This is my best Iraqi English student. I'm helping them study English because they are refugees who left Iraq and have been here for a year. Now they are safe but being a refugee is no life. They are not allowed to work, or go to school, they do not get to chose where they will live. They just spend their time waiting. So as they wait I spend time with one family and get to know them and share what I can with them.

This is the brave kid that was a baby in the first photo that was uploaded.

For the remembrance of the birth of Islam's Prophet Mohamed, neighbourhoods all over my Island have had festivities. This is a hair cutting ceremony at the mosque in front of my house.

What happens when you put money at the top of a greased poll?

This is Papuk or Baluk, which means grandmother or great grand mother.

85% of the people here are Muslim but about 10% are Hindu. At the end of this month there will be the Hindu New year. On New Year's eve they will have carry monsters through the streets to scare away spirits. Then on New year's day there should be complete silence so that the spirits will not know anyone is home. My neighbourhood is Muslim so for the most part life will go on as normal for us that day but I can will not be aloud to visit my friends that live in Hindu neighborhoods because travel, work, noise of any kind, turning on lights, and leaving your house are all forbidden.

The majarity of the people on this Island are Muslim, near 85% or 2.6 million people. This is a modle of the mosque I live next to and my neghbours praying together in the mall parking lot at the end of the fasting month. The women are in the back all waring white and the men are in frount of them.

This is my "little sister" and "niece." The little girl is my buddy most of the time. As much as a two year old can get along with somebody, anyway.

When I take her for walks to see what's going on in our street no one can ever figure out who's kid she is. Sometimes they think she's mine.

I take her to see the houses that pull the horse carts. There are always carts parked at the end of the street to give people a lift home from the mall. And my little buddy "talks" to them when the horses "talk" to her. They wave their heads at each other to say "hello."

These are my two smallest Iraqi friends. The older one will turn three in April. The little one turned one a few months ago. I have the learned the Arabic words for "Give me" and "That's mine" from the older one.

This is an American friend who lives here too. This beach is on the other side of the island from where I live. The watter really is this blue, if not more so. And the sad looks like bird sead.

Sorry I'm new at this and have a bad Internet connection most of the time. I'm having a hard time getting the photos and words to go together. :o)

But I want you to see the faces of some of my sweet friends.

Like I said, neghbours, friends, and family. This was taken at the end of the fasting month, on Idul Fitri.

I live on and Island in the South Pacific. Some people say it's an island paradise and it is in many ways. But I love this island for the people who have become my neighbours, friends, and family.
When I moved to this island, nearly a year ago in April 2008, I met this baby. She now walking and talking up a storm. She not afraid of anything and she loves to tell funny stories even when no one else understands what she's talking about.