neurotic Iraqi wife
October 11, 2004
THE GREAT IRAQ.....
Two days down, 2 more days to go. Im utterly exhausted. My feet are throbbing from the 8 hour stand that I have to endure every day on my 4 inch heels,ouch. My mouth is dry from all the conversations I have to have with all the visitors. My voice has lost its normal tone and has become husky, yaaaaaaay. Husky is sexy and once HUBBY hears me, he will melt,lol.
Im enjoyingmy work alot. There are many ups and many downs along the way. I have met very interesting people from all over the world. And its great to see the amount of interest that people have in Iraq, which I guess its kinda natural with whats happened in the past and whats happening in the present.
So what is it that Im doing???Well im actually representing an Iraqi NGO which is also a non profit organisation. It basically promotes investments in Iraq inorder to improve Iraqis lives. It also has an ongoing humanitarian operation, one of which is the sponsoring of orphanges and orphans.
But let me tell you that yesterday and today, I had a go at a couple of people. And they aint ordinary people, they actually come from the idiotic ignorant type who have nothing better to do than slag Iraqis. I was flabbergasted. Let me tell you a few examples.
We had an Egyptian guy who walked by our stand, looked at the title and saw the word Iraq, he immdiately said, Oh no this is bush's Iraq, this is allawi's Iraq. I looked at him and said No this Iraqi's Iraq, and if you arent as ignorant as your remarks you would know extremely well from our leaflets that we are a non governmental Organisation. He said but this Iraq this is the bad Iraq. I couldnt believe the man. How dare this egyptian ignorant talk like this. How dare he. I didnt want to lose my temper but I couldnt help it, so I gave him a piece of my mind in Iraqi, and Iraqi words can be quite vulgar especially coming from a woman. He lowered his head and left. The assole. Then we get a Yemeni, who said, We are so sad for the loss of your leader Saddam, he was our hero. WTF????????What hero????OMG,I swear I cant believe these people, I swear I cannot fathom that until now, that man is called a hero. These people have no clue what that criminal did to his people, and if they do know, then they too are criminals for believing in him. I then got a question from a french man, who was very sweet,he asked me, sooooo oooooo dooooooz zeeee Iraqien wont foooor zeeee presedente of zeeee US??? OMG OMG OMG. I simply smiled and said, zeee Iraqiens do not care fooooor oooo becomes prezident, zey only want zeir securiteee and zeeer lives back. He said bot surely zey dont want bush. I said no, zey surely dont give a damn,lol......
That was yesterday. Today I got an idiot from the Gulf who pointed at the map of Iraq and said in his broken english, what state number is this country of america???At first I swear I didnt know what he was talking about. I said sorry???can you say that again???He said, this country what state of America is it??Hmm now what the hell am I gonna answer this stupendous creature???I said this country you are pointing at is Iraq the great. Its no state of any country. He said it is the american state, I said well Im sorry you think so. He looked at me and said you are not Iraqi, you are American. I said I am 100%Iraqi and I think theres nothing here at our stand that is of interest to you. I said that in a tone of voice that probably the stall next to us heard it. He said oooooooh I make you angry???Now I have no clue why the hell he was talking to me in english when I was answering him back in Iraqi???????That boggled my mind. So I said to him, listen we are the great Iraq, if you really want peace for us, then get your scum bags out of our country, the people who are doing all those suicide bombings for their jihad, I walked off afterwards, cuz I knew if he was gonna say one more word I was gonna make a scene. These are some of the people, the ignorant people we get passing by our stand.
Then what was worse, was the delegation that came from one of the ministries of Iraq. When we asked them how is Iraq, and whats the situation there, one man replied, you guys(he means us who left Iraq long time ago), you do not care about us, you left us, you ran away and we are the ones who suffered, we the Iraqis inside we are the ones who survived the hardship, but you guys lived in luxury. He said it and his voice was full of venom. His tone was so demeaning, Again I couldnt swallow my tongue, and told him"Sir you may have stayed behind and it sure was difficult for you, but we, the ones you claim that ran away, we have more love for our country than you do, we suffered for you suffering, we felt your pain, and we have become so nostalgic about our country whereas you, you just want to leave it now. Your hearts have turned into stones while our hearts are still soft for the country we dream to go back to". He was quiet for awhile then he said, you maybe nostalgic, but we still suffered more than you. Again, I walked off, cuz there was no use of me continuing with this arguement. He saw things his way and I saw it in a different way.
