neurotic Iraqi wife
October 07, 2004
HOPE.....
OMG, I can breathe. HUBBY is ALIVEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thank each and everyone one of you for being there for me, and for praying for HUBBY. Thank you, thank you very much. I really appreciate it. All of you are so kind.
He called me a few hours ago and said that he is ok and that he has arrived safely in Baghdad. At first I was sooo relieved, but then I gave him a piece of my mind. He said he couldnt call me cuz there were no phones, hmm. I am sure there was one available, its impossible that non of his colleagues didnt have one of those Thuraya phones or the American numbers. But I am HAPPY and relieved that HUBBY is safe and sound. Thank God for that, I truely thank my God for that. Cuz I literally was going crazy.
And now, the Green Zone has become very insecure. I dont know how the hell did that bomb that was placed right infront of the "Green Zone Cafe" get there in the first place???? I am now pretty sure that there are people who are working for the insurgency inside the zone, cuz there aint any other explanation. I had told HUBBY to be extra vigilant and you know what his reply was "Darling, Im so loved here, no one will hurt me", Umm HUBBY, I know you are a nice guy but when a bomb explodes, a bomb EXPLODES, criminals dont differentiate between nice guys and bad ones, their only motive is TO KILL.....
I also had found out that one of my cousins had survived a car bomb 2 days ago. When my family spoke to him on the phone he said that he cant believe he was alive cuz the car infront him and the car behind him got burnt together with their passengers. He was so fortunate to have people pull him from his bruning car. My mother said that he was in shock when she spoke to him and he had told her that God saved him for his children's sake. This explosion apparantely took place in Palestine street, next to the famous hotels where the journalists and foreign people stay in.
As for work, its getting hectic by the day. Who said waking up early was easy????God in my usual lazy days it takes me around one hour and a half to be fully operative. I would wake up, smoke my marlboro, drink my coffee and day dream until I can talk or listen to anyone. But now, OMG, I wake up at 8am, barely opening my eyes. I stumble to the bathroom with my ciggie, then take a shower and dress. Yesterday I managed to grab the hair conditioner instead of the shower gel to wash my body,hmm....Im a contact lense wearer, so what I do since even after the shower my eyes arent fully opened, I would get 2 of my fingers and force open them then insert the damn lense, a pretty sight NOT....
Many things are happening at work. I found out about an Iraqi widow whose husband and brother were tortured by Saddam's tyrant regime and ofcourse executed. She came abroad to earn a living by working as a cleaning lady. Around 2 weeks ago, she called her house in Basra to ask after her 2 unmarried daughters, but there was no reply. She then called a neighbour and the neighbour told her that her 2 daughters were kidnapped. The kidnappers are asking $10,000 for the daughters' release. The widow doesnt have a penny, so she wrote to the organisation where Im working at and asked for help.
Before I tell you what happened, let me enlighten you abit about the Arabic mentality. I have volunteered for an organisation in London, The AMAR Appeal foundation, where it helped many Iraqi refugees that were living on the border of Iraq-Iran and Iraq-Syria. The chairman of this organisation is a remarkable lady by the name of Emma Nicholson. She is one of the few people I look up to. I was at one time responsible for collecting donations. This was in 1998. Believe me if I tell you that there wasnt a single Middle Eastern person who donated in that particular campaign. The main donators were Americans and British. Even some of the donations were something like a $ or a pound from pensioners, but atleast they gave. Their thoughts were in the right place. But Arabs, no, they have this thing about not giving since they dont "trust" where the money is going, or they simply say, we would rather give it to some other group etc...
I'm not saying this just for the heck of it, but this is what I saw in my own eyes and it was shocking. When I used to call them up to ask for donations I used to feel demeaned, just by uttering the words "Could you please find it in your heart to give even a small amount to help those Iraqi refugees". The answer would always be "Oh and how would we know it would reach them and how do we know you are truthful, blah blah blah...."Well hellooooooo this is the AMAR appeal, its a registered charity who has already accomplished so many things and helped in so many ways. Even in the Quran we have a saying which means your work is judged by the intention behind it. So even if they bloody doubt where the money is going, atleast give out and help, you will still get good deeds, but no, this doesnt work in their mentality.
