Excellent Eid (part 1)

On Saturday 15/12 we went to Baghdad , we heard from people that the road now is better and safer .
We left mosul at 8:00 am and arrived Baghdad at 6:05 pm!!!!!!!!!! Can you imagine the delay?!! We usually reach Baghdad in 3 hours and half, or 4 hours if we stop in the restaurant !!! but because of the so many troops we reached Baghdad after 10 house! Thank god we didn’t sleep in the street, when the US vehicles drive we have to stop aside, or drive 100 meters away, slowly with the lights on, if we drive nearby they point with lazer on our car or shoot !..
We were about 5 minutes away from Baiji when someone’s car stopped working so our driver spent an hour trying to fix it, but he couldn’t, in that car there were 3 guys and a girl in the first year of collage, the girl came with us, first she was shy and didn’t say a word, but we invited her to have lunch with us, and I introduced myself, we soon became friends, and spent the time talking and joking. . she’s studying mechanical engineering in mosul ..
We had our breakfast, lunch , and even dinner in the car, we drove in unpaved roads for long time, my sister was feeling nausea, and my brother started to cry, I gave him my cell phone ,he spent some time playing games.. my dad was extremely angry, dust was in everywhere, and the dark fall ..
When we arrived Baghdad, I could barely walk !! because of the small space and long time sitting , we had supper my grandma made her famous chicken and red rice (it is like a tradition in my family, when we go to Baghdad our first lunch should be chicken and red rice with soup and salad, and when we come to mosul my grandma make delicious okra and rice)
At 10 am I went to bed, the weather in Baghdad is cool, I didn’t freeze at night, and they also can close the windows because they don’t have explosions. .
On Sunday we went to nearby shops, in the evening my mom’s aunt and uncle came with their families, I spent Monday and Tuesday cleaning and organizing the house, & preparing the house for Eid, because grandma had pain in her back and couldn’t do the housework, we also made tons of klecha (Iraqi dessert), we gave a lot of Klecha for our friends and neighbors as well, on Monday our neighbor brought Biriani (Iraqi dish has rice, currants, almond, onion, meat, potatoes, and other stuff ), she always make Biriani for us when we go to Baghdad.. what a lovely woman, everyday in the morning she kindle candles, and spend an hour praying for god to protect her children and protect us .. and in such dangerous times she used to go to church and pray for my mom when she was sick..
The First day of Eid was on Wednesday, we had a family meeting in our eldest uncle’s house, we were only 21 people !!! the other relatives left Iraq, or left Baghdad, so we spent the first hour talking to them by phone .. after that we talked about different things (not policy, thank god), and we had really good time, after we had lunch and delicious Iraqi tea with Klecha, we went to my mom aunt’s house, to pass on good wishes to her husband because he couldn’t attend the family meeting (he was sick), at 6:30 we came home, then an Armenian neighbors visited us ..

One of the things that made me happy, is the streets in Baghdad were clean, and in the road junctions there were beautiful gardens with roses and some of them had fountains..
it’s strange, how people in Baghdad slept on one day feeling afraid from the unknown future, and had no idea what’s happening, then in the next day suddenly the killing stopped, the situation calmed down, and the sun shone after long time of darkness, no one knows how nor why .. is it a Truce? or it is a bargain?!!!.
Many shops were destroyed , we saw the shop owners cleaning their shops and fixing them. I felt happy to see how they were re-building their shops and I am looking for the day we’ll re-build Iraq.
In the second day we had lunch in my grandma aunt’s house (yes she’s alive, but really old woman), her grandson has a tortoise, it was the first time I see a tortoise and hold it, I had really good time there. And in that evening we had dinner in my mom uncle’s house, we spent a lovely evening, the last time I saw my mom’s cousin was when she gave birth her son and now he’s 2 years old!! We came home at 9:30 pm ..
In the third day we didn’t go out, but we received guests , our neighbors came to congratulate us, they are very kind and good Shiites neighbors ,the Father “A” is an engineer, the conversation interested me a lot, “A” talked about how silly is the differences between the first day of Eid for Sunnis and Shiites (for the Sunnis the first day was on Wednesday, for he Shiites who follow al Sadir the first day was on Thursday, and for the Shiites who follow al Sestani the first day of Eid was on Friday), it’s wrong and ridiculous , because it depends on the moon, everyone knows the first day should be on Wednesday, “A” said “ the religion should gather us, not separate us, if the religion separate it’s people, then I don’t want to belong to any, but I am sure this thing is made by the government , they want to see the Iraqis separated, but anyway it’s not going to happen” I loved what he said and wrote it at once.. well I celebrated Eid for 8 days, with the Sunnis, Shiites , and Christians.
Later at that day our friends visited us as well as my mom’s uncle , they stayed for dinner , I spent the best time ever, but I had to wash a lot of dishes..

