Sports day!

The day started like any other Saturday: I get up, go to work, try to teach the vets/engineers class.... Then it was off to the main attraction that all the university students and all the staff from the other two schools and the university (minus the dean, the other teacher, and I) were already at. Sports day seems to be a very big, exciting thing!

We get there and meet up with the students who have just finished playing soccer. After chatting and getting pictures taken with them, we go up to the gym where the basketball games are about to begin. We watch those until around 1:30pm when we go to eat lunch. Lunch left a lot to be desired as it only consisted of a small sandwich (think 4 inch hot dog bun) and a drink box of fake orange juice. Combine this with my having to tell the students to pick up their trash as if they were five years old, and I was feeling a bit cranky.

Then it was more basketball, and I was ready to leave. Of course I was stuck there for a lot longer. So, I made the most of it and went with a group of them to the store where I helped to remind them that cookies and biscuits were the same thing and that throwing things away is a good thing (as opposed to leaving it on the ground). Then it was back to watch the volleyball games.

The volleyball games were somewhat exciting, but I spent much of this time being retaught the numbers in Kurdish along with a British teacher. Then I was asked to be in more pictures than one can even imagine! If I had implemented my 5000 dinar a photo idea, I would probably have at least 3 - 4 hundred thousand dinar right now...and then some of the people who wanted my picture started talking to me about their school, and my school, and such. It was an enjoyable conversation. They asked me to come to the PPP school for a long visit, not just for half an hour or so. If I get the opportunity, I would really like to do that. I don't think it will be easy though.

On the way home (around 6:30pm), we were stopped at the checkpoint. The guard asked the driver where I was from. He was very happy to hear that I was from America, and he told the driver that I was very beautiful...I hate hearing that! I am sure that if he had had a camera, he would have asked for my picture too! One of these days, I think I may have to put up the sign (in multiple languages of course).

I am not sure of the final results of the games, but I will find out tomorrow. There was the finals in soccer still to go when I left. They were going to stay until 11pm, and I didn't feel like I could do that, so I came home. Now I am going to see if I can find someone to talk to, and then probably go to bed.