Therefore back to the Iraqi widow, apparantely the organisation contacted many people and although some did give, others who are well known personalities, kept giving excuses. Until we found out today that the widow has opted for selling one of her kidneys!!!!God that made me real sad. So 2 really amazing men stopped her at the last minute and told her that by this Saturday the money will be ready. They had worked real hard to convince some Hot Shots. Although the amount still hasnt reached the $10,000 mark but hopefully it will. One gentleman really impressed me and made me less cynical. When he was called today morning and told about the story, he immediately said that he will send the money to the office, and it was a very substantial one too. I immediatley respected him without even knowing who he is, it was his immdiate response that did it for me. I really hope this lady will get her daughters back safely as we say in Iraqi Inshallah (God Willing).
Apart from that, the assistant thats there is getting on my nerves, she wastes the whole day by saying "ok so now what do I need to do" and stays pondering for the next 2 hours. God dammit woman do something, finish what we need to do. She only comes in the mornings, thank god for that or else I woulda gone crazy, not that Im not already, but I would probably have opened that "hair parlor in the office"hehe....
I get to complete many of the tasks when she aint around. The orphanage sponsorship is still under research, since we dont have enough data to go ahead with it. They are hoping to find someone in Baghdad to assist them with the info, but unfortunately they havent found the right person yet. But all in all, Im a busy bee, and havent felt this good for such such a long time. It feels great to feel useful and to be able to say at the end of the day "wow, I have done so many things, Im exhausted"Lol. Unlike before where I used to go to bed and say "Wow I have written my post and Im exhausted",lol.....
So a day full of relief, surprises, let downs and finally HOPE......
He called me a few hours ago and said that he is ok and that he has arrived safely in Baghdad. At first I was sooo relieved, but then I gave him a piece of my mind. He said he couldnt call me cuz there were no phones, hmm. I am sure there was one available, its impossible that non of his colleagues didnt have one of those Thuraya phones or the American numbers. But I am HAPPY and relieved that HUBBY is safe and sound. Thank God for that, I truely thank my God for that. Cuz I literally was going crazy.
And now, the Green Zone has become very insecure. I dont know how the hell did that bomb that was placed right infront of the "Green Zone Cafe" get there in the first place???? I am now pretty sure that there are people who are working for the insurgency inside the zone, cuz there aint any other explanation. I had told HUBBY to be extra vigilant and you know what his reply was "Darling, Im so loved here, no one will hurt me", Umm HUBBY, I know you are a nice guy but when a bomb explodes, a bomb EXPLODES, criminals dont differentiate between nice guys and bad ones, their only motive is TO KILL.....
I also had found out that one of my cousins had survived a car bomb 2 days ago. When my family spoke to him on the phone he said that he cant believe he was alive cuz the car infront him and the car behind him got burnt together with their passengers. He was so fortunate to have people pull him from his bruning car. My mother said that he was in shock when she spoke to him and he had told her that God saved him for his children's sake. This explosion apparantely took place in Palestine street, next to the famous hotels where the journalists and foreign people stay in.
As for work, its getting hectic by the day. Who said waking up early was easy????God in my usual lazy days it takes me around one hour and a half to be fully operative. I would wake up, smoke my marlboro, drink my coffee and day dream until I can talk or listen to anyone. But now, OMG, I wake up at 8am, barely opening my eyes. I stumble to the bathroom with my ciggie, then take a shower and dress. Yesterday I managed to grab the hair conditioner instead of the shower gel to wash my body,hmm....Im a contact lense wearer, so what I do since even after the shower my eyes arent fully opened, I would get 2 of my fingers and force open them then insert the damn lense, a pretty sight NOT....
Many things are happening at work. I found out about an Iraqi widow whose husband and brother were tortured by Saddam's tyrant regime and ofcourse executed. She came abroad to earn a living by working as a cleaning lady. Around 2 weeks ago, she called her house in Basra to ask after her 2 unmarried daughters, but there was no reply. She then called a neighbour and the neighbour told her that her 2 daughters were kidnapped. The kidnappers are asking $10,000 for the daughters' release. The widow doesnt have a penny, so she wrote to the organisation where Im working at and asked for help.
Before I tell you what happened, let me enlighten you abit about the Arabic mentality. I have volunteered for an organisation in London, The AMAR Appeal foundation, where it helped many Iraqi refugees that were living on the border of Iraq-Iran and Iraq-Syria. The chairman of this organisation is a remarkable lady by the name of Emma Nicholson. She is one of the few people I look up to. I was at one time responsible for collecting donations. This was in 1998. Believe me if I tell you that there wasnt a single Middle Eastern person who donated in that particular campaign. The main donators were Americans and British. Even some of the donations were something like a $ or a pound from pensioners, but atleast they gave. Their thoughts were in the right place. But Arabs, no, they have this thing about not giving since they dont "trust" where the money is going, or they simply say, we would rather give it to some other group etc...