I really was saddened that this is the impression that Iraqis inside have of us. I guess the educated ones would know how we feel, but the ones who continue to live in Saddam's era tend to ignore our remarks. I also noticed that although those delegates came from the ministry, they are too shy to talk about the situation in Iraq, maybe not shy, but they still fear that someone is listening to their conversations just like Saddam Times. They keep a barrier that shields their opinions regarding the current situation, and the past one. They are only good at blaming us the Iraqi expats for not suffering. God that furiates me even more.
I know many people who had nervous breakdowns when the war took place, I was one of them, I feared for my people, I feared for their lives and what will become of them from Saddam's chemical weapons and the cooaliton forces strikes. So by them blaming us for leaving Iraq more than 25 years is not fair. It aint fair for them to have so much envy because we too suffered. I believe that before any reconstruction to take place, there should be a reconstruction of the minds. Seriously this is what some Iraqis need, they need to rebuild their thoughts before being able to live in the New Iraq. They still live in fear, they still live in the past, they still think Saddam is there, watching their every move, their every step. They should be able to remove the envy they have of us, their impression of us not caring is a sign if ignorance.
After 8 bloody hours of standing, I come home, place my feet in very hot water with salt. My feet were so numb to the degree that I couldnt feel the temperature of the water. So you can imagine, the state that I am in every evening. Then HUBBY calls me, yaaaaaaaay, and puts a smile on my exhausted face. I tell him all the stories, and when I tell him how I had answered those idiotic people he says"thats my girl". Im his girl alright and I love it.
Oh I forgot to mention that I met an American who came from Baghdad, and what was amazingly impressive, was the fact that he knew some Iraqi expressions, and he would say it in such an Iraqi accent, that it made me laugh. He had the perfect accent, even better than mine. He even taught me words I have never heard of,lol. So all in all, this has been a great experience, but I cant wait for the weekend to come, so I can relax my tongue, my throat, my feet and most of all my mind.
Some say that igonorance is bliss, but I say that Ignorance is a psychological disease that may or may not have a cure. It all comes down to the individual, the enviroment they live in, and mostly the society they mix with.
No one is gonna mess with IRAQ, THE GREAT IRAQ......
Im enjoyingmy work alot. There are many ups and many downs along the way. I have met very interesting people from all over the world. And its great to see the amount of interest that people have in Iraq, which I guess its kinda natural with whats happened in the past and whats happening in the present.
So what is it that Im doing???Well im actually representing an Iraqi NGO which is also a non profit organisation. It basically promotes investments in Iraq inorder to improve Iraqis lives. It also has an ongoing humanitarian operation, one of which is the sponsoring of orphanges and orphans.
But let me tell you that yesterday and today, I had a go at a couple of people. And they aint ordinary people, they actually come from the idiotic ignorant type who have nothing better to do than slag Iraqis. I was flabbergasted. Let me tell you a few examples.
We had an Egyptian guy who walked by our stand, looked at the title and saw the word Iraq, he immdiately said, Oh no this is bush's Iraq, this is allawi's Iraq. I looked at him and said No this Iraqi's Iraq, and if you arent as ignorant as your remarks you would know extremely well from our leaflets that we are a non governmental Organisation. He said but this Iraq this is the bad Iraq. I couldnt believe the man. How dare this egyptian ignorant talk like this. How dare he. I didnt want to lose my temper but I couldnt help it, so I gave him a piece of my mind in Iraqi, and Iraqi words can be quite vulgar especially coming from a woman. He lowered his head and left. The assole. Then we get a Yemeni, who said, We are so sad for the loss of your leader Saddam, he was our hero. WTF????????What hero????OMG,I swear I cant believe these people, I swear I cannot fathom that until now, that man is called a hero. These people have no clue what that criminal did to his people, and if they do know, then they too are criminals for believing in him. I then got a question from a french man, who was very sweet,he asked me, sooooo oooooo dooooooz zeeee Iraqien wont foooor zeeee presedente of zeeee US??? OMG OMG OMG. I simply smiled and said, zeee Iraqiens do not care fooooor oooo becomes prezident, zey only want zeir securiteee and zeeer lives back. He said bot surely zey dont want bush. I said no, zey surely dont give a damn,lol......
