Kurdistan.

Hello all, hope you are well.

Thigs are going fine here in Kurdistan, I have met with several civil servants but am only due tro meet with the bigwigs next week. People refer to Ministers as "His Excellency", try that out on your local MP!

I have made many friends here, good people. I was invited to one guy's wedding reception the other day, handed out my questionnaire afterwards, everyone found it quite funny. People speak just enough english here to know when they have made a linguistic mistake. Kurds find spoken "faults" as they call them, just about the funniest thing going. One guy send "Good morning" to me at 3 in the afternoon, and his pal's are still laughing about it.

I learnt to say good morning in Kurdish, so next time I see him, I must try that one out, balance it with a smidgen of irony.

I am learning quite a bit of Kurdish, mainly niceties but also stuff I can use in the marketplace: cant it be cheaper? "Camter Nabet!?" I keep forgetting stuff, but my roommate, a Kurd from Texas (never thought I'd hear "y'all" squeezed into Kurdish dialect), insists on teaching me new words and making sure I remember them: "And what's he response to that question?" ... "err, Bejit Hrashbi?" "Yes exactly!"

I have visited the bazaar a couple of times, nice place, shame they are building god knows how many shopping centres all around it, cant be good. I also plan on buying Kurdish dress and shoes (very cool, hand woven, with pieces of animal bone in the sole), so when I return to Cardiff, you will be greeted by proud mounain warrior, Nick Barzani.

Well I have to get back to looking stern and being Europe's most inquisitive Kurdistan expert, so its Behrechi and Jannet Bash from me, see you soon, much love, Nick.