CURRENT MISSION
Change how people communicate (take time to understand rather than just agree or disagree), contribute to environmental sustainability and cultural preservation in Kurdistan.

ABOUT ME
I am Canadian.
They would say I am warm, friendly, kind, that I love to learn and laugh.
They would say I connect dots - I am good at seeing connections and patterns.
They would say I am thoughtful, analytical, and philosophical.

PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS:
- WHEN YOU STAY WITH ME PLEASE BE SURE YOU HAVE A CLOTH/REUSABLE BAG FOR SHOPPING. LET US REDUCE THE USE OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS.
- ALSO, PLEASE GET A WATER FILTER, FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AS WELL AS TO REDUCE IF NOT ELIMINATE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO WASTE (such as https://grayl.com/ - I have no connection with Grayl other than as a user).
Neither of these items is heavy or takes much space. I HAVE BEEN ENVIRONMENTALLY ACTIVE SINCE I WAS FOURTEEN (many decades ago!) AND I BELIEVE EACH OF US HAS A DUTY/RESPONSIBILITY TO REDUCE WASTE, ESPECIALLY PLASTIC.

CATS!!
There are no animal services in Kurdistan so I foster cats for the Duhok Cat Rescue Team until they can find good homes for them. The result of this is there are cats/kittens in almost every room in the house, most waiting for new homes. And this means you need to be comfortable with feline companions!
ALSO, if you know anyone - friend or family - that might want to ADOPT A CAT from here, please let me know. It is fairly common for cats to be adopted and taken back to Europe by foreigners: the paperwork is fairly straightforward, just takes a few months and some money. Because Kurds are not a culture that has a tradition of having pets, I have a few adorable cats that no one here has adopted and who would love to travel to find a real family.

VISAS!!
KURDISTAN
I AM TOLD THE WEBSITE SAYS THAT THE VISA TO KURDISTAN IS FREE: THAT WAS TRUE UNTIL AUTUMN OF 2020. NOW IT COSTS BETWEEM US$70-$75 FOR 30 DAYS - AND I WAS JUST TOLD THAT NOW THE VISA IS AVAILABLE ONLINE OR AT THE BORDER BUT THEY DO NOT WANT PAYMENT IN CASH. YOU CAN RENEW YOUR KURDISH VISA TWICE FOR A TOTAL STAY OF 90 DAYS BEFORE NEEDING TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY. EACH RENEWAL COSTS THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL VISA.
IRAQ
THE VISA YOU RECEIVE ON ENTERING KURDISTAN IS NOT - I REPEAT NOT - GOOD FOR ENTERING IRAQ. TO ENTER IRAQ YOU EITHER NEED TO GET A VISA BEFORE ARRIVING IN KURDISTAN, OR YOU CAN GET A VISA ON ARRIVAL AT BAGHDAD AIRPORT (OR, I AM TOLD, IN BASRA OR ON THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF IRAQ). IN OTHER WORDS, YOU EITHER NEED A VISA FROM AN EMBASSY OUTSIDE KURDISTAN AND IRAQ OR YOU CAN GET ONE AT AN INTERNATIONAL ENTRYPOINT - AND IRAQ DOES NOT CONSIDER THE BORDER WITH KURDISTAN TO BE INTERNATIONAL. THE VISA IS ALSO US$70 (I AM TOLD) AND IS GOOD FOR 60 DAYS. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO ENTER KURDISTAN WITH AN IRAQI VISA BUT NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

VEHICLES
FOR THOSE OF YOU TRAVELLING BY BICYCLE, MOTORCYCLE, OR CAR, PLEASE NOTE THAT APPARENTLY WHEN YOU GET A VISA TO KURDISTAN AT A LAND ENTRY POINT, YOUR VISA WILL NOTE YOU ARE TRAVELLING WITH A VEHICLE. THIS CAN PREVENT YOU FROM FLYING FROM ERBIL/SILEMANI TO BAGHDAD AS KURDISTAN DOES NOT WANT YOU TO LEAVE YOUR VEHICLES IN KURDISTAN. THIS IS NOT 100% BUT HAS PREVENTED MANY TRAVELLERS FROM BOARDING THEIR FLIGHTS TO BAGHDAD - IT IS HIT AND MISS, DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFIC OFFICIAL. BE AWARE!

http://ca.linkedin.com/in/kathleenedewitt

PHILOSOPHY

Growing older is absolutely no excuse for growing up.