That was yesterday. Today I got an idiot from the Gulf who pointed at the map of Iraq and said in his broken english, what state number is this country of america???At first I swear I didnt know what he was talking about. I said sorry???can you say that again???He said, this country what state of America is it??Hmm now what the hell am I gonna answer this stupendous creature???I said this country you are pointing at is Iraq the great. Its no state of any country. He said it is the american state, I said well Im sorry you think so. He looked at me and said you are not Iraqi, you are American. I said I am 100%Iraqi and I think theres nothing here at our stand that is of interest to you. I said that in a tone of voice that probably the stall next to us heard it. He said oooooooh I make you angry???Now I have no clue why the hell he was talking to me in english when I was answering him back in Iraqi???????That boggled my mind. So I said to him, listen we are the great Iraq, if you really want peace for us, then get your scum bags out of our country, the people who are doing all those suicide bombings for their jihad, I walked off afterwards, cuz I knew if he was gonna say one more word I was gonna make a scene. These are some of the people, the ignorant people we get passing by our stand.
Then what was worse, was the delegation that came from one of the ministries of Iraq. When we asked them how is Iraq, and whats the situation there, one man replied, you guys(he means us who left Iraq long time ago), you do not care about us, you left us, you ran away and we are the ones who suffered, we the Iraqis inside we are the ones who survived the hardship, but you guys lived in luxury. He said it and his voice was full of venom. His tone was so demeaning, Again I couldnt swallow my tongue, and told him"Sir you may have stayed behind and it sure was difficult for you, but we, the ones you claim that ran away, we have more love for our country than you do, we suffered for you suffering, we felt your pain, and we have become so nostalgic about our country whereas you, you just want to leave it now. Your hearts have turned into stones while our hearts are still soft for the country we dream to go back to". He was quiet for awhile then he said, you maybe nostalgic, but we still suffered more than you. Again, I walked off, cuz there was no use of me continuing with this arguement. He saw things his way and I saw it in a different way.
I really was saddened that this is the impression that Iraqis inside have of us. I guess the educated ones would know how we feel, but the ones who continue to live in Saddam's era tend to ignore our remarks. I also noticed that although those delegates came from the ministry, they are too shy to talk about the situation in Iraq, maybe not shy, but they still fear that someone is listening to their conversations just like Saddam Times. They keep a barrier that shields their opinions regarding the current situation, and the past one. They are only good at blaming us the Iraqi expats for not suffering. God that furiates me even more.
I know many people who had nervous breakdowns when the war took place, I was one of them, I feared for my people, I feared for their lives and what will become of them from Saddam's chemical weapons and the cooaliton forces strikes. So by them blaming us for leaving Iraq more than 25 years is not fair. It aint fair for them to have so much envy because we too suffered. I believe that before any reconstruction to take place, there should be a reconstruction of the minds. Seriously this is what some Iraqis need, they need to rebuild their thoughts before being able to live in the New Iraq. They still live in fear, they still live in the past, they still think Saddam is there, watching their every move, their every step. They should be able to remove the envy they have of us, their impression of us not caring is a sign if ignorance.
After 8 bloody hours of standing, I come home, place my feet in very hot water with salt. My feet were so numb to the degree that I couldnt feel the temperature of the water. So you can imagine, the state that I am in every evening. Then HUBBY calls me, yaaaaaaaay, and puts a smile on my exhausted face. I tell him all the stories, and when I tell him how I had answered those idiotic people he says"thats my girl". Im his girl alright and I love it.
Oh I forgot to mention that I met an American who came from Baghdad, and what was amazingly impressive, was the fact that he knew some Iraqi expressions, and he would say it in such an Iraqi accent, that it made me laugh. He had the perfect accent, even better than mine. He even taught me words I have never heard of,lol. So all in all, this has been a great experience, but I cant wait for the weekend to come, so I can relax my tongue, my throat, my feet and most of all my mind.
Some say that igonorance is bliss, but I say that Ignorance is a psychological disease that may or may not have a cure. It all comes down to the individual, the enviroment they live in, and mostly the society they mix with.
No one is gonna mess with IRAQ, THE GREAT IRAQ......
12 Comments:
Hello NIW: RE: My favourite saying about ignorance is that, it's those who know better or have the knowledge in front of them but refuse to budge on their 'old' beliefs-or see the obvious, to me they choose to remain ignorant! The 'ignorance is bliss' saying should only apply for babies and children. Sadly many adults are not open to change especially of their minds and belief systems. In Iraqis' case, I've often thought that a certain percent would immediately embrace a new way, many would come around in due time and the remainder will never change their beliefs.
