We’re In.

In Iraqi Kurdistan, Nawroz is a celebration of spring and the new year.  It’s fitting that the Nawroz celebrations here in Erbil come at the end of our first week in the renovated Iraqi Institute building.

Iraqi Institute on March 10. Photo credit Kent Severson.

Not quite a year ago, I came to Erbil, in the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Iraq, to teach people about conservation – the esoteric, multidisciplinary, field that I wandered into a few decades ago.  As with any journey, the place I came to is nothing like I expected.  I never expected to feel more safe in Iraq than I did in the US.  I never expected to love teaching as much as I do.  I never expected so many colleagues and friends would want to come here too.  I never expected to meet so many people so passionately and practically caring about an idea – and helping us make the Institute happen.  I never expected I would crave good, cow’s milk cheese as much as I do.

So, the building is nearly done, my colleague is off in Turkey buying supplies and equipment to fill the labs; back in Erbil we spent this week buying soap, toilet paper, bath mats, extension cords and all those little things you need when you move into a new home.

But most importantly, we started teaching in the Institute.  We have space and light and a wonderful ambiance to share ideas and experiences and problems and find ways to help our colleagues preserve their Iraqi heritage.

A student practices techniques for excavating a very fragile artifact.

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