To be continued ….
Sunshine

NOTE: I have a lot to talk about , and I also have some pics .. so keep waiting and I’ll write whenever I have time ..

I am in Baghdad...

I am in Baghdad, wow.

I'll write a post as soon as i can ...

Sunshine

Enjoy the pic....

I found this pic in a website, it's really funny ..
I didn't have time to write a long post about my diary, i am so busy with my school, and my book ..
I'll try to write whenever i have time ..

Sunshine ..

P.S the situation got better in few neighborhood in mosul, but it is still really bad in mine, and many others, today there was a small fight near my school, and we bowed over our desks to avoid the bullets, however it didn't last for long time..

The acclimatization we have is unbelievable !!!..

Hello friends, I didn’t write for long time, the computer didn’t work and it took me a lot of time to fix it .. as well as I was really busy with my exams, and homework, you know most of our teachers don’t explain the lesson well, & I have to depend on myself, and study really hard.
My mom was really sick, and I was also busy cleaning and organizing the house, thank god she’s feeling better now..

In this month a lot for things happened, and I have a lot to talk about, I have good news as well (YES GOOD NEWS).
The situation in Baghdad is much better than before, my grandparents were able to visit our relatives in a far away neighborhood, the municipality’s cars came and cleaned my grandparents’ neighborhood, they removed tons of dirt, they also put flowers and grass!!! That’s great , although it is still not perfect in many neighborhoods there ..
There is a huge improvement in the situation in Ramadi.
The situation in mosul is HORRIBLE, now it is the most dangerous city in Iraq, (4 explosions happened while I am writing this post) !!! and yesterday I saw two police cars completely burned ..
Let’s start from my news 4 weeks ago, till today ..
Week No. 1
On Saturday, there was a lot of shooting, and I had to study for my biology exam in the corridor near the stairs! (I did really good btw, and took one of the highest marks in the class).
Two days later, I was studying mathematics when a mine exploded, my room was full of dust and I ran to avoid the bullets, a big shrapnel fell in our garden (it’s size is twice the palm’s), it could kill any one, a window was broken, at that time my grandpa and dad were fixing the windows and handles because of a previous explosion happened in the morning. After the explosion there was heavy shooting, 30 minutes later i went to my room, to study for my math exam, after about 5 minutes I heard sound of shouting coming from my neighbor’s house, I said “ oh no, someone was injured” I ran and looked from the window and saw national guards in my neighbor’s garden kicking their doors to enter their house, they were nervous (no doubt after what happened to them). The neighborhood was inspected and MANY men were arrested, they are innocent neighbors, and have been living in this neighborhood for 30 or 40 years .. beside their houses has been damaged because all of these explosions ..
many mines were put in the street in front of our house and I had to change my way to school to another longer one to avoid them. I seriously thought of moving to another school but then I changed my mind and decided to stay..
Week No. 2
I had a lot of exams, and a lot of homework, and had to stay up late to study (alone in my room which’s far from my parents’ room, we didn’t have electricity, and I used the rechargeable torches, and my headlight, very romantic)..
Our biology teacher examined us a monthly exam without telling us, she simply forgot to declare!!!, She came to the class, stood for awhile and forgot what she wanted to say, many girls took 60% or 70% but luckily I took 89% !! my mistake was in the Latin terminologies .. (the other schools don’t study them but we have to do so) .
Snipers settled my neighbor’s house which is directly behind our house, and face my room ... I went back to sleep in my sister’s room, she’s nice and allowed me to stay, but she complains every night about that, I know she doesn’t like to share a room with a teenager .. but you know what, the mines became much less than before, the sniper killed a terrorist behind the house while he was implanting a mine.. after a week the sniper left, and the situation became worse, and mines were put everywhere in the neighborhood ..
On Thursday I was invited to a FAAAAAR relative’s birthday, I talk to her on phone but I’d never seen her, she lives 2 streets away (verrrrry close),
As my school is very far, I reached home late, the party starts at 2 pm !!! and I reached at 2:15 pm, after my sister and I got ready we reached the party , but it was over!!!!!!!! We had lunch there, then took pics in the garden, while we were doing that, the police came, and arrested allllllllllllllllll the guys who were in the street walking, or shopping or even riding their bicycles !! the girls stood near the fence watching, but I went inside the house, it wasn’t wise to stay out as the policemen might be attacked ..
On Saturday we were invited to a relative’s engagement party, we spent a long time in the car trying to find an open road leads to his house! I had a great time, Yahya (the groom) is a very dear person to my heart and I admire him a lot, His fiancée lives 3 houses away !!! so when all the relatives reached his house, we went walking cheering, and throwing candies in the air till we reached, it was a great party ..
Yahya’s wedding will be on 6/12 .. I can’t wait ..
Week No. 3
It was Tuesday night, when suddenly I had sense of optimism, I don’t know why!!! But I felt that the situation will get better!! in that day grandma phoned and said the situation is much better in Baghdad. And kept talking about the improvements, I just felt that it’ll happen to us in mosul too, because the capital of Iraq is witnessing progress.
On Wednesday morning, in my way to school, my friends were studying, but I was thinking of the old restaurants we used to go to in Baghdad, I spent the most beautiful days there, I miss those days a lot, and I was thinking of the situation in mosul in general, from where the re-building will start.
The governor promised by next January there will be no more car bombs, and the police manager and a leader of one of the national Iraqi troops promised to defeat all the terrorists (he’s a great man, I’ve seen most of his speeches and I support him a lot.
In our way back home, after school, the girls and I started discussing matters about the party we were planning to have on the next day at school, what food to bring and what to wear, and in my way home I was talking with my friend who’s 2 years younger than me about the party, music, etc .. it was 2:00 pm I was tired BUT extremely happy, the driver suddenly asked us not to look at the right side, before he finish his sentence I saw murdered man thrown in the middle of the street, with A lot of blood round him..
I came home with my face red and trying to hold my tears.. in the next day I was feeling better, and I got through that.. the party was good, but many girl couldn’t attend ..

