It has been 74 years since the deportation of the Kalmyks

I don't have a lot to add that I haven't written before here. So below is a list of links to previous articles dealing with the 1943 deportation of the Kalmyks.

The 62nd anniversary of the deportation.

The 63rd anniversary of the deportation.

The 70th anniversary of the deportation.

More on the 70th anniversary of the deportation.

Report from Beria to Stalin and Molotov on the deportation.

Letter from Beria to Molotov on deported Kalmyks.

The 71st anniversary of the deportation.

The 73rd anniversary of the deportation.

Encyclopedia article on Kalmyks.

Finally the semester is over

Finally, I have gotten through the semester. Which is good. Because I am supposed to be resting.

Last Day Before Finals

Today I had to come to campus to pick up my final exams from the printer for tomorrow. But, it gave me a chance to check my email since the wifi is currently down at my flat.

Finally a Free Day

Finally, I now have a two day break before final exams begin. I had hoped to get done with everything else by Thursday. But, I had to work an entire day on Sunday, followed by eight hours of  work related social events on Monday, and finally a Senate Faculty meeting on Tuesday. Today, I got up late. Then I walked to the mall to change money. After that I walked to a cafe to eat a pizza and fresh squeezed orange juice for lunch. I then grabbed a cab to the bazaar and hiked to the book store that carries English language titles. There I purchased a book and then walked back out of the bazaar to the taxi stand and took a cab home.

Final Day of Classes

Today is the final day of classes. Exactly zero students showed up to my 8:00 am class. I have three more classes to teach today. I have cancelled my office hour. I can't wait for this day to finish.

Still closer to the end

It turns out that today is not the last day of classes. Evidently I have to teach a full day Sunday as well. I am not sure what is the point of having one day of classes between a weekend and a four day reading week. But, I'll come in and lecture for four hours to whatever students make it to class that day.

Closer to the End

Today is the penultimate day of classes. The final day of lectures is Thursday. After that there is a reading week during which I am going to try and get some article revisions done. For next semester I want to spend a lot more time and energy on research and writing. I am not sure if there are any more Kurdish topics I can research here without first developing an ability to read Sorani. But, I still have enough Soviet related projects to keep me busy next semester.

Winding up the semester

There are only two days of teaching left, then reading week, and then final exams. Next semester I will have fewer classes to teach and I am hiring a TA so things should be easier to manage.

Today

Today I slept in until 7 am and then went to the bank. Afterward I took a cab to work and took care of some email correspondence. I then puttered around doing nothing productive. Tomorrow is the start of a three day weekend.

Musings of a Hopeless Reactionary

The smart phone is one of those things like tattoos or driver's licenses that I have never owned and will never own. I am convinced that a great deal of the ignorance of young people can be directly traced to their smart phone addictions. It was a far better world in many ways when people read books instead of playing on their smart phones all the time.

Happy Thanksgiving

To any American readers I might have, Happy Thanksgiving. I had to work a full day today. But, I do get Friday off. On Saturday I have to do a big pile of grading.

Earthquake

I just survived a 7.3 earthquake with an epicenter near Halabja about 32 kilometers away. I had just come home from dinner and was laying on the couch when I felt it start jumping up and down. Then the whole room started shaking. I am okay and nothing in my apartment was damaged. But, I hear that the student dormitories were damaged by the quake.

One More Day

Today I took a taxi to work at about 10:15 am. I had to man the Social Science exhibition table in the cafeteria from 11:00 am to 11:30 this morning. After that I had a sandwich and then went to my office to grade quizzes and write a recommendation for a student.

Just another day 100 years after the disaster

Today I took the 7:30 am bus to work, grabbed a cup of tea, and proceeded to cover the history of the world from 1919-1939 for my first class. Then I dropped off my text book and went to eat a breakfast of brown bread, lentil soup, some sort of scrambled egg dish with sweet peppers and tomatoes, and ayran. After that I realized that today is the 100 year anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution and that I probably should post something since I have read that most American millennials now think that the Stalinist state is the preferred model of political-economy. But, nobody from that demographic will ever read my blog and I don't have the time or energy to write anything new right now. So I will just post the link to the piece I wrote four years ago on the subject.

Today

Today is the first day of November. I don't teach classes on Mondays and Wednesdays so I can do other stuff. I got up early this morning and had a video chat with my wife and daughter before going back to bed. After waking up for the second time I took a taxi to work and ate a meal of burghul, borek, and eggplant salad washed down with lemonade followed by ayran. Then I went into the office and graded a bunch of quizzes while listening to Ulyatau.

More on Kurdish Cuisine and Sheep's Organs

Last night I had sheep's stomach stuffed with rice. The rice was seasoned with raisins and almonds. I also had sheep's feet in soup. It was good. But, it was not as good as the sheep's brain and tongue I ate a few days earlier.

New Article on Kurds in the USSR now out

My article, "Kurds in the USSR, 1917-1956" is now out in the latest issue of Kurdish Studies. 

Sheep's Brain and Tongue is very Yummy

Last night I had the best meal I have ever eaten in Kurdistan. I ate boiled sheep's head including the brain and tongue. It came in a soup broth formed from cooking it all day. Like many Ghanaian dishes this beloved Kurdish dish is eaten with one's hand. It was a little bit pricey. But, it was definitely worth it.

Work

The last couple of days have been quite calm here in Sulaimani. I have largely been preoccupied with teaching four classes with three preps. But, it hasn't been overwhelming. Next semester I'll go down to three classes with two preps and be finished before noon.

Half way through

The semester is now half way done. Today I had four classes and a never ending stream of students during my office hours. AUIS still remains a bubble inside a bubble here in Sulaimani.