Being American

Cuz Jeff since my internet connection won't let me respond to your question in a reply comment here it is as a post...

Being American here doesn't seem to be a problem. We obviously stand out and some people will ask where you're from and when you respond America, they respond with welcome. The catch is that they then often see you as a dollar sign and try to start giving you a business card and talk about how they give tours, etc. It become frustrating to be American here, because you pay different prices for everything. There is an Egyptian price and then a foreigner price. If you know what you're doing and know how much things should cost, the foreign price is usually only 1 or 2 pounds more (about 20-40 cents). Being American in Kurdistan can't compare to anywhere else in this region except maybe Israel. The Kurds love Americans because we freed them from Saddam.