Week No. 4
I went to al jameay street, my favorite place in mosul, and for the first time it was kind of crowded, it brought back good memories, about al Rubaee street in Baghdad , my favorite part there.. were there were a lot of shops, restaurants, and nice children city named “ Al Rayhana” .. I do have hope that those days will come back..
On Saturday we went to the market, we were shopping when a police car was attacked in front of the shop and shooting started, people were running to hide in a safe place, after awhile everything calmed down, and everyone started to do shopping again, just like nothing happened.. the acclimatization we have is unbelievable !!!..
On Wednesday I was sick and couldn’t go to school, I had to postponed the French exam to Sunday..
Oh, the most important thing I want to tell you about is, two days ago, there was on TV the leader of one of the national Iraqi troops in mosul , he caught many terrorists , he took them to different places in mosul and he asked the people to gather in one place to talk to them, the terrorists stood in a line, and he started to investigate with them in the street so that everyone knows about the horrible things they’ve done, he kept shouting at them and insulting them!!, then he walked in the street pushing them and letting every citizen see those terrorists who killed tens if not hundreds of people.
As they say the darkest part of the night comes just before sunrise, and now we reached the darkest point as I believe..
Sunshine..

Btw, I’ll reply your E-mails as soon as I have time, I have TENS on E-mails need to be replied ..

Help Mustafa..

