Kurdish toilet etiquette

Hi Folks!

Believe it or not, it is considered polite in Kurdistan to leave a ring of droplets of water on the toilet seat when you are finished. This way, others know that it is clean.

So, you take a leak, flush the toilet, then spray the whole works down with the handy-dandy hose that hangs inside the toilet cabinet. And you just leave a bit of water on the seat of the toilet so that everyone knows you have cleaned up after yourself.

Wow, it gets interesting here.

In other news:

Going on leave in 5 days. My actual departure is Valentine's Day at 0400. Not the nicest time of the day (or night) to depart from a god-forsaken spot, but hey....this is what we do. That's why we get paid the big bucks! Man, I thought the big bucks had all gone to the altar boy at St. Rita's. Bucky Dent, we used to call him.

Sorry mom, I know you know that kid, and he's probably a nice boy, but to me and Chris he will always be Bucky Dent. I don't even have an idea who the real Bucky Dent was. I think he hit a clinching homerun (three runs?) for the Yankees in 1974, against the Sox. But anyway, I always liked seeing that kid on the altar. Sorta reminded me of myself when I was that age. I didn't have the bucks that he has, but I was at least as dorky!

So now I have some extra bucks, and would like to invite everyone to either suggest a cause I can support or support a cause I have already adopted. My main one is Citizen Schools. If you believe in the idea that professionals do not necesssarily need to have teaching accreditation in order to pass on knowledge to the next generation, then you should support Citizen Schools.

Oh, here's a neat thing....

In Kurdish, the way you say 'Thank you' is 'spas.' The response is 'Sirtsau'; it is often said when someone says 'Thanks'and also when you say something nice to someone.....It's sort of more like 'Your Welcome.' Even when you greet someone, with 'Bayani bash', they will say 'sirtsau'....then you say 'Choni?' (how are you? and they will, say 'Bash, sirtsau').


Ok, that's the polite way of talking. However, there is a more colloquial way of talking.

I often say 'ciao' when I am saying goodbye. Just something I learned in Bosnia....everyone says it there.

Anyway, in Kurdish, chow means eye, and it often means the 'evil eye'.

b'chow eebert

That's the evil eye.

b'Chow Ebert means 'the evil eye'--a curse...has nothing to do with the movie critic.

So never say 'ciao' among Kurds!

Just so you know!

Hope everyone has a good day!

Love and Peace to all!