I'm not saying this just for the heck of it, but this is what I saw in my own eyes and it was shocking. When I used to call them up to ask for donations I used to feel demeaned, just by uttering the words "Could you please find it in your heart to give even a small amount to help those Iraqi refugees". The answer would always be "Oh and how would we know it would reach them and how do we know you are truthful, blah blah blah...."Well hellooooooo this is the AMAR appeal, its a registered charity who has already accomplished so many things and helped in so many ways. Even in the Quran we have a saying which means your work is judged by the intention behind it. So even if they bloody doubt where the money is going, atleast give out and help, you will still get good deeds, but no, this doesnt work in their mentality.
Therefore back to the Iraqi widow, apparantely the organisation contacted many people and although some did give, others who are well known personalities, kept giving excuses. Until we found out today that the widow has opted for selling one of her kidneys!!!!God that made me real sad. So 2 really amazing men stopped her at the last minute and told her that by this Saturday the money will be ready. They had worked real hard to convince some Hot Shots. Although the amount still hasnt reached the $10,000 mark but hopefully it will. One gentleman really impressed me and made me less cynical. When he was called today morning and told about the story, he immediately said that he will send the money to the office, and it was a very substantial one too. I immediatley respected him without even knowing who he is, it was his immdiate response that did it for me. I really hope this lady will get her daughters back safely as we say in Iraqi Inshallah (God Willing).
Apart from that, the assistant thats there is getting on my nerves, she wastes the whole day by saying "ok so now what do I need to do" and stays pondering for the next 2 hours. God dammit woman do something, finish what we need to do. She only comes in the mornings, thank god for that or else I woulda gone crazy, not that Im not already, but I would probably have opened that "hair parlor in the office"hehe....
I get to complete many of the tasks when she aint around. The orphanage sponsorship is still under research, since we dont have enough data to go ahead with it. They are hoping to find someone in Baghdad to assist them with the info, but unfortunately they havent found the right person yet. But all in all, Im a busy bee, and havent felt this good for such such a long time. It feels great to feel useful and to be able to say at the end of the day "wow, I have done so many things, Im exhausted"Lol. Unlike before where I used to go to bed and say "Wow I have written my post and Im exhausted",lol.....
So a day full of relief, surprises, let downs and finally HOPE......
12 Comments:
الحمد لله علي زوجك
مش قلتلك لا تقلقي
NW, I read on an Iraqi blog that phones were having problems and that now they are ok again, so Hubby probably could not call sooner. I am proud of you for doing the work you are doing. It will help Iraqis and it will help you as the days will go much faster until you and hubby are reunited. I hate the idea of paying kidnappers but if it were my loved one I would do everything I could to secure release. I hope they are now safe and the mother's heart is at ease. I pray all of this ends soon and that Iraq becomes a strong and independent democratic country. God bless you and Hubby.
NW,
I am also hesitant to pay off kidnappers, at least a big organization like the one you work for now should find a way to trace the moneys that they pay to the criminals. there must be a way. Just paying them off will only encourage more crimes of this nature. How can something that will lead directly to the increase of suffering be done by a charity.
Madtom
Neuro. Wife: Thanks for letting us know! Your hubby sure seems like a decent person, but I guess you've already figured that out. Thank God, your cousin was not seriously injured or killed by that car bomb!
Your new job sounds like it's very interesting and rewarding for you, perhaps you'll get more responsibilities soon.
"So a day full of relief, surprises, let downs and finally HOPE......"
NW, you summed it up well!
Ihath, yeah I know, but I couldnt help it. Thanx for your encouragement tho, and whats with the arabic script???lol...I would love to be able to type arabic as fast as I do english, but to write a whole page in arabic takes me like 3 hours to bloody find the alphabet....
Pat, thanx alot for your kind words. I too hope that Iraq will flourish and will be free from those cold blooded criminals.We still dont know the fate of the daughters since, by tomorrow, all the money would be available...I really pray to god that they are still safe....
