Kurdish Language Adventures Hannah and Colleen bring along the amazing and talented Steve, who has been learning and speaking Kurdish for many many years. He shares with us about the history of Kurdish, the various dialects/languages that are part of Kurdish, and some of his own experiences speaking the language. Join us in Nashville or [...]
We all know that some words are not easy to translate into other languages. People collect these words and make lists of them (see here and here). But most of the time these words are used quite rarely, like Gokotta -- to wake up early in the morning with the purpose of going outside to [...]
Hannah and Colleen are back at it again! In honor of the most popular sporting competition worldwide we are back to talk about sports in Iraq, especially soccer and the World Cup!!! We played, coached, and watched sports. The streets are full of small children in flip-flops and sandals kicking a water bottle or soccer [...]
What do origami frogs, fire, and the Odyssey have in common? Did you guess teaching in Iraq? Hannah and Colleen remember the adventures of each of their first years teaching in Iraq. Thanks to Julia for suggesting this topic. It had us wandering down the road of memories and how both of us had unusually [...]
Islamic Holidays in Northern Iraq This is part 3 of our episodes focusing on holidays! We tackled American holidays (we're good at those!), Newroz (you just get swept up in in!), and now we're attempting to explain the Islamic holidays. Disclaimer: We are not Muslim and while we did some research online, we certainly didn't [...]
Weather or Not? - Podcast Episode 7 When you think about weather in Iraq you probably imagine a hot desert and sand dunes. Is that accurate? Hannah and Colleen take you through their favorite and least favorite seasons of the year (yes, there are seasons!) as well as the political implications of the weather. Want [...]
How Bazaar! Hannah and Colleen have guest star and fellow SGI alumnus, Katrina, on to talk about one her favorite things, the bazaar. A place of wonder and mystery, goat heads and amazing bargains, there's no one better to navigate the maze than Katrina. We only wish we could somehow transmit the smells for a [...]
Hannah and Colleen take you on a trip to Kurdistan for the biggest and most popular Kurdish holiday: Newroz! History, clothing, food, dancing, and most importantly... FIRE!
We bring on a guest, our friend and co-conspirator, Molly, to talk about friendships and friends while living in Iraq. This applies not only to friends who are other people in Iraq, but also how we deal with friends back in our home country. Want to join us? Check out our Iraq Page!
The American in Iraq, Holiday Survival Guide! Hannah and Colleen start with Valentines Day and move through the year to touch on combined Halloween/Thanksgiving parties and finally the great Christmas massacre! Also, see that colander on the right side of the picture... yeah, that's the one we used on the green beans! Learn how you [...]
