Between Iraq and a Hard Place

We're back with Erik! And he shares a more thorough walk through the old history of the Kurds. Check our our website for links and info about some of the characters Erik mentions!

Part 2 of our interview with Erik about life and culture in Iraq. Also, an amazing story of how he survived a 100mph crash on a highway!

Hannah and Colleen interview our friend and teammate, Erik, about his life and experiences teaching and living in Iraq as well as his studies of Kurdish history and culture.

Hannah and Colleen embark on the many uses of the Iraqi Kurdish Park and the many varieties of Recreation available in Kurdish parks. There's workout equipment, food carts, fairs, amusement parks, roller skating, strange statues and more! Come take a walk with us through our favorite and least favorite parks in Northern Iraq.

This is a special update episode! Hannah and Colleen interview Robin, who helped SGI rebuild schools in Turkey after the big earthquakes in 1999. Those connections and relationships have opened up paths for us to serve in relief work and hopefully with rebuilding after these more recent earthquakes. We're sending teams to help build shelters in the short term and hopefully continue to serve the ar...

Hannah and Colleen talk about Hannah's trip to visit our team members in Iraq. Where we used to be the ones who were visited, now we are the visitors. And we love taking care of our team members!

Hannah and Colleen continue their conversation about tourist sites in Iraq near Dohuk in this mini episode! Learn more at www. ServantGroup.org/Iraq and email Hannah at hannah@servantgroup.org with questions, comments, or suggestions!

Hannah and Colleen walk you through the favorite tourist sites for both locals and foreigners in Northern Iraq. Part two with the sites around Dohuk will come next! Some of these tourist sites in Iraq may surprise you! Learn more at www. ServantGroup.org/Iraq and email Hannah at hannah@servantgroup.org with questions, comments, or suggestions!

Hannah and Colleen have a conversation with Victoria, who went on our teacher training trip back in August of 2021. Hear her reactions, culture shock, what she learned, and whether or not she'd ever go back! Also find out about what to do when you break your ankle on a mountain hike! Lear more at www. ServantGroup.org/Iraq and email Hannah at hannah@servantgroup.org with questions, comments, or su...

Hannah wraps up her research on the Chaldean Catholic Church with their modern history in Northern Iraq, the destruction by ISIS, and the various diasporas to the West. What is the fate of Alqosh now? What will happen in the future to the church as their numbers dwindle? We don't know, but we do share how we got where we are.  Learn more over at servantgroup.org/Iraq or email Hannah at hannah@serv...

Hannah teaches Colleen more on the history and beliefs of the Chaldean Church in this, part two, of a three part series. This episode covers the re-unification of the Chaldean Catholic Church with Roman Catholic Church along with some of the distinguishing features of the Chaldean Catholic Church liturgy and tradition. Keep an eye out for the best sourdough starter ever! Yeah... that will make sen...

Hannah teaches Colleen about the origins of the Chaldean Church in this, the first episode of THREE episodes on the history and beliefs of the Chaldean Church. The splits, lines, and practices help illustrate how the Christian community in Iraq came to be there and their long history in the area.

Hannah and Colleen share the ways that Iraq shaped small behaviors in their lives including hand gestures, expectations of people, restaurant protocol, and more. These are some of the ways that that Iraq changed us and made us different from our peers here in the US. Also, celebrating 50 episodes!

Hannah and Colleen describe how they observed different skin colors and nationalities are treated and valued in Northern Iraq. How were our black teammates treated? Asian-looking ones? Is there a difference between how men and women of color are treated? We answer these questions and more!

Hannah and Colleen take a trip around the world and into a Middle Eastern movie theater. Sometimes watching a movie 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 is Arabic but the written language is Russian. It's exciting. See links to the movies and learn more at www. ServantGroup...

Hannah and Colleen interview our office manager, Kim, who tells the BEST stories. Both master story-teller and and hostess extraordinaire, Kim lived in Iraq with her family and taught at the Medes school in 2010. We think someone should pick up her life story as a sitcom, but in the meantime, you get to enjoy the wild and wacky things she has seen! =D Learn more at www. ServantGroup.org/Iraq! Or e...

Hannah and Colleen talk about how they found ways to exercise in Iraq and the cultural stereotypes that accompany men's and women's opportunities to exercise. Should you bring a Wii? Should you plan to run a marathon?

Colleen and Hannah talk about what "going to church" looked like in Iraq. A lot of people have questions about this and a lot of preconceived ideas about what it means to be a Christian living in a pre-dominantly Muslim country. Learn more at www. ServantGroup.org/Iraq! Send us comments or questions at hannah@servantgroup.org!

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.

Lemon, sumac, unripe fruit, pickles... sour food is overwhelmingly popular in Kurdistan. Hannah and Colleen chat about all the foods that make your mouth pucker and water in Kurdistan. Go grab your jar of pickles and join us in the culinary journey through sour foods in Iraqi Kurdistan! Learn more about joining our teams over at www. ServantGroup.org/Iraq or email Hannah with comments or questions...

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 well to know what they might be getting into. www. ServantGroup.org/Iraq hannah@servantgroup.org

Hannah and Colleen explore the difficult and sometimes humorous world of social media in Iraq. If you've never had a new Facebook friend go through all ten years of your photos and comments and like or comment on every single one, you should check this out! If you have... join us anyway to see your social media posts in a new light. www. ServantGroup.org/Iraq hannah@servantgroup.org

Colleen and Hannah talk about how the idea of cleanliness has some interesting cultural rules and expectations in Northern Iraq that make people mop their patios daily but throw trash in the street. What is clean and what is not? How important is being clean? How did we adapt our lives and practices to their cultural standards and did we fight against it? Learn more at servantgroup.org and send qu...

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 sometimes even when we visit our Middle Eastern friends in the U.S.! Learn more at servantgroup.org and send questions to hannah@servan...

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. www. ServantGroup.org/Iraq