Back Where I Belong

Well, I finally made it back out to the Middle East... haha. And I am truly happy to be here. Life jumped right back into being chaotic and confusing, but I have become accustomed to it. It is interesting watching a new lady who has just arrived with me... I realize how much I have grown over the past semester as I see her deal with the inconsistencies of life and everything technological or planned. It still surprises her.

As you can see from my last post (if it shows up for you... it seems some people have problems... I don't know) that I spent some time in Istanbul... that was because of some "political problems" in the place I was trying to get to. Again, I don't know why. These things are rarely explained. But, getting there was surely the most amazing part of the trip. I arrived in Istanbul with a total of $13.04. The Visa cost $20. Mmmmhhmmm. God did amazing work with that one.

Blessings to you all out in Blog world...

The Hagia Sophia

I spent some time in Istanbul on my way over this time... If it weren't for the fact that I wanted to be somewhere else and if it weren't for the incredibly annoying Turkish men I would have had a magnificent time there. But as it was, I only had just a good time. =)

Pictures of Germany

The Difference

There is a difference when you see news about a place that has become your home... Saddam is dead. That itself is not what is strange to me.... but I am so curious, I want to know what my friends think... what they are going through. I want to talk to my students. I am not sad that he is dead, but I am sad about the destructive hatred that lives and breeds in the hearts because of Saddam and against Saddam. I found a quote from a newspaper that summed up the attitude I have seen so many times from people there.

"It's like God asking you to choose between Heaven and Hell," said Thamer al-Musawi, 47, a slim, salt-and-pepper-haired barber in Baghdad's Karrada neighborhood, speaking before the execution. "If Saddam gets executed, you go to Hell. If he doesn't, you go to Heaven. I will choose Hell just so Saddam is executed."

How terrible it must be, to be so consumed by hate that you forget the value of heaven. But I suppose it also depends on if you believe in heaven at all.

Back at Home?

The word "home" has so many connotations of love, life, warmth, and belonging. I am now "home" in the sense of the word that I am in the States with my family in the house that I grew up in since I was 14. I am happy, secure, and Christmas is upon us.

I got a Christmas card from the family that I live with in the Middle East. It said that they couldn't wait until I "came back home" in January.

It was then that it struck me that I have begun making my home somewhere else and somewhere else for real. I have two homes. As much as this will terrify my mother as she reads it, it seems like a grand sort of accomplishment for someone who never having created "home" as somewhere other than her parents home. It is a step showing what I feel that I have begun to experience and operate in, this state called adulthood.

DR--A fifth grader

The Hilly Adventure

Ch. 1=The Gang.
Once there was a gang of people that were lost. There names were: Adam, Fisherman, Doctor Flingler, Jake, Nathan, John, Flicker, and Jessy. The always traveled night and day, but not even a single city was near. One day they got to Mt. Vegas, it was night and Jessy, Flicker and Nathan splited up and they went along. There were very scared. And In fact, very, very scared. Because they heard a very, very, scared sound. It was a n owl. Dr. Flicker and his gang walked along when they saw a thing rope. And ifyou looked down…you would have to fall 5,000,000 miles to get down. It was very deep.

Ch. 2=The fall of Jake.
They all gathered up. Fisherman was very scared but he said that he would go first. He went very slowly. He was about to fall…but her quickly ran to the end. Then Jake said I will go. When he went there he ran. The rope rattled. He…(sigh) fell. So now they were four. They all quickly went to the other side. There they saw there other friends.

Ch. 3=Swimming on the Angel falls.
They all went while 5:30 am past. Jessy was crying for his brother. They all went on when they saw a man. He told them that 2 miles away was the fountain of Angel falls. 7:25 am in the fountain. Everyone could swim except for Jessy. All of them had to swim to the other side. Dr. Flinger put Jessy on his back and swam to the other side while 8:30 am past. When they got to the end, Nathan wasn’t there. They looked everywhere. At the end, Fisherman looked in the water. Then quickly Nathan popped out and laughed. So, 9:15 past and they went on walking.