I so appreciate that the Iraqi bloggers in Iraq, and those outside like yourself, who make an effort to communticate with the rest of us. Especially since English is a second language for most. Proves many are motivated and I for one appreciate it as they have taught me more than I ever expected to learn about Iraqis, Muslims and Arabic culture!
Thanks for keeping us informed on your blog! Please take care of yourself and don't burn out trying to communticate with those so closed-minded that they'd sacrifice Iraq just to keep things as they preceive! Those idiots who spoke to you, knew you were a captive audience and they likely don't get supported within their own social circles, so they spout off at you. Wish I was there to help you, booth looks great, by the way. Hope to hear more about the women's efforts to find her daughters.
Oh my god, I wish I didn't already post my blog because after reading ur post today I remebered so many stories in the past 2 years of me getting into arguments with friends and non friends about these issues. It makes me so mad that my mom thins I might get a heart attack with all the stress i cause myself! I have listened to sooo many things from.... 'saddam was drugged, he would never hide in a hole', ' saddam was like a good headmaster, only punishing those who rebelled against him.'It amazes me that even some of these people are my non-Iraqi friends from childhood. I show them videos of Saddam's crimes and they just shrug their shoulders but when Abu Ghraib happened I had to hear about it everyday. I am not condoning the acts there but why the double standard, why the sudden interst in Iraq when you forgot about its people for over 2 decades and more? I am sorry for this long post... I am about to goto bed and I just got so mad reading about those ignorant people at your work. Keep up your great site.... always fun to read.
Dear NW, get yourself some comfortable shoes and save those 4 inch heels for when you wish to dazzle Hubby. I know what you mean about stupid remarks, but perhaps they were trying to get a rise out of an attractive woman. Iraqi women speaking up and holding there own in conversation does not seem to be common in Iraq, so you are novel. Keep up the good work on defending Iraq. We have 50 states and no more room for stars on our flag, so Iraq will just have to remain independent. Ha! Best wishes to you and your beloved country.
hi gal,
you are just great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you make me smile alot.......
stupid people are everywhere,some live for doom and
gloom,why?i do not know.
thanks for posting as much as you do,alot may not
comment,but it is nice to know you!!!!!
andrea/minnesota
Dear Neurotic Wife,
I face many of these situations and stupid remarks that you do. Not just from fellow arabs but even from Canadians who were active in the anti war movement and that I was involved in as well. Now you would think that in Canada with freedom of speach and good education and all that that people would be slightly more enlightened ..... wrong! I used to get angry, now I just explain my point of view in the most calm manner. I site Amnesty International reports about human right abuses in Iraq during Saddam times. I tell people that most Iraqis don't see the insurgants as heros but more as a threat and yes I am not happy to see my country under occupation but at this point our choices are limited in terms of what we can constructivly do ...etc. In the end I have actually managed to persuade many people of my point of view. Others call me a CIA agents, a sell out, naive or what have you. I just shrug and ignore it.
When Iraqis living inside Iraq start telling me that they have suffered and that I am living well. Again I answer very calmly, yes I have a fortunate life, I live very well in Canada. I wish that everybody inside Iraq could have the life that I have here. I will do what I can to help my country, but making my own life miserable will not help anybody. I refuse to feel guilty about having a good life.
Neu, your narration of encounters with the international gender of the pointed head variety left me ROFLMAO. It's amazing how you are able to take something serious and put such a hilarious spin on it. Here's a link I think you can relate to. http://www.superlaughecards.com/1/bitchology.htm I hope it opens without a problem. MISSISSIPI MALE
Oooohhh! I would pop a blood vessel having to listen to those kinds of comments from the ignorant people. Iraq a State of America?! No! We want Iraq to be a free and strong country on it's own!! Good for you for standing up to them - I am proud of you. I agree about the 4 inch heels thing - save them for special occasions. You don't want to end up with ugly feet like my mother in law when you get old! Her toes are kind of smushed to the side a bit and big knots of something or other at the base of her big toe. Sorry for the graphic description! Not to mention the back problems....
I agree that in a job where you have to stand 8 hours a day, comfortable shoes are a priority.
It seems as if these people are brainwashed. They offer no helping hand, and pop in only to say that the greedy dictator must have been a "hero." Their other excuse for not helping is because they don't want to help America if America chooses to help Iraq. They come up to your stand to get their excuses validated instead of to do NGO business. It's good that you tell them flat out to go away if they're not here to help the NGO.
