neurotic Iraqi wife

Ok Im now in my "Blocking the News" phase....Yup as my mom always tells me, Im the moody type...One day up and the next down...So one day pissed off, and the next just unphased...Im in my unphased mood...I know things are bad, but first off my opinion doesnt really count...Secondly, actions speak far more than words, and thirdly...the broken record is ending up in tatters...so why bother??? But knowing me, dont think this mood will last, depends on what I hear, see and read...so stay tuned...

You know how kids make up imaginery friends in their minds???they talk to them, play with them, tell them secrets...Well once upon a lifetime ago, I had one too...Used to play teacher with my IF...Dunno why teacher, but at the time I was inlove with the idea of becoming one...I guess cuz teachers get to shout at kids...I dunno...But definitely not because of the patience I have in teaching things...nope...not me...

Well surprisingly enough, after 30 odd years, I have realised that Im in need of an imaginery friend...Needless to say, its a HE, and umm he is a LTC from where else but the AF....hehe.... So from now on Im gonna refer to my IF as LTC Harvest (I truely hope there isnt a real LTC named Harvest, and if there is , I do apologize in advance)... Harvest is the name of the power bar that I got accustomed to eating here....So LTC Harvest has been born...today...Which means he's a Taurus.... Strong headed and stubborn...ok that suits me, atleast he will be a good friend, someone who listens, and gives me his true opinion.

LTC H, welcome to hotel Neurotica (wanted to rhyme with california)...Hotel Neurotica, has a variety of rooms, each one is individually designed with a different theme...And everyday, you will get to sleep in one...Dont worry about your luggage, We have special little urchins who carry them for you and neatly puts them in the cupboard...All you need to do iS just relax and enjoy the hotel amenities....

Since its not long before HUBBY and I leave this place, I wanna share a few things with you....I have been trying to capture some moments, moments on my camera...Ive been taking pics of colleagues, of food, of my desk, of everything I can think of...HUBBY says he doesnt need pics to remember people, thats true, nor do I, but its nice, from time to time to look at pics and be nostalgic...I wanna share some pics I have taken...

This one is a sandstorm that took place today...Was a sudden one...everything was clear but in just a matter of a few seconds the sky changed, everything became dusty...I grabbed my cam, ran out and went on the roof top.....








Dont worry LTC H, Hotel Neurotica is situated in a place where no sandstorms take place...The hotel is infact made out of glass...Kinda cylinderical looking...(Since Im architecturally ignorant, not sure if that is feasible, lets just pretend, ok) But One of the many things it has in common with my beloved country, the Date trees.... Yup, you will see those scattered all over the hotel...Date trees with real dates on them hanging from the branches...whenever you feel hungry, you can just have some, at no extra charge...compliments of Hotel Neurotica....

After work being so hectic last week, and without even realising...my desk looked like it needed severe cleaning...Just a note of caution...Hotel Neurotica, tends to become chaotic from time to time so dont be surprised if the rooms may end up looking like my desk....But dont panic...the chaos will be cleared some time.....

Umm, Hotel Neurotica guarantees you good quality, and cleanliness but does not really state the period of time...It just says in really fine print, "will be cleaned whenever" So just beware of that situation when it arises....Im just being honest here with you.... Since I didnt really have much work to do today, I sat staring at the 2 screens infront of me, reminising the times I had here...Infact I have come to realise that Im taking back with me a bag filled with knowledge..Yes thats right...Knowledge...And thats one thing Hotel Neurotica guarantees to give you too....

I have learnt to live in an environment that resembles a prison...a luxurious prison...But nevertheless a prison...A prison guarded by T walls...Guarded by gherkas, fijians, Iraqis, Americans, East Europeans...A prison, that gets visitors from the outside everyday...visitors that see it as their only way of freedom...Isnt that amusing...Visitors who risk their lives everyday passt these checkpoints, just to be inside...inside this prison....

I see it as a prison, cuz I wanna see the outside...wanna see the real Baghdad..wanna see the kindergarden I attended...Wanna see my house I once lived in...Wanna see the streets, the shops, the clubs (clubs as in clubs, not the places of dance)...Wanna live the memories that my parents used to talk about...Yet I cant....

The visitors on the otherhand wanna come inside this prison, just to get away from the reality of it all...This prison for them is a gateway to their own freedom. They can talk, critisize, they can walk without having to look over their shoulder a million times....This prison, is a place of luxury...Electricity, Air conditioning that blows cold air onto their tired, exhausted bodies....And most importantly LTC H, they fear no one inside the walls of this prison...They laugh, they smile, they talk, they gossip....They complain, they whine, and they know that people do listen in this prison....They forget whats waiting for them outside, just for a few hours, before they have to make that journey, the journey outside the prison to their lifeless lives...

So you see LTC H, see how things are all set in relativity....Everything is relative...Everything is realtive in Hotel Neurotica...Visitors come and go...But Hotel Neurotica never forgets a face...Never....The prison Im in right now...this luxurious prison which I will be leaving soon...For the people beyond its bars, is nothing but Freedom, Freedom in a Prison...