Saturday, 8/16/2008
They call it a “mall”, but it's really just a supermarket on the ground floor with an upstairs level that sells some ugly clothes and shoes and other department-store type knick-knacks. I can already tell, after browsing through a few malls and street shops, that I won't be doing much clothes shopping here.
Going to this particular market was an interesting experience. It seemed to be a central hang-out in Khanzad for friends, family, people of all ages, and had the air of a carnival. It was nighttime and the round moon rose high in the subdued sky to add to the yellowish glow of the plaza lights, so that the entire outdoor area was cast in shadows and a romantic marigold light. The air smelled sweet because there was a man selling cotton candy and balloons to wide-eyed excited kids. Another food stand selling falafels, mmm! Indoors, inside the market was another experience althogether.
Being an Asian woman in Erbil is being on the wrong side of the cage at the zoo. Kids and grown-ups, women and men, all stared and stared, and the covered women shoved their adorable babies into my arms. It was fairly embarrassing, but at the same time, I adore babies and I was equally fascinated by them.
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