Kenjiro
I heard about that Iraqi man's comments today.... news travels fast within the Iraqi community in the country that we live in.... hehehe
I love your blog. (It's my favorite) Don't let those stupid people get you down. You're doing the right things and we're proud of you. Keep up the good work. Love ya! "sis" from the usa
Dear Neurotic Wife,
Thank you for the wonderful post. One I certainly will not forget but to remember to keep in mind. I am not much of a constant optimistic person. But I hope things will improve in Iraq, for people of iraq to get their heads together and sorted out.
People are wrong when they say Iraqis outside Iraq are not suffering, and I am glad you have taken a note of that..To this very day, I am long waiting to go back home...to make up for the days I have missed being there in my home with my family. Life is tough for Iraqis, and always will be until a new permanent Iraq is formed. There will be no change until our people get the drift.
I have hard times listening to people whining about how great their country is...if only they knew what its like to be in our place as Iraqis...I have hard times listening to people talking about the situation in Iraq, and the least I could do is actually force them to listen to me lol...I'm a person who urges herself to be heard and have the love to share opinions with others. Every little bit of what's going on breaks my heart into smaller pieces and it's just unfair. I believe we Iraqis living outside Iraq are suffering just as much as they are. I don't see my family having a better life than in Iraq...especially my parents. I've seen many families like mine who are Iraqis get crushed...and that shows how much we Iraqis even living outside Iraq are still beside our fellow Iraqis in Iraq, we will suffer either way, and we will rise when our remaining Iraqi brothers and sisters rise. We all are in the same boat.
http://blog.hasanagha.org/images/haft_tir-5_21.jpg
Please see this link that show an Iranian girls had be harmed by Iranian police because here topcoat were not like some model who Islamic Government had determined by Quran!
Many Iranian People do not like Islam but government Kill and harm them.
قال زهرا بنت رسول الله از جهنم:
خداوند فرمود بواسته دروغی که برخدا بسته ام و خود را بانوی برگزیده خدا درجهان نام نهادم و چادر بسر کردن را بر زنان جهان اجباری کردم و چون به خاطر گناه زهرا بنت رسول و پدرش و خاندانش بر زنان ایران ستم می شود و دختران را کتک می زنند.
خداوند امر کرده زهرای بنت رسول درجهنم کسش باز شده و اهل جهنم و بهشت بر کس او می رینند و زهدان حضرت زهرا پر از گوه شده .
و مکرو و مکرالله
حزب مبارزه با ستم اسلامگرایان (فاکرین حزب الله ) اعلام کرد چون ریشه همه بدبختی های ملت ایران و جهان اسلام است به ازای هر ظلم به هر ایرانی میلیون ها کیر خر و کیر خوک و ...کامنتی به کس و کون آل محمد رسول الله روانه خواهد کرد.
کیر و سنده خوک تو کس حضرت زهرا بنت رسول الله
به حزب ما بپیوندید و کامنت دونی ها را پر از آنچه شایسته آل محمد است کنید.
کسانی که به زبان های خارجه مسلط هستند کامنت دونی های وبلاگ های خارجی را مستفیض فرمایند.
هرکس روزانه در 10 وبلاگ انگلیسی زبان یا عرب زبان آنچه شایسته محمد رسول الله است را بنویسد تا خارجی ها متوجه علاقه ایرانیان به اسلام شوند. اگر فقط 1000 نفر هم از حزب ما استقبال کنند بزودی اکثر سایت های دارای رنکینگ اینترنت پر از ابراز نفرت ایرانیان نسبت به اسلام خواهد شد.
برای خلیج فارس بمب گوگلی درست کردید که چرا دریای فارس را عرب کرده اند فرهنگ عرب حاصل تفکر محمد رسول الله پست تر از شیطان و حیوان را به فرهنگ درخشان 2500 ساله ایرانی برگزیده اید؟ نگرانید که چرا خلیج فارس را عرب نام گذاشته اند ولی ناراحت نیستید که از بیخ عربتان کرده اند؟
ستاد حزب مبارزه با ستم اسلامگرایان.
و نحن الفاکرین الغالبون
We will have all hizbolla women fucked by dogs.
Now God, say you must fucked Mohammad and Quran by send message to all people of world.
This message sent from Iran
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