This week our teachers gave us a lot of homework, because our academic year started late, it was postponed for a month because of the bad situation, so our teachers are giving us a lot of homework to finish our books early, we don't know whether we'll have a long curfew or if we won't be able to go to school for long time, no one knows what can happen..
We'll have biology exam on Sunday (wish me luck)..
This year, I am enjoying studying chemistry, our teacher is really good, and kind, my other favorite subjects are English and mathematics.
Our French teacher doesn't explain well AT ALL, I don’t even know which subject are we studying now!!!! she teaches us orally only!! and gave us THREE dialogs in one day, can you imagine that? We usually take a dialog every three or four days.. I am sure my marks in French won't be good, this week I am going to do my homework and re-study the first chapter of physics, I want to take high marks (as usual), and I'll also study some of the subjects we took in French last year, so that I remember them.
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The situation in Mosul is getting worse, this week I heard about so many murders, for people I know or people I heard about..
The strange thing which's happening now is, the terrorists kill the target with his relatives too, like his father, brothers, brothers-in-law, and nephews !!!
And the other strange thing, when someone take an injured person to the hospital the policemen arrest him!! because he may be involved and question them, my friend saw a man full of blood, he was injured in the head and chest dragging himself and no one helped him.
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Last night, I stayed awake, I am suffering from insomnia, there are a lot of things I think about, and most of the days I don't sleep immediately I spend an hour or two laying till I sleep, I walked towards the window and was watching the neighborhood, it was dark (the electricity was off), empty, and scary, like a ghost city, and I started to remember how crowded my neighborhood and it's street were, I am glad I didn’t forget that, anyway I came back to my bed and there was sound of far shelling, after an hour or two, mortars erupted from the neighborhood , and we heard 3 near by explosions..
I went to school hoping I won't fall asleep during the class, as soon as I reached school my friend asked me if we left our house or not, because the terrorists said they are going to bomb the police station (not the one few houses away, there is another police station about 3 streets away), I called my parents, and my relatives who live nearby and asked them to leave the neighborhood, I was really worried about them, the headmistress didn't allow me to keep my cell phone with me, although all of my friends do !! I called my mom again from the school's telephone, there was a VIP in our school at that day, he's very big headed and carry his samsonite whenever he goes! I was asking my mom if they'll leave the house, and he was signing with his hand asking me to hurry up, I didn't give him attention, then he said " hurry up, end your call, and go" oh I really wanted to give him a blow with my fist ..
I called my mom few times, and until now the terrorists didn't bomb the station..
In one of the neighborhoods the terrorists said they'll bomb the police station there, many families left their houses for several days, but then they returned back, they can’t wait forever, after 6 months of waiting the terrorists bombed it..
In my way home today, the street was crowded because of a check point, a meter or maybe less there was a soldier from the national guards standing, suddenly we heard two gun-fire shots, it was a sniper, thank god the bullets hit the ground, the soldier fell, he was really afraid that he didn’t even know how to catch his weapon!! It was scary.
Few days ago, we were in our way to our neighbor's house then a loud nearby explosion happened (it was a mine), my mom bro and I hid near a tree, my other family members were at house and they went out running to see if we are fine, then heavy shooting started and we came home running.
The armed men activities are increasing, they made many signposts saying they'll continue doing their duty..
Let's hope the government will notice and help Mosul, we'll be worse than Baghdad if no one help us..
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You remember the young man Mustafa I talked about in my last post, I tried to find an organization can help him but I couldn't, you know the hospitals here are in very bad condition, & very dirty … I keep thinking about him all the time, I hope no one will be in his situation, and no mom will have to worry like Mustafa's mom..
Here's his story:
Few days before Eid, Mustafa's sisters came to help their mom preparing klecha (an Iraqi dessert we make in Eid), their neighbors noticed Mustafa's young niece and asked him to bring her to their house, she is adorable and they love to play with her, so he took the baby to the neighbor's house and came home, his friends across the street waved at him saying hi, and they were talking when the mortar fell and exploded, his sister came out quickly and saw her brother injured badly, she carried him with his entrails out, drove the car and went to the emergency room, it took them more than an hour to reach. Here's his medical report if you can help leave me a comment, or E-mail me on livesstrong92@yahoo.com or Livesstrong92@gmail.com
you can E-mail my mom
affectionatemammy@yahoo.com
Medical report
Name : Mustafa
Age : 15 years old
Date of admission 4/10/2007

This patient had injuries to the chest and abdomen leading to injuries to lungs and liver laparotomy done and we found liver lacerated in 3 pieces suturing to liver done haemo stasis. Diaphragm also injured in 3 areas, suturing of diaphragm done and tube drain put in side abdomen. Chest tube put inside the chest. Then his condition deteriorated in bile drained to the chest and bile appear in sputum.
Thoracotomy done, cleaning of thoracic cavity putting another chest tube and drain through the diaphragm, over the liver through the abdominal wall exit, now drain in abdomen discharge about 250 ml. of bile and chest tube is working.

we also have many other pics for him in the hospital.

Sunshine ...

This post was written on 25/10/2007

This Eid.....

My grandparents who live in Baghdad arrived Mosul two days before Eid, after they spent 8 hours driving in unpaved road, their trip was very tiring, and they reached our house exhausted and dusty.
My grandma talked a lot about the situation in Baghdad and she told us many horrible stories made me kind of lose hope to have peaceful life!
The days before Eid were very violent, many explosions happened in Mosul, and many houses were damaged. I kept praying nothing bad will happen and we'll be able to celebrate Eid ..
On the first day of Eid, I woke up early and congratulated my family members, then we wore our new clothes, got ready to go out, & opened all the windows, before we go out an explosion happened with no damages, thank god. it was loud I thought it was in the neighborhood, but it was few neighborhoods away, we stayed in the corridor for awhile in case there is another car bomb or mine, but after half hour I insisted to go, it took us about an hour to reach our relatives house because of the closed roads.
We reached my dad uncle's house, all of his children, grandchildren, and even grandchildren's kids attended!!! then at 12:15 my other dad's uncle arrived with the family (they spent a lot of time stuck in the road because a mine exploded). Anyway there was a lot of noise and everyone was talking, the kids played in the garden, and the teenagers and adults were in the guest room, my dad's uncle is very nice man and always joke (I wrote about him once, he was threatened by terrorists and had to take his kids and hide in a safe place for awhile), he had very hilarious videos in his cell phone and he added fun to our meeting.
At about 1:30 pm the lunch was ready, my dad uncle's wife made delicious Iraqi dishes, there was Dolma, Biryani, Bamya, Kabab, chicken, pickles , and salad, my other dad's uncle invited us to have lunch in their house in the third day of Eid..