Chapter 4: The friend of Jessy is found.
When they were walking, 10:50 am past. They walked and walked until…(I give you three guesses) They saw Jessy’s best friend, Rachel. She was crying. They were all staring at her. At last, Jessy rand and said hello. The both Kissed each other and Rachel put out a fire by branches and they sat down and Rachel told them a long story. It was about how she was lost. She said that they had ocme to a picnic here but they forgot her. 3:25 pm past and they got some water from the river and splashed it into the fire. It was very cold. 3:50 pm past and they walked on. Then… they saw a very big tree.

Chapter 5: Falling onto the trampoline
John was a strong boy. He was that on top of the tree was a big sweety house with candy and everything that is sweet. Like lollipops, candy sweety things, all types of colors. So John climbed up and they found a trampoline. So they quickly got it and put it beside the tree. He climbed and climbed and 12:00am past. 12:55 past and John got to the top. He looked in the house and it was full of sweeties. He went inside and filled his bags and socks with the sweeties. The he jumped down and he fell on the trampoline. 5:55 am past and now more sweets were left. They walked on and found a bit of an island.

Chapter 6: Back at home:
They all ran and ran. When they got there…everybody cheered and celebrated. The all went back home and lived happily ever after.

THE END

A Student's Perspective

The first time when my name was written was because I spoke Kurdish but it was not my fault because the teacher asked me a question in Kurdish and I answered her in Kurdish and you wrote my name. The second time my name was written because I wanted an eraiser so I told S-- to give me one but when she did you wrote my name. But I think that it was fair because you told us not to do these things and I did, because you told us not to do these things and I did because of these things you wrote my name with a beautiful and check with it.

If my student were leader in Iraq.

I decided to let one of my students write my blog post for today.

If I was the leader of Iraq I would had gave the people electricity and I will give enough patrol for the people. I will help the poor & sick. I will help my neighbors and free them of dictators. But their are things I want to do for my self. I want to have Hummer, a Dodge Viper, Ferrari and a Limozine that have everything in it. I want to have house that is 10 stories and 100 rooms and I will put a new code of laws that includes the laws that say there is no different between me and a peasant.

See my pictures!

My pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/abundantblessing
I just downloaded some new ones!

Grammar Nerd!

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz

Where Am I?

This is a question I ask myself occassionally. One of my readers recently asked this. I am in Northern Iraq. It is safe here... so don't worry. But do pray for those who are fleeing out of the South and Central Iraq and those still living there. Things are pretty rough. Pray.

It made me cry.

Very few (if any) blog posts have ever made me cry. But this one did.
http://othergadarene.livejournal.com/24804.html

A Reminder

I was reminded of a poem by Anne Bradstreet by a dear young friend of mine. May you be affected.

"And when I could no longer look,

I blest His name that gave and took,

That laid my goods now in the dust.

Yea, so it was, and so 'twas just.

It was his own, it was not mine,

Far be it from me that I should repine."

The Things ILearn

There are so many things that are basic to living here that I have had to learn. I have learned how to turn on and off a generator, light and fill my own kerosene heater, and numerous other daily life sorts of things. Amazing how these types of things can be so foreign and then become so much a part of one's daily habits.

The Things I Do!

I accidentally wore my slippers to church today.

Oddity #29

Have you ever been greeted with "Hello. Mr. Bush."? I was today. He wasn't calling me Mr. Bush, just recognizing my nationality.

Oddity #28

I bought a hat today. It says in bold words across the top ADIDOS. Ahh... it made me laugh.

Oddity #27

My piece of advice... Don't complain about your roads. You have no idea how much it means to have roads that are actually engineered until you drive on roads that are a foot deep in water because no one thought about the fact that it rains buckets here in a matter of days. Secondly, I wish I had a picture of one of the roads I have driven on. It is actually frightening. Again, don't complain about potholes. Potholes are nothing. Comparing the roads here to the roads in the states is like comparing mountains to molehills... as the saying goes.

Oddity #26

I miss street lights. Well, I don't mean the pole and bulb part... we have plenty of those here. We just happen to be missing the electricity which creates the light part.

Oddity #25

If a girl serves tea to a guy and makes it extra extra sweet it means that she loves him.