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Bowled over in Kurdistan region
11.12.2007
Letter from Sulaimaniyah bowled over in Kurdistan
region
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In Sulaimaniyah, Kurdish teens give bowling a try at
the first bowling center in Iraq’s rapidly
modernizing Kurdistan region.
December
11, 2007
Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan region (Iraq), -- The
sun was setting, the car had overheated, and the
long road to Erbil stretched before us. What was a
girl to do when stranded outside Sulaimaniyah, Iraq?
As we slunk back toward the city to wait for another
ride, and I suddenly saw the pins etched in neon in
front of me, the answer became abundantly clear: Go
bowling.
Our spirits were low as we dragged our bags into the
brightly lit hall and plunked ourselves down at a
table next to a group of Kurdish teenagers nursing
mugs of beer. They glanced at us with curiosity,www.ekurd.net
tinged with pity, as I
unpacked my computer and satellite phone, plugged in
a complicated series of adapters, and settled down
to write. But it was not to be.
The persistently cheerful cries of the bowlers near
us, almost drowning out Justin Timberlake’s
“SexyBack” and J. Geils Band’s “Centerfold,”
compelled us to join in the fun.
“OK then,” said Felah, my 26-year-old translator,
downing his glass of milk and placing it on the
table with a flourish. He stood up with a macho
display of American-style competitiveness. “This is
my first time, but I will beat you.”
The Chilchra Bowling Center, the first of its kind
in the Kurdistan region, opened six months ago. With
fifteen lanes and a sophisticated, computerized
scoring system, the place was jampacked at 8 on a
Monday night with a mix of teenagers and
families.
The relatively safe semiautonomous Kurdistan region
of 'northern Iraq' is modernizing at a rapid clip,
with two international airports, luxury hotels and
even a go-kart track opened by a Kurdish-American
businessman.
The bowling alley is one of the latest Western
entertainment options to open in the region.
We paid a guy at a counter and gave him our names,
and were issued shoes and led to a lane near the
end, where the women and families were congregated.
The computer was already programmed with our names,www.ekurd.net
Bay and Felah, and we
started to bowl. Very quickly it was established
that although I hailed from a bowling culture, my
skills were far inferior to that of the Kurd who had
just picked up a bowling ball for the first time in
his life. |
A bowling alley in Sulaimaniyah,
Kurdistan, is a symbol of what the Kurdish
government's advertising campaign, geared toward
foreign investors, calls the other Iraq.
Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan. Kurdish teens enjoying a
recently opened bowling alley in Sulaimaniyah. The
three story entertainment
complex houses bowling, an arcade and a food court
and is one of many investments by Kurds returning to
their homeland from abroad. Although many Kurds
would prefer to formally secede from Iraq, the
region has enjoyed de facto autonomy since 1991, so
most teenagers cannot recall a time when Kurdistan
was ruled from Baghdad. |
Four sisters in the lane
next to ours—Asraa, 19; Thiba, 17; Saja, 9; and Lina,
8—chattered noisily, and the youngest tugged at my
shirt to demonstrate the proper bowling technique.
Thiba, wearing jeans and a sparkly T-shirt, declared
modestly that she was the best of the four.
They had been bowling for four months, ever since
moving from Baghdad. While the price for each game —
5,000 Kurdish dinars, or about $4 per person—was a
bit steep, they thought it was worth it.
“I like the control,” said Thiba, explaining the
attraction of bowling. “I want to win always.”
The two youngest girls were taking lessons from
Asmar Ahmad Sharifi, whose official title is
“assessment manager” for the bowling alley. He used
to be an electrical engineer but decided to switch
careers when the Bowling Center opened.
“This is much more fun,” he said, immediately trying
to recruit us for the bowling championship, due to
begin in 4 days.
“Kurdistan television will come, and the champion
will win a trophy and a new mobile phone!” he said.
Hajji Aso Abbas, a bald 48-year-old with thick
eyebrows, chugged a beer with his friends, waiting
for his turn. A financial officer for a company that
sold mobile phones, he visited the bowling alley
four to five times a week.
Though he had bowled in the past, when he lived in
Baghdad seven years ago,www.ekurd.net
he said the lanes there
were not nearly as modern, with outdated equipment
and no computers. Since this center opened, he said
he had become an addict, looking for bowling alleys
whenever he traveled overseas for work.
After a few lopsided games, Felah received a call
telling us the car was ready, and reluctantly we
packed up and walked out into the parking lot, which
had become even more crowded with Monday night
revelers.
“That was fun,” he declared. “Next, though, I want a
roller rink!”
Tribune diplomatic correspondent Bay Fang was in the
Kurdistan region recently on assignment.
‘Kurdistan television will come, and the champion
will win a trophy and a new mobile phone!’
-- Asmar Ahmad Sharifi, ‘assessment manager’ of Sulaimaniyah’s Chilchra
Bowling Center, gushing about an upcoming bowling
tournament
chicagotribune com
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