The lunch was awesome. Then after lunch the subjects we were talking about turned to be about the iraqi situation and horrifying stories, I couldn't sleep well at night and had many nightmares about people burning alive ..
In the next day of Eid, I woke up with bad mood (of course after the night I spent!) at 11:30 in the morning we visited Najma's house, and I spent really nice time, Najma's aunt was there as well as other relatives, I didn't see Najma and HNK for long time and I was really happy to see them again, I missed them a lot. After two hours we came back home.
In the third day of Eid we had another family meeting in my other dad uncle's house which is nearby, I spent a nice time there (they didn't speak about politics)
The lunch was also delicious, we ate the most yummy Uruk, chicken, rice and Bamya, Lahim Biageen, pickles& salad. my brother Yoyo..

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This Eid no one knocked our door, everyone we know feel afraid from coming to our neighborhood, because it is very dangerous, and scary. We didn't visit many families, even the close relatives, Eid lost it's spirit, and never like before.
I went to school on Wednesday, the teachers who'll teach us this year seems to be nice except the Arabic teacher and the French teacher they look really rigorous.
yesterday I spent an hour and 20 minutes in my way home, the bridges were VERY crowded, and the roads were closed, as soon as I reached home my mom told me about our friend's brother who is 15 years old, he was in the house when a mortar fell and exploded causing huge damages in his body, and very bad injuries, the chops ruptured his lungs, liver , spleen , diaphragm, & chest, he is in the hospital, and had 3 surgeries, the doctors didn't come to check him in Eid!! Can you believe that? And today his doctor came and said "oh god, your son is very spoiled and demanding!!!!!!!
they opened his chest from 3 different places!!, he's in a bad condition and suffering, may god help him, please pray for this young man. Adding to this family's tragedy, they were forced to leave their house, because the terrorists will bomb the neighborhood..
I have really bad headache..
Sunshine..

Chaotic life ....

Few days ago, my grandma's nephew came and went with grandma to a friend's house which is in our neighborhood, because my relative want to propose to their daughter, they were driving in the street when HEAVY shooting started. I don't know what happened or who was shooting whom?! we heard shooting then explosion, it was very much near by.
After the shooting stopped grandma came home with pallid face.
We were planning to have Kabab on al Futur with Noom Basra juice, I asked her if I can help with preparing kabab and grandma agreed. It seemed like a normal day. My mom and I cleaned the house (Eid is coming, and we started to prepare the house to receive guests), the house looked very organized and clean.
I was thinking about Eid, my new clothes, & klecha (an Iraqi dessert we make in Eid), I want to make Klecha this Eid, because I want to see the Iraqi spirit of Eid, I love when the neighbors and relatives exchange klecha. it is very nice when grandma put the dishes on the table and say "this one is from your uncle A, and this one is from our neighbor…. "
In the afternoon my dad was watching news, my sister was in my grandparent's bedroom watching cartoon, my mom, brother, & grandparents were asleep, and as usual I was working on the computer, checking Iraq the Model's blog!! And Last of Iraqis.
BOOM, the window near the computer was broken as well as many other windows, smoke and dust filled the room, my dad and I went to see if everybody is ok.
My mom and brother were ok, but I heard my sister screaming and yelling, I ran downstairs and she was hugging my grandpa crying.. she got panicked but not injured.
Mariam was sitting on a chair near the window watching TV. When a big window fell on her and broke, there is not any scratch in her body which is a miracle.
she hugged me shaking and terrified, I cleaned a small space from the glass and asked her to sit down and relax while I bring her slipper.
I took pics for the house, my dad and grandma were checking the damages that occurred to our house ..
I didn't remember where was I, when a HUGE explosion happened (I lost my memory!!!!), maybe I forgot from the shock .. I remembered after 4 days, I was in my grandparents room when the second explosion happened, the sound was unbelievable, earsplitting, I felt like there was also a quake.
Mariam started to cry and scream again, I was trying to reach the living room, I couldn't see anything because of the sand and smoke, I kept sneezing and coughing (I have asthma and allergy).
I carried my 10 years old sister who was unable to walk, and ran to the corridor to hide from the horrendous shooting and avoid the bullets.
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The terrorists bombed a car few meters away from the house, then
After 5 minutes, a tank and 2 car bombs exploded, destroying the neighborhood, killing and injuring many innocents..
My injured neighbors went walking to the hospital which is about 2 kilometers away, because of the closed roads.
Helicopters kept flying, the neighborhood was surrounded, then an ambulance came and took the other injured neighbors who can't walk, 3 houses fall, killing their families, the damage in the neighborhood is unbelievable, I don't know exactly how many died but a doctor in the hospital said about 60 citizen injured as a first statistic. (no channel mentioned that).
We fixed the windows and doors, thank god we are all safe, the material things are not important, but it hurts me when I see my house damaged, and my family members exhausted.
we fixed our doors and windows a month ago! We can't fix the house every month! The situation is unbearable, I heard in TV. That our city is the second dangerous city in Iraq, after Baghdad.
At that day I was really tired and sick ,I had bad flu, after I inhaled the dust and smoke I could hardly take a breath.
At 6:30 pm grandma said "we have nothing to eat! I didn't prepare anything" so quickly I made very simple food (eggs and meat).
My mom was tired, fasting and cleaning, suddenly she fainted (hypoglycemia I think).
I am so thankful we are alive, god is protecting us because of our prayers, your prayers and our good deeds ..