Idealistic realist or pragmatic idealist....

Places to go, people to meet, things to learn....

Rabble rouser and pot stirrer....

Em hemi peshmergayna - We are all peshmerga!

Have fun, learn lots, and make a difference.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Since December 2019 I have hosted close to three hundred couchsurfers from more than two dozen countries. I am able to provide a place to sleep and cook and sometimes can provide information on places in and around Duhok and other places in Kurdistan.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Stayed with two wonderful people in London - and now have had around two hundred and fifty couchsurfers stay with me!

Interests

Reading, running, hiking, walking, learning, visiting historical sites, volunteering, snowshoeing (although I have not done much lately), watching rainbows, sunrises, sunsets, auroras and cloud images, being with pets, working in the garden and smelling flowers ....

• pets
• running
• walking
• gardening
• flowers
• reading
• hiking
• snowshoeing
• historic sites

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Classical (with a special place for G&S and Renaissance/Medieval), Kurdish/Iranian/Turkish/Arabic, Rock, Metal, Rap, Latin American and African dance music, Flamenco

Books: Kim, Barchester Towers and Ayala's Angel, A Christmas Carol, My Family and Other Animals, The Wind in the Willows, Matilda, The Secret Garden, Death Comes for the Archbishop, In This House of Brede, Persuasion and Mansfield Park and Pride and Prejudice, Silas Marner, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, Aftermath: The Remnants of War, Dreams from my Father, Long Walk to Freedom, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Bright Wings: A Light-Hearted Tale of Disappointment, Destruction, Desperation and Death, Lee: The Last Years, Notes from a Small Island and The Road to Little Dribbling, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Sapiens, Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India, First Confession: A Sort of Memoir, Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Dessert with Buddha, Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter series, Narnia series, The Crowfield Curse, The Martian, A Man Called Ove (one of the funniest books I have ever read), the Mrs. Malory series, Lord of the Rings series, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series (and lots of poetry, including slam poetry - some slam is the best poetry I have heard in years)

Films: Harvey, Scrooged, Wall-e, Fantasia (I and II), Midsummer's Night Dream (1935), Invictus, Addams Family and Addams Family Values, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Bridge over the River Kwai, Singing in the Rain, Amelie, My Neighbor Totoro, Nightmare Before Christmas, Shrek, Guardians of the Galaxy (first and second), Being There, Voces Innocentes, How to Train Your Dragon, The Martian, Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2

Television: Foyle's War, Butterflies, Addams Family (1960s), The Goodies, Sherlock Holmes (with Jeremy Brett), Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You, Castle, Dr Who, Dateline London, Click, Rick Mercer Report, Murdoch, Sherlock, Death in Paradise, The Two Ronnies (the original ones), shows on history, archaeology, and science

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Seeing Machu Picchu - as wonderful as I had thought it would be since a child.
Seeing the first space shuttle take off, in person.
Finding a cache of Roman coins and Roman graffiti on a wall when I was an archaeological digger on the site of a Roman basilica in England.

Teach, Learn, Share

I worked with MSF 2015-2016 as a logistician in Kurdistan (Iraq). Very interesting - steep learning curve as I had done international development before but never aid. Was working with internally displaced people (IDPs) and Syrian Kurd refugees.

Worked in Rojava (Kurdish Syria) 2016-2017, was very rewarding and interesting. I worked in Kobani and Manbij on food distribution and cash-for-work, and in Amude and Derik on an agriculture and livelihoods project. I was not far from the battle to retake Al Raqa from DAESH, depressing how little of this big war front reached the western media.

In early 2018 returned to Kurdistan to work to support the victims of the 2014 DAESH genocide. Since then I have been teaching at the University of Duhok and privately, working to support local livelihoods, raising awareness about the environment and sustainability, and assisting in cultural preservation (history, handicrafts, etc.).

What I Can Share with Hosts

My travels, conflict resolution experience

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Bahamas, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Afghanistan, Canada, Chile, England, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Rwanda, Syrian Arab Republic, United States, Wales