MENA Women's Security Forum

Well, after two really incredible, albeit exhausting days of intensive Arabic, I really want to write a post that does justice to this amazing conference that I just attended. It was put on by Iraqi Al Amal Association, and hosted probably over 100 women activists from across the MENA region, including from Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and Egypt (and those are just the people I met). These women are quite literally saving lives and preventing terrorism in their countries through youth outreach, through community activism, and through lobbying their local governments to make much needed changes. We heard testimony from Yazidi Christians who escaped Mosul about the horrors that they had to endure, as well as from Syrian community leaders, government officials, UN representatives, international NGO representatives, and countless grassroots activists working to combat extremism in their communities and help people to restore a sense of normalcy to their lives in a way that militarization just can't achieve.

Unlike perhaps any other event I've been to, it had a kind of quiet defiance about it. Getting to the event itself for many was a challenge, and yet their dedication to ensuring that their countries continue to move forward overwhelmingly outweighed the challenges. Women are often the at the forefront of conflict in ways we really don't think about in the West. They are the community organizers, operating something best thought of as a makeshift underground railroad sort of system to help people get out of conflict. They are setting up shelters, cooking for the hungry, advocating for change, working on building community between religions or political groups. They view security first and foremost as being about their families and their communities, defining it in as simple of terms as can their children go to school safely to learn and have a future? They bear the trauma of gender-based violence and rape, which is used as a weapon of war. And yet, or perhaps because, of all of that, these women absolutely will not be silenced or made to feel afraid. They will keep making noise until they are heard. These women, like all of the women who inspire me, are in a perpetual state of call to action. They are not the sitting and waiting type. They will make things happen.

I will definitely write more about this, but after two days of stretching my Arabic to its limits (not to mention being out of the office and having to catch up on that work), I'm instead going to leave you with a small smattering of photos.

Life in the mountains

Picnics here are probably the most common way to spend time. Friends, families and coworkers gather together after work, on weekends and for holidays to enjoy the weather and company and good food (read: enough meat to feed a small army). As such, it's been a plan for a while around here to invite everyone's families and come out to have a picnic, and it finally happened! We gathered everyone together at the office after work, and I got the chance to meet our coworkers wonderful husbands, wives, and children! There was dancing, eating, talking, playing, and general merriment on this beautiful mountain just outside Erbil. I missed a photo of it, but there was also a small, old fort/castle structure right across the way.

Clearly I still can't follow traditional Arabic dancing, though in my defense, I pretty much only joined for a photo to pass on to you all. Everyone else had been practicing longer!. Erbil really is beautiful, and everyone was so warm and fun to hang out with. The plan was to head out immediately after work at 5pm, and return around 8:30. In true Middle East form, we left at 6 and didn't head back until nearly 10:30. 

In other news, I decided on my R&R leave spot-- I'm headed to Prague for 9 days! Expect pictures with Shrek in short order! I'm totally stoked! I got lots of advice from a lot of very well traveled people....  and in true form, disregarded all of it! So I'm off to Prague, traveling solo for the first time in my life. Don't worry, I'll be careful, and check in often. 

All the solo time though I think will be nice. I have spent a lot of time here just hanging out by myself, and it's been really interesting. I spend so much of my time in the States surrounded by people and tv and just general distraction so it's really fascinating to be here, where I'm not really beholden to anything other than my own interests. It feels like the first time in years that I'm really figuring out what those interests are. I've been reading a LOT-- a lot about social justice, a lot of news articles, a lot of poetry (actually, that I've been watching on YouTube. Slam poetry is incredibly interesting-- like a cross between poetry and hip hop, so it suits me well). I stumbled upon this strongly worded (read: mom, you won't like it-- just take my summary!) article recently on Cracked.com of all places (for those who are over the age of say... 32 and/or don't waste all your time on the internet, it's a pop culture and comedy website largely aimed at 20-something men), which offered this bit of food for thought. 

"I want you to try something: Name five impressive things about yourself. Write them down or just shout them out loud to the room. But here's the catch -- you're not allowed to list anything you are (i.e., I'm a nice guy, I'm honest), but instead can only list things that you do (i.e., I just won a national chess tournament, I make the best chili in Massachusetts)."

The author goes on to say, in short, that life is for the active protagonists in life, those who offer something of value to others, not the passive ones. The people who make shit happen. And I have to say, I found it challenging to name five things I do that are impressive. I stumbled after about three. So that's where I'm focusing, while I'm here and operate on my own schedule, without the white noise of my life in Portland. I've spent a fair amount of time here thinking about the people who really impress me in life, and why that is, and the big thing is, they get involved. They make their voices heard, and they see a problem and take it on. I want to surround myself with the kind of people who take things on, because it encourages me to do more of that. 

And for that bit of inspiration for the day, check out the organization AptART, which works with children in war-torn countries and host communities for refugees (DRC, Syria, Mozambique, Jordan) to use art as a means of self expression and as an outlet. Their art and murals are pretty amazing. 

AptART and Acted mural, Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan, 2013.