Imagine being given the opportunity to travel to a different country, and have an impact on the people who live there. Impact the community and bring joy and aid to people who vastly need it; this is an amazing experience that shouldn’t be passed up. But it comes with a cost; time away from family and loved ones, in a strange, unfamiliar place where the safety of travelers is still considered questionable. So would you take the risk?

That’s exactly what an MHS graduate, who wishes to remain anonymous for safety reasons, did. The grad recently had the opportunity to travel to northern Iraq, in a region known as Kurdistan.  While there, the past MHS student was able to teach English at a community center to local Kurdish adults for two months.

In 1988 Suddam Hussein bombed/gassed the city of Halabja killing thousands in a matter of minutes. The Kurdish people lived in fear under his harsh oppression for years while their communities became surrounded concentration camps.

The MHS grad reflected that the Kurdish people are thankful for George Bush Senior’s involvement in making their home a safer place. His impact on their community gave them a more peaceful society with much appreciation to George Bush and Americans in general, which is why they are so interested in learning English.

“They want to learn English from Americans specifically. It was not uncommon for a Kurdish stranger who was learning English to see us in public and want to talk with us or buy us lunch or serve us tea,” said the Middletown graduate.

While in Iraq the grad lived in a typical Kurdish home with other American girls. The conditions were standard for Kurdish neighborhoods, the electricity would come and go, and the tap water was not suitable for drinking. The government delivers clean water every two days, and it is stored on the roof.

When the Middletown resident arrived, Iraq was experiencing its first blizzard in 30 years.  With the long and hot Iraqi summers, insulation isn’t common in their homes.

“There’s nothing like seeing your breath while lying in bed.”

The region that the MHS grad resided in is a generally tourist free environment so signs and symbols are all in Kurdish. The region is so divided by mountains that there are several different dialects.

“I knew I was in trouble when I got off the plane and everything was in squiggles. I learned a lot of language very quickly, but I still can’t read and write yet.”

The city itself was a nice place with friendly people. The grad was excited to see that the local architecture reminded her of Walt Disney’s Aladdin, and that the local Kurdish people were quite inviting and curious about the MHS grad.

“(The strangest thing was) Strangers taking pictures of me without asking. They were amazed at my blonde hair and would point and stare wherever I went.”

The grads favorite memory was getting the opportunity to teach dance at the community center.  The class was free and open only to women; it is considered shameful for women to behave in such a manor in the presence of men.

“They don’t have anything like this in the middle east, Kurdish dancing is literally just moving your shoulders up in down while holding hands in a big line. Also, there is absolutely nothing more fun than a whole bunch of free-styling Middle Eastern girls. We laughed and had the best afternoon ever.”

The MHS grad considered the trip to be a great experience and hopes to return in the future and stay for a longer amount of time.