basrah have arrived, which means all 10 people made it to the training. Hurray!
The atmosphere is very fun and playful. One of our favorite words is chula or troublemaker. Yesterday the participants were split into two groups for a curriculum development exercise, and the two universities they made up were Lala and Chula.
Last night I went shopping with two of the ladies – we walked around one of the downtown areas and shopped like crazy. Once you start, it’s hard to stop – everything is so cheap. I was watching the ladies bargain and wishing that I could understand Arabic and learn their techniques – they are ruthless! Everything is negotiable in shops, even if it has a pricetag. We got an excellent deal in one store because the owners are Iraqi, and they were glad to do a favor for other Iraqis. We shopped and shopped and shopped, and then we went to a falafel stand. I asked the guy making the falafel if I could take his picture,* and he gave me a fresh piece to sample, right out of the frier. It was delicious. We took our wraps to a juice cafe and had “juice cocktails” (no alcohol, more like a smoothie) while we ate. When we got back we showed everyone our purchases and there was a lot of oohing and aahing.
Tonight we’re eating in, listening to music, and generally hanging around. I have my iPod loaded with all kinds of music to share, and I know the Iraqis have some Middle Eastern music to play for us. We’re ordering dinner from Pizza Hut, believe it or not. I’ve also spotted McDonald’s (no surprise), BK, Popeyes, Dominoes, Pizza Hut, Subway, and even Gloria Jean’s Coffee. Very weird.
Wednesday we’re all going to Petra for some sightseeing – those of you familiar with my love for the Indiana Jones movies can imagine how excited I am for this. The American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR), where we’re staying and having all the classes, is actually a home base for archaeologists. People stay here for months at a time working on excavation projects. Talking to all the people working on field projects only heightens my enthusiasm!
*I’ll be posting some pictures soon, I promise!