my sister mariam

Th terrorists are like cancer everyday they increase in size and yet no one can vanquish them. they kill innocents in the name of a sect or religion while they don't belong to any. they are only pretenders who don't have ethics, believes, nor humanity .
they try to disperse us, and make us live in fear & danger, they want us to be hopeless, everyday many explosions happen, many innocents get killed and many Iraqis get kidnapped, there are more than 5 millions orphans in Iraq, and so many widows, my friend and I counted 12 car bombs in 48 hours, in one of the sides of the city, we didn't count the mines, nor how many times we heard shooting (they are so many to number).
Many times I say the terrorists won't succeed, evil don't win, but I sometimes feel they are achieving their goal. Two days ago a car bomb exploded near the gate of the university in Mousl, students and professors were killed for no reason, what was their guilt? Those young men and young women lost their lives, and no one care, the government don't care about our safety.
I am 15 years old, and if I was a president I could do so much more.
My mom's aunt live in the most dangerous part in Baghdad, she said " when the militias threaten the Sunnis, we hide in our Shiites neighbors' houses, and when the militias threaten the Shiites they come and hide in our houses"

Eid is coming, and I don't feel happy nor excited...
Eid Sa'ed to everyone.
Eid Mubarak to all of the Iraqis, may peace come to Iraq soon..
Sunshine

Ramadan and it's spirit ..

Ramadan the merciful month for all the Muslims started a week ago , I was hoping it'll bring us peace, but It didn't ..
Yesterday, I was writing and waiting for a mine behind my house to explode! My brother stayed in my lap and kept asking "will the windows break like last time?"
Seriously, they made "progress" !!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, in Ramadan there are so many nice series, I watch some if we have electricity, I feel a little bit hungry during the day, but the hardest time is the last 5 minutes before sunset..
I like the spirit of Ramadan, the delicious Iraqi desserts, and meals, grandma make excellent Noom Basra juice (Basra's lemon), I love it ..

this is the Noom Basra.
Mama awake us for al suhoor at 4 am, to eat a meal before the morning prayer (at 5:30 am) after I eat al Suhoor I go back to sleep, but my parents stay awake for about an hour reading the holy Quran and praying the morning prayer. Everyone's prayer is for Iraq.
I wake up at 10 am, I spend my day working on computer, and watch particular shows, because my mom don't like to see me spending the whole time watching TV. (I don't like that either).
At 7:30 pm we have al Futoor, when the sun start to set . . Adas soup (lentils soup), juice should be on the table every day in Ramadan, as well as other different kinds of dishes..

When Ramadan ends we'll have Eid (feast), in Eid we wear new clothes, and visit our relatives and friends, we usually have big family meeting in the grandparents' house, or eldest uncle's house in the first day. It is a tradition here.. and I love it a lot..
The spirit of Ramadan and Eid is absent, since 3 years, because of the circumstances and the bad events that happens to every family in Iraq.
We are expecting a curfew in the coming days as things began to be out of the government hands, we expect it to last for a long time .
If we'll have curfew, we'll go to my dad uncle's house, like what happened in Eid 3 years ago.. their house is safer than ours, and the part of the neighborhood we live in is extremely dangerous.
I hope our expectations are wrong! And we won't have curfew.
keep praying.
Sunshine

That was huge ....

