Meester Karrhorn

Today was the first friday in Iraq. Many shops are closed, but it was not a day off at the academy. However, the building where the theater and dance students have been rehearsing was closed, so the dancers took over the building where my normal woodwind class is in the morning. I took over in the lobby space of one of the buidlings. The dancers were supposed to tell my late-arriving students where I was but the communication didn't work out. So I had a very small class today. It was just as well, I like the groups anyhow.

At lunch I was reunited with my students (some of them very hurt that they had missed class). As time gets shorter here, a lot of them are collecting photos and e-mail addresses. I explained to a few of my students the simple pun in my e-mail address which they got a kick out of. A few of the mischievous ones now call me "Meester Karrhorn".

Band practice was more of the same today. Sound exercises, me begging and pleading with the trumpets and trombones, dynamics on occasion. I gave them a slightly earlier break than usual and was surprised that when I dismissed them they all remained silently in their seats. The silence was eerie and only explained when I turned around to leave and saw the dreaded Mr. Najat (the director of the Suleimani wind orchestra). I worried that I might be in trouble. Apparently he has a bit of a habit of undermining operations at the Unity Academy. And I was going behind his back a little in inviting other students who were not actually in the wind orchestra to play in the band. But I sweet-talked him for a bit, asking for input and thanking him for letting the "less-advanced" students play with the "strong and experienced" players of the wind orchestra. When I left the stage, he apparently gave them a lecture about being more respectful towards me in rehearsal, so I guess I'm not on his bad side yet....

I gave a long lesson to the trombone player today. I explained that although he was an experienced player, it was important to review basics. I flipped back to the first page of method book and began slogging through the introductory position exercises. I think that 20 minutes might have been the first time since he started the instrument that he played the actual notes written on the page with the correct rhythm. I wish I could have him every other day for a month to send him on the right path; I just have to hope that some of this sticks.

Goran, my horn player, got a present of slide grease and oil and a lesson on horn maintenance. His horn is a shoddily made Chinese instrument in despicable condition, but I did my best to show him how to keep it up. My last student was a saxophone player who just wanted more breathing exercises.


Now that I've been here a week, I feel like reflecting a little on what I have and haven't seen here in Sule. What was I expecting? I knew that this was a quiet city and that it was not as violent as the rest of the country. And truly, there are no visible signs of violence or war here. People move in the streets freely, there is certainly no damage, and there are plenty of new high rise construction sites-- hardly the mark of a city worried about collapsing into chaos. The population seems reasonably prosperous as well. Plenty of people shopping, lots of appliance shops and car dealerships, very few signs of poverty and homelessness in the sections of the city that I've seen.

On the other hand, my limited experience with the students from Kirkuk and people from other cities has made it very clear that the rest of the country is living at a high level of violence. I've heard too many disturbing and gruesome stories to ignore the fact that the problems are never far away here. Kirkuk, after all, is only a 45 minute drive.

Something I have not seen here: US soldiers. I don't know if there is any presence at all in Sule, but if so, it's very low key. Plenty of Iraqi army soldiers around, patrolling schools or political party headquarters, but even they seem pretty laid back. Most Kurds are highly appreciative of the American intervention here (especially the original one in 1991). They have nothing bad to say about George Bush. Another city not too far from here is Halabja, the Kurdish city gassed by Saddam in the 80's. There is no nostalgia at all for the old regime.

Another interesting thing to note is the position of women here. I've seen a few women in full-body covering and veil. More common is a simple veil casually over the hair. And plenty of women wear no veil at all. Revealing dresses and tight tee-shirts that any American teeny-bopper would feel comfortable in are seen freqently too, with no comment or raised eye-brow. On the other hand, it is clear that women are in general less visible in society. Almost all my students are men and women clearly don't usually feel comfortable in assertive situations.

One thing that has been completely unlike my experience in China is the fact that I blend in with the population. Kurds tend to be somewhat lighter than Arabs, and fair skin, light brown hair, and grey or green eyes are not uncommon. And many of them sport a... shall we say... Semitic proboscis. Add to the fact that the men tend to be very skinny (and pride themselves on it if my translator is an example) and I fit right in. I have even been asked for directions on the street, and I am addressed in Kurdish unless I speak English first.

This makes not being able to speak better Kurdish even more trying than it might be otherwise! My efforts are all appreciated and I have a little more every day but I will hardly be fluent by the time I leave.

Late here, more thoughts tomorrow.

PS. I have enabled comments for non-members on here in case anyone is dying to ask something or drop a line-- all comments have been greatly appreciated. Also, I have an APO address in Erbil for people interested to send materials. If you are interested and would like ideas on what would be most useful please let me know, through here, facebook, or at my regular e-mail. Thanks!