Fool Loops

A few days ago, I had a sudden hankering for good ole Froot Loops cereal*, so yesterday at Kok Market, I bought a box that said "Froot Loops" on it with a picture of Toucan Sam and the Kellogg's brand name- just like the authentic Froot Loops you find at Safeways and Albertsons all across America, except with Arabic translations off to the side. 

Now, as I sit here eating a bowl of these "Froot Loops", I realize I've been fooled. This is definitely a knock-off version of the true Froot Loops. It's only half as sweet- it fails to sweeten the milk- and it's missing a few of the "variety of bright colors" that the loops usually come in, namely blue, yellow, and red. 

Now, according to the box, this cereal was produced in Germany which is not a developing country so really they have no excuse. Which leaves me to wonder, does Germany have a dislike for primary-colored cereal? And is that really Toucan Sam, or his DNA double? I knew I should have done a retinal scan...

*Actually, I remember the exact time and cause of my hankering- it was while I was watching the scene in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" where he's eating that kimchi bowl-sized portion of Froot Loops instead of a reasonably-portioned, reasonably-healthy salad. 

Confessions

Where, oh where is my Mr. Darcy? Sigh...My apologies- I should never watch chick flicks. No matter how bad it is (and Confessions of a Shopaholic was a horrendous waste of my last night of freedom), I'm always left with the feeling of, or reminder that I am utterly, utterly-

Woah, thanks for slapping me there. What am I moaning about? I'm in Kurdistan, I'm only 24 (almost 25), and I'm seeing the world! I've got great friends here and even greater ones back home, and I'm in love with the world. Hello world! (It only answers back when you're inside a cave usually.) Let me tell you more about my world. Come fly with me to the Gulf...

Owl Back in the Hole

I'm back (and my back is burnt). Whew, what a trip. Gonna go crash now in my warm, warm bed. 

Hoot hoot to horizontal warmth,

The Owl Archimedes

Only In Iraq

“2 Chicken Escalopes with cheese please.”

The waiter at Stars Cafe on Shawarma Street made the universal (in the Mideast anyway) handwiping signal, which means “finished”. No Chicken Escalopes with cheese today. 

“Ok no problem, what can we get today?” asked SJ.

“Anything,” said the waiter. Naturally, we assumed he meant we could get anything else.

“How about a burger?”

The waiter made the handwiping signal again, looking deeply apologetic. 

No burger? Okay...I browsed through the food section of the menu once more time. The waiter continued making the handwiping motion and added something in Kurdish.

“No food?” I exclaimed.

“No food at all?” echoed SJ.

He continued making the handwiping motion with a sheepish smile on his face.

“Okay. I guess we'll leave then. Thanks.”

We got up and left. We burst out laughing even before the door to the misleading café was fully shut. 

Only in Iraq is it totally OK to advertise a whole menu of foods you don't plan on serving.

And Then It Was Spring

The air has been biting-cold for so long that I forgot I was living in a semi-desert region. Then last night, as I stepped outside after dumping my laundry into the dryer, I braced myself for the familiar, unpleasant jolt of wintery, chilly, icy, shivery, bitterly- but it never came. Instead a pleasantly warm, almost tropical breeze blew languorously over my face and hands, skimming over the hills with their deadened grass, over the plants with their drooping leaves, and ruffling the sheer curtains hung over the open balconies. Wake up, wake up! whispered the tropical breeze. I felt a bit like our man Adam must have felt when God blew his own hot (hopefully minty-fresh) breath into him to bring him to life. 

And then it was spring.

The next day, today, I had to leave my heavy red coat off and it was still too hot, so after lunch, I returned with flip-flops on for my last hour of teaching before spring break. And because it was the last hour before break, instead of teaching, Mr. Tom and I sat in the front of the classroom in the little kiddy chairs, entertaining the little kindergarten babies with our guitars until one of them, Shahan, fell asleep with his head lolling all the way back over his chair and his mouth open like a fish. I almost got out my camera to take a picture, but decided to let him be while all the others ganged up on him and helped him put his head more comfortably on the table. He slept through the entire thing. As for my last day with the 2nd graders, I taught them about prime numbers today, the basic building-blocks of numbers. 

"You can break down any number into these prime numbe-"

And then the bell rang. 

Goodbye kids! Hello Oman! Hello beach, sun, and sea! And castles and cliffs and fortresses and wadis! And men wearing flowing white robes that match the sands and the glistening white capital city, Muscat! Hello Sarah and Jin!