On Monday I was working on the computer, at about 5 pm, my family were having a nap , and I got an E-mail from the BBC (it is not the first time) but I felt excited, I checked the mail and read that they want an interview with me at that same day I immediately talked with the producer, and he said the BBC want an interview with me, alive, in a show called "world hear your say" and General David Petraeus will speak too!! I awaked my mom and took her permission..
she agreed to make the interview, I felt awesome, but extremely nervous, because I don't know what will the questions be about, and it'll be alive! I was thinking what if I didn't know the proper word in English, or what if I didn't use the correct word, I'd embarrass myself ! But the producer was very nice , friendly and very encouraging , I decided to take a risk, what will happen if I made a mistake or tow?!! It is not my first language and my English consider good for my age, it is even better from many adults!!
I sent them some of my favorite posts, and at 6:00 pm I had to leave my house with my family.. although I didn't want to, I wanted to create a new skype account because I forgot my password. But I had to take my uniform from the dressmaker (it looks really nice btw).
Anyway we also visited my dad's uncle who live in our neighborhood) , I was feeling really afraid and asked them to pray for me not to make any mistakes or speak too fast (when I get nervous I speak really fast), they told me they'll listen to the show and pray for me..
I came back at 7:30 and guess what??????!!! I didn't have internet service, I tried a lot, and tried to call the manager but he didn't reply. I tried to call the engineer but I didn't have coverage, I lost the coverage because of a LOUD explosion happened in a neighborhood in Mosul, I don't think it was a car bomb, I think it was a lorry.. the neighborhood was far away and our windows were opened! (just like the explosion in my neighborhood, everyone in Mosul heard it and thought it was in their neighborhood!)
Luckily I got an internet line and as soon as I logged in, I remember the password for my old account.. (lucky me!)
Now guess what, I couldn't hear them!! Problem with my mic, after many attempts we were able to hear each other (god loves me!).. my heart was beating fast, I made breathing exercises and listened to "seasons in the sun" to relax, I also talked to my supportive friend Madcanuck ..
I heard the General speaking, then other Iraqis, A blogger, marines, generals, and then it was my turn
I started to talk about 10:15 and had only 11 minutes of electricity !
while the interviewer was asking me about my eye problem the electricity was off. They were able to hear me, but I was unable to hear them .. I said "OOHHH "
My mom and family were saying " WWWWOOOOWW YOU DID IT WWWOOOWWW" and I started to knock on the table asking them to be quiet.
The producer said " You were brilliant!!!. SO good . Your English is SUPER " and they want to speak to me more.
I was thinking of my answers and electricity in the same time..
I believe I wasn't bad ..
My English, pronunciation, and explanation is getting better by time, the notes I get from my readers help me a lot, as well as my friend luke, I always ask him about the words I don’t know.
My family are proud of me, & I am proud of myself .. I have a great supporting family, they were listening to me in another room..
Dad said "your answers were diplomatic", and our family friend said I can be an ambassador in the future and asked me to never say I am young and can't do so much difference ..
I am glad, I believe my blog is a gift, I don't think I'll stop one day, because when I look at my achievements I feel more confident in myself, and when I receive E-mails from people telling me they know better about our life now, and I am like their eyes in Iraq, it worth everything I've done. I feel like I am a reporter, you know I love journalism, but it is not safe to be a journalist or reporter in Iraq, if the situation become better before I go to collage (which is impossible) I'd love to go to the journalism collage..
I am doing good for a girl my age, and I'll keep learning, improving, and educating myself.
Honestly, if someone three years ago tell me I'll be famous, have interviews, know famous writers, exchange E-mails with Hollywood star, my blog will be taught in universities and I'll write a book I wouldn't believe him and think he's crazy!…
Yesterday I went fishing, we have really nice nature, and in these days the weather is getting cooler (we don't sleep in the living room anymore!) We had really good time, although I caught only two fishes, last time I got about 20! But yesterday there were winds and people swimming, the breeze was great, I stood on the edge of a boat enjoying the view and the weather, is was awesome, and great place for thinking..
There were 3 families and 4 couples from Baghdad, so the session was great and my mom had a great time, she was happy, it is nice to see her shining smile of her beautiful face.. we kept laughing because I didn't catch anything but those two tiny fishes! The families there said "ok, today we will have lunch with you, we want Mazkoof" (mazkoof is a great Iraqi dish)…
I am glad I was able to convince my father to have lunch in the casino. The casino here is a place near the river, there is a restaurant inside the casino too, but you are free to bring your food with you, or you order for food.
In the morning the roads were closed, but later they were opened, We heard many explosion at that day but we went at 11 am and came back at 2:30 pm.and had wonderful time in spite of everything.

do you see the fish i caught?!
Sunshine

Ramadan Karim.....