Madtom, you see its like catch 22, inorder to save the hostages, people are forced to pay the kidnappers, but then the kidnappers will use that money to fund their crimes...So what would you choose? your children's lives(the hostages) or the safety of your country???
Umhakima, Yes thank god, he is safe. I thank you as well for thinking of me and being a great support. You are a great person, and I will keep on saying it, I salute you for being such a determined and strong lady and Inshallah all husbands will return to their families safely.....
Leapfrog,thanx alot for your comment here and in the previous post. I really appreciate it. Its great to know that there are people out there who care.
Salamaat Neurotic Wife. Al humdulilah il shukor. Inshallah everything will be fine. I guess this is how life is in Iraq, and I believe it will continue to be this way for a long time, until our disappointing people understand what they're doing and also losing. It's part of life to living and learning. Making mistakes is inclusive of that. Life is fairly tough there but I still have the feeling that maybe we should be with our family members in Iraq to help out and be there for them? Or am I the only Iraqi thinking like that?
All the best dear, send my regards to your hubby, he's doing a great thing. If only I could have the chance to at least visit Iraq..Keep up with what you're doing.
Take care,
Sara.
Thank God.
glad to hear the happy news.
I'll come here again later.
regards to all.
13
Congratulations on the news that your husband is okay! I am also gladdened by the news that your cousin escaped injury. Many people read your news and wish you the best.
Kenjiro
yaba 2alif 7amdilla 3asalama!
2agolich inti ila mata t`6alleen heech khawwafa?
irrijjal kolshe ma beeh o mitwannis, twakali 3ala 2alla ym3awda:)
i hope that you are fine, busy and doing well...
dizzeli email!
me*
Cindy, thanx alot. Yeah I know, Im actually one of those people who rarely comments, so I know exactly what you mean.
Baghdad, thanx sis, and no you aint the only one who feels this way. Believe me there are quite a few who cant wait to go back and help. But sometimes when ppl do hear us talking this way, they think we have lost it cuz everyone I say to that I am trying to find an NGO in Baghdad so I can go and help, they give me the mouth agape expression,lol.Bes Inshallah, inshallah soon, we will go. Who ever finds a way, tells the other, ok?deal? Lets shake hands on it...
AnaRki my friend, where are you???havent you bought a laptop yet???Why cant u use the one your dad has???cmon we have missed your news and jokes...Take care of urself and please stay safe.
Stephie,thanx, I actually enjoyed reading your first entry, not the testing one mind you, the other one,lol.
Kenjiro, really my tongue sometimes puts me down, cuz there arent any words more powerful than thank you, but I really mean it thank you for your kindness, and your lovely words, I really appreciate ir.
Oh and Khalid, what is this shooting you have experoinced???My god... you better stay safe...Oh and one more thing, I absolutely love tomato paste, especially bil margat, yummyyyyyyy....tomato paste and rob rumman, yum yum....lol, Im sure my mom would be glad if I tell her Im hungry.lol. You take care and hope all is well with u....Oh one more thing,I aint gonna leave HUBBY alone, he is mine mine mine, I aint neurotic for nothing,hehe.
I am so happy for you, Thank god I only read he was missing at the same time I read he was found, because I would have gotten anxious to. I can imagine how hard it can be, when my dad went to visit his family in Bagdad earlier this year I was so worried all the time, Id hate hearing about his outings to the internet cafe shop or the restaurants because the stupid media brainwashes you into every second person getting kidnapped or killed. Thank god everything is good and hope that you are happy again, and I don't know where I made an AD for a wife? Hehehe I never mentioned a thing about women or love.... :)
You are very welcome neurotic wife. I do not doubt that you feel the way you are feeling while your husband is in Iraq trying to do some good. You have a right to say, feel and think anything you like considering the situation you are in. All Iraqis are trying hard to gulp the bitterness of this war or occupation as some call it but in the end Inshallah, whether it may take 3 or 10 years, Iraq will turn out to be better? Let's pray to God and keep our fingers crossed for that.
You got a deal though. Who ever finds a way will tell the other. I'll confess the only way I could get to help Iraq is just simply GO to Iraq lol...but fortunately, you'd end up being one of the kidnapped whose group are asking for ransoms and withdrawals of troops, ay? But that's my only way for now, I'll let you know if I got any other...like sneaking in to Iraq through the Iraqi borders? lol...Ermm, But I suppose that's where the terrorists are, aren't they? lol...Anyone has ideas?? If you do, throw em right here!!
Sara.
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