Mar Mattai Monastery ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܡܬܝ

This weekend Tammy and I decided to check out Mar Mattai Monastery in the disputed areas to check out an annual celebration that was occurring.  We were there a day early for the real party, but it was still a fascinating place.  Mar Mattai was founded in 363 AD and is considered one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world.  Saint Matthew (Mar Mattai) came from Diyarbakir, cured the King's daughter of leprosy and converted the town to Christianity.  Over the years Mar Mattai Monastery has been attacked by Kurds, Arabs, Mongols, Ottomans, bandits, and everyone else who came near it.  

To get to the monastery we had to head west outside of the KRG and we passed through a few interesting places.  Pictured below is a cattle drive outside of Bartella.  Bartella is a part of the Nineveh (yep, from the Bible) Plains, an area that has accepted tens of thousands of fleeing Christians (and Shia Muslims and Shabaks) from Southern Iraq since Saddam.  There is even a movement in the Nineveh Plains to make an Assyrian (Christian) Autonomous Zone, which would report to Baghdad, not Erbil.  

This is the first glimpse of the monastery that we had.  It looks similar to nearby Al-Qosh from far away.  It is tucked into the mountain and pretty difficult to see from far away.

Tammy's posing in front a cistern near Nahmoud (water drop) Cave.  

One side of the cave wall is entirely turquoise and salt formations drip all around the cave.

One thing you'll notice when you leave the KRG is all of the old cars.  In Kurdistan, all cars imported now must be 2012 or newer, so must of the cars you see on the road are virtually brand new.  In Iraq and the border towns with Iran, you will see lots of vintage VW's, Opels, etc.

This is the view coming up to the monastery.  A pretty surprising place for most of us visiting Iraq.  

This is the interior of the monastery.  It was really bustling and jovial.  There are over a hundred rooms that people can stay in (gratis) and most of them were full of families enjoying huge lunches while we were walking around.  

Here's a picture of Saint Matthew (not the same one from the Bible) on the right. 

This monastery reminded me a bit of the Coptic Christian churches in Cairo.  Open floor plans and great arches.

The monastery was restored in 2006, but the walls behind are from the 4th-6th CE.  

An alternate way to get to the monastery.  We saw some kids racing up it, but that seemed suicidal in the 100 degree heat.

Our driver is friends with Father Youssif (Joseph in English) pictured on the right.  We relaxed in his AC'd office and chatted while he smoked squares.  He told us that now there are only 5 monks studying at the monastery, but at one time there were 7000 monks in the community.  Great massacres occurred over the years and obvious fundamental shifts in religion have caused the numbers to dwindle.  But based on the current conditions of the monastery, one could conclude that there is still a strong (and wealthy) congregation of Iraqi Christians (although many are living abroad).  

This is one of the tombs found inside the church.  I love Aramaic writing, I just wish I could get rid of the glare.  When we got there the tomb was full of young couples praying (presumably for fertility - which is one of the main reasons people come there).  There are 7 famous Christians buried inside the tomb.  

Posing in front of this ancient place.

After visiting the monastery, we stopped by a river to look at some donkeys, sheep, and watch some Kurds fish and play in the water.  The river was about 10 feet deep and moving pretty fast, so nobody was getting in, but it was a really peaceful place.  

This is our taxi driver Nabeel.  He was really into this dragonfly.  Nabeel is an Assyrian from Ainkawa who fought in the Iran-Iraq War for Saddam's Army.  He had a luxurious 2013 Dodge Caravan and is a really decent driver.  If we go on any more Christian outings, he is our man.  

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

This week I made one of my favorite meals so far on my quest for repeatable meals.

HONEY SESAME CHICKEN

It was quick and pretty inexpensive, plus we both loved it.  I served it with chopped peanuts and some sweet and spicy cucumbers.  (Although I left out the spicy because I forgot to buy chili flakes, so I guess they were just sweet...)

These were good too, but I think they got a little watery and they totally needed the spice.  Can't blame the recipe, next time I will make sure I buy chili flakes!

If you want to make the chicken, you can get the recipe on my blog here.  It is definitely worth a try and if you don't have a crock pot, you could make it on the stove top too.  Just boil your chicken and shred it, and make the sauce in a sauce pan.  Easy and delish!

Anybody have any great recipes to share?  So far, we usually rotate between a few standard meals:

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (slow cooker)

Enchiladas (veggie and beef)

Lasagna (veggie and beef)

Raviolis

Baked Chicken Tenders

Pasta with Salmon

BBQ Ribs (slow cooker)

Pizza/flatbread

and now this Honey Sesame Chicken (slow cooker)

We are in need of inspiration and variety though.  I would love to have 20 really good meals to rotate so we don't get bored.  Any suggestions??

Softball in Korea

What's an expat in Korea to do?  There's only so much Kimchi and grilled meat I can eat, sometime's we've got to get out and get active.  Last week a bunch of foreigners from all over southern Korea held a softball tournament.  It was almost surreal, sixty guys from all over the world, all who have basically the same job as ESL teachers, hanging out and playing softball.  I've been playing with a dozen or so people here in Pohang and so far it's been a blast.  How did we do?  We lost all three of our games and made a quick exit from the tournament.  Oh well, better luck next time.

