Each school year begins with national teachers from all three Medes schools gathering for teacher training. They are continuing to learn good teaching techniques, classroom management, general computer literacy, and even basic first aid while also refining their written and spoken English. It is an unusual experience for many teachers from Iraq to receive such [...]
It's Time to Go to the Movies! Hannah and Colleen take a trip around the world and into a Middle Eastern movie theater. Sometimes watching movies in Iraq is like a short visit to the United States, but other times it's more like visiting a different country... or a different planet where the spoken language [...]
Hannah and Colleen take you on a trip through the current state of life in Iraq as seen through reports of team members and our former students. Unlike most episodes, this is a little more current news! Learn more about joining our teams over at www.ServantGroup.org/Iraq or email Hannah with comments or questions at Hannah@servantgroup.org. [...]
Hannah and Colleen share their experiences of the roles and rules around what it means to be a man or a woman (or boy or girl) in Kurdish culture. Expectations and limitations for both men and women are a bit different than our experiences in the United States and anyone thinking to visit would do [...]
Between Iraq and a Hard Place - Episode 39 Hannah and Colleen talk about the beautiful extravagance of Kurdish hospitality and walk you through what it's like to go on a visit to a Kurdish or Middle Eastern home. Hospitality is a key cultural value and is both generous and overwhelming in Northern Iraq and [...]
Between Iraq and a Hard Place - Episode 38 Hannah and Colleen talk about how Kurdish people respond to different kinds of crisis. Some big, some small, some medical, and some military -- the Kurds have seen it all and we have gained some perspective from them as we face new kinds of crisis. Learn [...]
Hannah and Colleen chat about several key terms in Kurdish language and culture: sherma, aiba, and haram. All have meanings that connect to honor, shame, and what is allowable and what is forbidden. Cultural expectations and norms are part of what can be a challenge for a westerner. This podcast explores their shades of meaning [...]
Hannah and Colleen just got back from a wedding, and it's June! So they chat about their various wedding experiences in Northern Iraq, complete with fireworks, cars, photographs, and loud music! We found a few weddings on YouTube that look a bit like what we've experienced! 1. A Rented Hall (check out the bride and [...]
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 [...]
I’ll always remember my first Newroz in Kurdistan as the time a Kurd literally gave me the shirt off his back (and his baggy trousers too!). My wife and I were picnicking with the family of one of our students. Among the many cousins, aunts, uncles, and others, there was a grandfather (or perhaps he [...]
