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Home – Bitter Sweet Home
By Sheinei Saleem, Kurdistan
Having been away from Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) for the past 10 years, I dreamt constantly of the day that I would return. Knowing that I wanted to visit the country of my birth, my parents arranged for me to take a trip to Slemani - the city where I grew up - as a graduation present from university this past spring.
"As a young Kurd living in United States, it’s shocking to me to learn how little people know about the Middle East especially Kurdistan. Many people would never guess that there are high-rise buildings, modern shopping malls with the latest fashions and advanced technology even amidst all of the violence and people’s struggle for survival." -Sheinei Saleems
When I boarded the plane that would fly me to Erbil (also known by its Kurdish name, Hewler) I was more than ecstatic – even at 1:30 in the morning! While I imagined that Kurdish music would be piped in on the plane and I yearned for Kurdish tea with bread and yogurt for my breakfast, they didn't materialize. Nonetheless I felt immediately at home with the 200 other Kurds who were just as excited and nervous as I was to see their homeland, family and friends.
Just five years ago, it was impossible to fly directly into Kurdistan. Those who dared to go into the country had to cross the border from neighboring countries, Turkey and Syria. But today Erbil International Airport at 6 am is just what you would expect from any other airport around the world.
On the drive to Slemani, I recalled my life as a little girl. All of the memories I had suppressed in the U.S. suddenly came rushing back to me. I remembered myself as a child watching the sky as military planes went by - praying their bombs would not hit us. I remembered my neighbors bringing their dead loved ones back from the wars that left tens of thousands of Kurds dead.
Yes, Kurdistan has many disturbing memories from its history of turmoil. But there are other memories that I hold dear in my heart. I recalled when thousands of Kurds poured into the streets in celebration of our independence from Saddam’s regime in the early 1990s. Helicopters dropped flyers from the sky announcing our success. I remembered the Newroz (the Kurdish New Year) fires every 21st of March when Kurds experienced a sense of unity and celebrated the strength and endurance of our people. In colorful Kurdish clothes our parents referred to us as – the roses of Kurdistan.
Despite these fond recollections, my home was not as I remembered it when I had left, nor did the people seem the same as I had remembered. Indeed, Southern Kurdistan has changed quite dramatically in this post-Saddam era. While making enormous progress as compared to the rest of Iraq, it seems as though the Kurdish people are caught between wanting to modernize and preserving their rich cultural tradition.
Modernization is very noticeable throughout Kurdistan. There is KFC-style fried chicken, Dominos Pizza and other fast food restaurants designed to imitate McDonald’s. While Kurdistan has the best ice cream I have ever had, it was humorous to me that the ice cream shops most often played background music from 50 Cent and Avril Lavigne.
Many private schools are now open and all of the subjects are taught in English. Bowling alleys and skating rinks are also newly opened and are quite popular on Thursday and Friday nights. Prior to the U.S. led invasion, students only had Fridays free. Today, Kurds have a two day weekend - Friday and Saturday.
The latest in fashions, cars and technology are readily available to those who can afford them. After 10 years, I guess I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was to see Hummers and limos on the streets and Gucci and Channel in the shopping malls.
For me, this progress had bitter sweet overtones. I was happy that my peers in Kurdistan had opportunities to own the latest technology, cellular phones, cars, and clothing but I was concerned that perhaps these items came at a very dear price - the loss of the traditions and values I had held so dear in my heart in America – traditions that made the Kurdish culture so unique.