Hey, that's me!  Love those white shoes.  

Daegu's a huge city, but far from the center, it turns country in a hurry.  We played on a field next to some rice paddies and a river.  Pretty spot just outside all the chaos of the big city.

My wife and her friend.  Every team needs a cheering section, here's ours.

Summer in Korea is basically toast.  We're on to fall now, which means cool weather and some seriously pretty fall foliage.  Can't wait to get out and take some pictures.

Aloha O'ahu

We are back in Iraq now, but I wanted to share a few things that we enjoyed during our last weeks of holiday back home.

My mom was just about to go back to work, but luckily she had a free day to join us on an amazingly clear day to the top of Hawaii Loa Ridge.  This hike is one of my favorite and the views are stunning from the top if you aren't stuck in the clouds.

I haven't been to Jackass Ginger since they took out the rope swing and Tammy had never been, so we decided to cruise up the Pali one afternoon and check out the bamboo forest and the pool.  This spot used to be one of my favorite places on the island and now even without the rope it is still a great place to have a picnic or take a dip.  

Tammy and I were in town one day and I had an urge to check out the old temple in the big graveyard off Nu'uanu, so we stopped in to check it out.  I realized that there was a trail back there that led to the waterfall from the movie with The Rock and Stiffler that is supposed to take place in South America.  We started out on the trail and it was still really well manicured.  Looking at the color and depth of the water I can't believe we actually used to jump into this pool.  It's a shady jaunt to the waterfall, just remember to bring bug spray. 

One of the things that I love about Hawaii is all of the random architectural styles you will find in the neighborhoods.  The Hsu Yin Buddhist Association is tucked into a modern neighborhood in town.  

We went to the swamp meet to get some kitschy gifts and I was surprised to see that there are a lot more stands at the swap meet with stuff made in Hawaii.  A family was actually carving these tiki statues when we we walked by.  Maybe next time we are home I will pick up something small.  

Tammy, myself, and a few friends had a really active weekend before we took off.  The first two pictures are from Olomana.  We tried to hike Haiku Stairs one day, but we were a little late and the security guard was already there, so Tammy's friend suggested Olomana instead.  The Ko'olau views are unparalleled from the top of the first peak.  This hike really gets your heart rate up and my cousin conquered her fear of heights on the 15 foot vertical climb near the top.  

The next day we met up with some old friends and new friends and headed to the crater hike above Haunama Bay.  The ocean views are great, but there is absolutely no shade, so its best to start early.  

You can poke around a bit on the jagged coast and find tons of aama crabs scurrying away from potential death (us).  Careful of rogue waves, a few of our crew got their phone soaked from sitting a little too close, but it could have been a lot worse.  

The next day we headed out to Electric Beach on the West Side with a couple friends for a snorkeling session.  I had never been out here and I was happy to have a knowledgeable friend to show us which path we should take to follow the current and see the most fish.  The water in front of the water treatment plant is like a jacuzzi and the fish flock to play in front of the blast of heat.  If you swim in front of it, you will be pushed out 10 or 15 feet straight up to the surface.  Tons of fun, but the current picked up and we headed safely back to shore to avoid drifting out to Ka'ena Point.

For our final night in Hawaii, my parents took us out to Michel's.  Michel's is a gorgeous restaurant near Diamond Head with a stunning view of Kaimana Beach and Waikiki.  My Dad told me before we got there that this would be the nicest restaurant I had ever been to and he was definitely right.  We were lucky to snag this beachside table and we spent the first fifteen minutes people-watching and playing with our cameras.  This was a perfect way to say goodbye to Hawaii for another ten months.

We had a memorable Summer and I'm really grateful that my parents were willing to host us for the majority of it.  When we are abroad, I complain about the lack of Sriracha or bad weather, but the only thing I really miss is family.  It was great to focus on family this Summer and spend as much time as possible with the parents and siblings.  This Summer I golfed a bunch, swam a bunch, and didn't think about work at all.  Perfect?  Pretty close.  

We have been back in Kurdistan now for over a week and I'm finally feeling moved in to our new place in the capital (Erbil, not Baghdad...).  I know you all probably want to hear more about life in Iraq, so I will be posting more soon.

Aloha.

Cooking Up a Storm

Since having baby boy, I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  Gone are the days of dinners out and lunches on the town.  The only place we sit down to eat lately is our kitchen table.  I'm not complaining. The food is good, company great, and the price is right.

Here are a few of the things we have been cooking and eating.  The baked chicken tenders have been my favorite savory item.  So GOOD!

Blueberry Crumb Cake was a huge success.  Here's a tip though: don't eat it without double checking for mold after a week in a tupperware on your counter.  That was a big bite I wished I could take back.

I love pancakes and french toast.  I had an abundance of blueberries last month, so I made these pancakes for breakfast one morning.  I had mine with greek yogurt, blackberry syrup, and fresh berries on top.

Mmm.  Corn bread.  So American-delicious.  I served these with bbq ribs and garlic green beans.  I like them sweeter than these came out, but they were good enough to eat all twelve so...

On the agenda for this month:

Carnitas

Orange Chicken

Homemade Pizza

more Baked Chicken Tenders

and if I am really lucky, DONUTS!

I will let you know how they come out.  For recipes, you can check my personal blog here.