This week my friend Marwa visited me, she lives in my neighborhood, and I find her really nice person, they were forced to leave their home in Baghdad and come to Mosul, she felt like a stranger but not for long time, because we made a party in school for the girls who came from Baghdad and allocated money, and bought new clothes and stuff they need (I participated in that and wrote a post about that event).
Marwa's house was in my aunt Rose's neighborhood, the situation there is not good and Marwa saw many dead people thrown in front of her house, she talked to me about that, she even witnessed murders in front of her eyes. It is really hard to see a person murder and you can't do anything to stop that. It is not strange here, many teenagers witnessed murders and saw horrible views, even the kids.
Anyway, we had a good time during her visit, she borrowed books and CDs from me, because she left all of her books, stuff, and CDs in Baghdad..
We talked about her journey to Sulaymaniyah, she spent a great month there, wearing and doing whatever she want, without being afraid from the terrorists. It is safe there, Sulaymaniyah is very nice place in the northern part of Iraq, they could go because her aunt is married to a Kurdish man. I wish I can visit sulaymaniyah one day ..
While we were talking and eating potato chips we heard a nearby shooting, we looked from the window and saw the man who was shooting, he was very close to my house, wearing a white shirt, dark trousers, and sitting on his knee.. we kept watching him shooting.
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This week I visited one of my dad's uncle family, they live in my neighborhood but we don't visit them often, their daughter got engaged and I was busy to help them for three days, I made the bride's hair, her 3 sisters and mothers' hair!!(I inherited my gift from grandma), my mom and I made the decoration.
It was very nice Nishan party, there were many girls in my age, we had a great time and danced a lot, their neighbor has a BIG stereo (I love loud music), I spent really nice time, although when the party started I was exhausted!, her friends are really nice and we got along well, in spite of the age difference, we kept talking about her fiancé, the dresses she'll wear, make up, hair style, fashion, guys (of course), and then we talked about the situation !! (I don't know why, we talk about a subject then we turn it on the war, electricity, fuel, and situation!).
But my joy didn't last for long time, my dad's friend was murdered, the terrorists slaughtered him, and put his identity on his head, the terrorists called his boss and said they'll kill this man because he's infidel !!!! (now the terrorists kill a person and put his head on his chest, then throw him in the street or a land out side the city, many times the dogs eat the corpse, and that person's family keep searching and can't find him, or bury him).
My dad friend's corpse was thrown in a neighborhood near mine.
That made me worry about my dad, I don't know why but R's story came to my mind and I burst into tears, I begged him to stay in the house and never go to work (my dad is an engineer), but he refused.. I pray for my family's safety and all the innocents and people I love, hoping one day god will answer my prayer..
The situation in REALLY bad, everyday a mine, car bomb, or shooting awake me. I want to start my day with something nice, like the peg top's sound not a horrifying sound, not a loud explosions and shrapnels' sound falling on my house, I want to wake up and stay few minutes in my bed stretching and yawing not running and hitting the furniture ! (that's a dream I am not sure if it'll come true soon, sometimes I feel it is like Lucifer's dream to enter the paradise :D)
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The first day of Ramadan will be on Wednesday or Thursday (depends on the moon), in Ramadan Muslims fast from sunrise till the darkfall, to feel the same as paupers who don't have money to buy food, so that we don’t' forget to help them.
Ramadan teach us how to be patient, and be closer to god..
In this month people give paupers money and food (we don't do that in Ramadan only, but we give with much generous in this blessed month), my family used to buy new clothes, toys and food for the orphans, and give money to poor widows..
Muslims also give alms in this month, which is 2.5% from their saves, and 10% from their crop , in case they have a farm ... there is also alms for gold , and alms for many things.
Since I was a kid I used to give paupers from the money I save, the more I give the happier I feel.
In Ramadan Muslims should NEVER fight, even if they were in a war, they should announce armistice or conciliating. (I mean the people who are real Muslims, not the pretenders). Even the people who have problems with their relatives or friends should reconcile them. Because Ramadan is a blessed month full of mercy.
When the TV. Channel announce that the next day is Ramadan, the muezzin start saying the Takberat (praising god) which I very much like. There are wonderful TV shows in Ramadan, and really nice series, luckily I'll be able to watch them and enjoy the last 15 days of my summer holiday!
To all of my friends and readers, specially the Muslims, blessed Ramadan (Ramadan Karim), may all of your dreams come true.
And for my Iraqi friends and readers, may this Ramadan be peaceful, and we'll all live a peaceful life, without killing, explosions, and shootings...
In Ramadan god answer the prayers , let's all pray for a new shining and peaceful day for Iraq, may the terrorists vanish and we have a developed country, I am writing this post feeling positive and full of hope..
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About what we've done for the Jordanians, we supplied them with electricity and oil for years, for free.. scholarships, salary for every Jordanian student, they used to take the Iraqi places in university, they should be thankful, not mean ..
I receive SOOOOO MANY E-mails asking me about my opinion in US troops, and war, I'd appreciate if you read my ex posts, I answered this question hundreds of times, I don't mind answering that over and over if I have electricity and enough time to write… I am thinking of making a section (under the links) and talk about my opinion about war and soldiers. Good idea?????!
You're welcome to ask me what you like, but be patient, sometimes I answer after long time.
Sunshine.