Observations in Kurdistan: Mutual respect promotes progress

As a young Kurdish woman who has grown up in Germany and visited Kurdistan throughout the years, I have witnessed many things have changed, especially in Erbil. Some are obvious, such as how much the city of Erbil is growing. More coffee shops have opened, as well as more malls and shopping centers. This makes it possible for people to go out and enjoy their time with family and friends.
 
A positive change is that more and more foreign people seem to be interested in our Kurdish culture and come here either to work or for holiday. This makes it possible for our community to expand our culture, introduce our food and languages and to share our history.
 
I have observed how people, even my own family members, complain about the living conditions and economy here, and I agree with them. Living and being raised in Europe, I am used to having water and electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Coming back, I realized how blessed I am.  Although the conditions here are not perfect, I have noticed that over the years they are gradually improving. I hope to see more in the future.
 

However, people do seem to not notice other things that have changed. For instance, no one seems to be noticing that the gap between the poor and the rich is getting bigger and bigger. Either there are people that are in the upper class or people in the lower class. Where is the middle class?

 
Being raised with Kurdish values, I have respect for everyone, especially for Kurdish people. I enjoy being in Kurdistan so much, but at the same time, I sometimes get angry and sad too. Our people should be more open-minded and stop worrying about what other people think. They should live as they want — however that may be.
 
The thing I dislike the most is how people are treating our homeland. We should take care of the cities and not leave our trash everywhere. If we don’t take care of it, who will? These things may seem small but they are important to strive towards.
 
To achieve these changes without regressing, we need to ensure we are acknowledged by others. With the referendum fast approaching, I believe that being independent might help bring our country forward, but independence doesn’t automatically mean change will just happen.
 
Referendum or not, we still live here and we should take care of our cities, be more open-minded and try to be good to each other.