Thursday 26/2
It is sunny in Baghdad. Today is the end of the week. On my way back
from work, I smiled when I saw the mountains of lettuce displayed for
sale on the pavements everywhere. Today I saw big sacks of carrots,
bunches of green onions and pumpkins. All piled up on the streets.
Majid laughed, what are they doing with it? Isn't this for the
Halloween? I laughed at him and told him that the pumpkins are for the
jam. Nobody knows about Halloween here. I remembered my mom when we
were kids, she would buy pumpkins in its season and make a big pot of
jam. We would eat that jam every morning for breakfast; we would have
it with cream and butter.
*****
Assam is away on a trip. Work has become exhausting for me. I am
forced to stay longer hours at work and get home late. I spend my time
answering the customers questions about various orders. Pumps,
drinking water systems, lab equipment. It is easy to deal with orders
when the equipments is already available, but when we don't have it at
the store I have to go back to the catalogs, look up prices, submit
proposals, technical specifications, delivery time to Baghdad. All
these details cause a headache. The annoying part is that most of the
people coming into the store are unqualified in this field. The person
either owns a small money exchange store, retired from the army or
real-estate agent. They ask stupid questions and they don't always
understand the answer. This kind of work requires technical knowledge,
I wonder about what is going on. Isn't there supposed to be a file for
each person with his qualifications? Shouldn't the priority be given
to the people who are qualified to do the job? I don't know, this is a
mystery to me, I don't understand what is going on? or how are these
people getting hired?
********
The same thing happened this week on many occasions. The contractor
comes in with a specification for a water system to be used on a water
well. He wants me to give him the price of digging the water well and
supplying the equipment. Digging a water well has nothing to do with
our business and therefore I can't give him an estimate. As for the
water system, I need to first know the salinity of the water first.
The higher the salinity the higher the device costs. So he asks me to
give him an approximate price. I have to raise my voice again to tell
him that there is no such thing, each piece has a different price. So
he asks me to help him. I tell him to go back and get the
specification of the water in the well. He tells me that he can't, the
American in charge of the project doesn't like discussions. Why not? I
ask him, isn't he an engineer? No ... he is a military person. and he
doesn't like too many questions. I put my hand on my check in despair.
The military person is leading the army and the wars, I can understand
that part, but what is his business in these matters? Isn't there a
technical and specialized team to deal with rebuilding the city? or to
manage the military camps? Even in the Iraqi army, there was a
specialized engineering unit to run such projects.
*****
As for the emails that I get that comments on my writing on this
webpage, they make me very happy. I use my free time when I get back
from work to write up answers to the emails again. Sometimes this
comes at the expense of getting an afternoon nap. Off course my
responses are brief because I don't have time to write lengthy emails.
I enjoy reading the long emails that people send me, the ones that
read like novels. They are like bridges of love and trust between Iraq
and the rest of the world. Most of the emails I got this week were
positive and made me happy. I got emails from the US, Canada and
Europe. Many of them are mothers of my own age, there memories are
genuine and beautiful. They made me smile and made me feel that the
distances between us are getting shorter. It made me feel that we can
understand the perspective of each other. One letter in particular
made me happy and surprised me at the same time. A letter from an
American soldier on his way to serve in Iraq. He is about Raed's or
Khalid's age . He ask my permission to call me ma'am. He said that he
loves Iraq and that he wants to help out. That he learned from his
muslim superior how to behave well in a muslim country, how to be
respectful to other people's feelings, because he truly wants to help
out. He told me that he was against the war, but now that it happened,
he is sorry about the suffering of the Iraqi people. He wishes us
freedom, and peaceful living. I sent him a reply. I thanked him and
asked him to call me when he gets to Baghdad without hesitation,
especially of he needs any help. He replied by saying that it would be
against army regulation for him to call me.
******
Another email from an American, he sent me excerpts from Hamorabi's
law. This is the oldest law in human civilization. His email was very
respectful towards other nations especially the Iraqi nation. He says
that the American people love peace but the governments don't think
except about the type of peace that is in accordance with their self
interest.
******
I have a hidden feeling of happiness. The Iraqi and American nations,
each are thinking about the other. What does the other side want? What
is their perspective? All these Iraqi websites, that have people from
different perspectives writing, they are a miniature representation of
our society. And the emails we get are a miniature representation of
the society over there. These all bridges that help us build ties of
trust and respect between the two nations. Some of the emails are from
snobby Americans that are hostile in nature, but these are a small
percentage. I usually simply delete those right after I read them and
I smile, I don't care about that point of view, because it is limited
in its capacity to think. It is like the stupidity of Bin Laden and
his narrow explanation of relations to others. When the issue of Iraqi
occupation because a point of contention among the American people as
they are about to enter presidential elections, this is a positive
thing. We have a saying, sometimes what hurts you benefits you. This
occupation has been a disaster that has descended on all of us. But I
am sure that is has made the American public re-evaluate things again.
It made people think about the meaning of a military presence here.
The usefulness of them staying here. They are becoming convinced that
Iraq is not a threat to them. Maybe they will start thinking that Iraq
needs their help and support to build a new country that is suitable
to its people, religion and its values. The mucking of a foreign hand
will ruin and distort our values and our religion, intentionally or
unintentionally. The American people should pressure its current and
upcoming government to execute on the reconstruction of Iraq plans in
a truthful and transparent manner. Exactly like they are doing in
America, with all the American accomplishments, subject to accounting
and questioning. While Iraq is in a state of chaos, there is no room
for accounting and questioning. The responsibly will stay hanging in
the neck of the occupation forces. I hope that they appreciate this
situation and treat it in a serious and just manner. If this doesn't
happen then it will reflect badly on the Americans.
********
Yesterday, I had to go to work in the evening at the store. I returned
home at eight in the evening. I rarely am late like this. I turned the
security locking system on in my car, to guarantee that nobody could
open the door from the outside. I was very nervous and I wanted to get
home as quickly as possible. At the beginning of the street leading to
our house an American check point. Mmmmm! is there a problem? I am
going to be late, I told myself complaining. So I waited for my turn.
The American soldier came and direct the light at me, the street was
dark, I opened the window, he said a searching station, to the other
street, he pointed with his hand, I told him that my house is on this
street, if I went to the other street I will be far away, I don't want
to be late, search my car here, he said very angrily, No! go there. I
said, but I am a woman, I don't want to be late, Don't you care? He
said that it doesn't matter to him, I raised my voice and said, my
darling, you should care, I turned left and I felt angry. I had to
wait my turn again. Then I found the same soldier coming towards my
car again with the light in his hands. He said in faint voice, I hope
you are not annoyed. I told him that I was annoyed. He told me he was
sorry, but that he was following the instructions. I smiled and felt
sorry for him. I wondered what stupid person brought this poor guy
over here and made him face me face to face. He is afraid if me and I
am afraid of him. He is suspicious of me and I am suspicious of him.
When I got the searching point. There was an Iraqi person accompanying
several American soldiers. He smiled and apologized and asked me to
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