neurotic Iraqi wife
December 18, 2008
Their Days of Fear...
Lets forget about shoes for now, cause honestly I have really Od’d on the whole shoe throwing subject. Now on to something completely different. I received an email from an ex colleague of mine, she is a little ol lady from South Carolina that used to work with me in Baghdad 2 years ago. We always kept intouch, and she always used to send me emails checking up on my safety when the whooshes galore were taking place earlier this year in the GZ. There wasn’t a single day that she didn’t send an email requiring a short reply of “Im ok, Im alive”
She left our previous employer because of the whole bureaucracy issue. She just couldn’t handle it, and now she is back in the States. M is 65 and reminded me so much of the character in the Arabic cartoon I used to watch as a kid, Mrs Spoon (sayyida mil3a8a). And because of her age, no matter how much she used to curse, and God, did that woman curse, no one really got upset, LOL.
A little excerpt from her email:
"Now...on to good news. X is coming to my house tonight for dinner and an overnight....than my husband and I will put him on a plane to go home to California. He is now in the US Army as a language interpreter! He has not told his family for their safety, so keep this info between you and hubby.
Y is also in the same program. She has had a rough time of it so I am especially proud of her for coming through all of this and working hard. She told me that you left the previous employer because you defended one of the Iraqi kids and how they were being treated so badly. Thanks for doing that. I should have been stronger and stayed to try to help. I am glad you are out of there, and readjusting. Wish I was coming to AD."
Many of the Iraqis who left on the Special immigration visa program to the States, were highly educated engineers. And for them to end up as interpreters for the Army is just too sad. Im not belittling interpreter’s jobs, on the contrary, I think they are true heroes for taking that kind of responsibility and putting themselves in grave danger. I raise my hat to them. But I would have rather seen those who left learn new fresh skills, instead of using the ones they already have. I can safely say about 90% of them ended up in that program as a last resort after losing all hope in finding a job that can feed their families.
Im not knowledgeable enough about the perks and the benefits they’d get as interpreters in the Army, hopefully its well worth it. Because honestly leaving behind everything, everything from families, to houses, to friends, and most importantly ones own country is NOT something you do so easily. But they had to leave. They had to, for their own survival and their own sanity.
I hooked up with many of them on facebook. And wow, the transformations were just amazing especially among the single young guys. Id sit for hours on end browsing their photos, and their new found life. Some even look more American than Americans themselves which makes me chuckle. Chuckle in a good way. Finally, finally gone are the days. Their Days of Fear...
She left our previous employer because of the whole bureaucracy issue. She just couldn’t handle it, and now she is back in the States. M is 65 and reminded me so much of the character in the Arabic cartoon I used to watch as a kid, Mrs Spoon (sayyida mil3a8a). And because of her age, no matter how much she used to curse, and God, did that woman curse, no one really got upset, LOL.
A little excerpt from her email:
"Now...on to good news. X is coming to my house tonight for dinner and an overnight....than my husband and I will put him on a plane to go home to California. He is now in the US Army as a language interpreter! He has not told his family for their safety, so keep this info between you and hubby.
Y is also in the same program. She has had a rough time of it so I am especially proud of her for coming through all of this and working hard. She told me that you left the previous employer because you defended one of the Iraqi kids and how they were being treated so badly. Thanks for doing that. I should have been stronger and stayed to try to help. I am glad you are out of there, and readjusting. Wish I was coming to AD."
Many of the Iraqis who left on the Special immigration visa program to the States, were highly educated engineers. And for them to end up as interpreters for the Army is just too sad. Im not belittling interpreter’s jobs, on the contrary, I think they are true heroes for taking that kind of responsibility and putting themselves in grave danger. I raise my hat to them. But I would have rather seen those who left learn new fresh skills, instead of using the ones they already have. I can safely say about 90% of them ended up in that program as a last resort after losing all hope in finding a job that can feed their families.
Im not knowledgeable enough about the perks and the benefits they’d get as interpreters in the Army, hopefully its well worth it. Because honestly leaving behind everything, everything from families, to houses, to friends, and most importantly ones own country is NOT something you do so easily. But they had to leave. They had to, for their own survival and their own sanity.
I hooked up with many of them on facebook. And wow, the transformations were just amazing especially among the single young guys. Id sit for hours on end browsing their photos, and their new found life. Some even look more American than Americans themselves which makes me chuckle. Chuckle in a good way. Finally, finally gone are the days. Their Days of Fear...
4 Comments:
Neurotica
I knew it had been your birthday from reading your past postings. Some of your postings really make me chuckle, others are enlightening and of course, some were very sad. It would be very difficult for the families and friends that are left behind when their loved one leaves his life to begin another a world away. Most likely I would spend many a night bewildered, and spend many hours wondering, 'Why?'. Without contact and having only his memory and the footprints left behind would be difficult. I would probably want to SCREAM at the top of my lungs after picking up my mail each day, only to see yet another magazine subscription that he had purchased for me before he left. Each day would seem forever not having that email that said, "Hey I'm okay and I'm alive." I can only imagine.....
Firefly, aka, NAW
"and their new found life. Some even look more American than Americans themselves."
:)
Isn't that interesting? If you Blog about hatred, prejudice and insult, fifty one people must throw their hate and two cents in the POT. Yet, if you blog about people that are sacrificing their life as they know it, to bring two nations together by learning not ONE but two languages and cultures....and you blog about people uniting together and looking beyond religious and cultural differences......no one has anything to share???? Building a bridge of understanding between nations and people brings fear to those that which to suppress the un-educated. Lift your VAILS and see with both eyes and your heart........I allow my children to research any religion they wish........to attend any ceremony they wish........Because I know if they are given the CHOICE and are EDUCATED and not forced to chose or blindfolded to look only one way.......They will chose to walk a life of peace and of light. The understanding and communication between countries which speak so different a language would be a tremendous feat.........It would take the BEST people, the most educated engineers and the most UNSELFISH people to BRIDGE the gap between them both. Both cultures and countries have something to teach the other. Together, they are stronger than fighting against the other in fear. Strangers out there, let's bridge the gap between us, stop the killing and hate and pointing of blame and of prejudice. Put down your FEAR and your SWORDS and build a foundation for a people .........a foundation made of rock. We may first SCARE each other with the LIGHT of the other. LIGHT is scarey at first.....It is bright and it is not the same as the darkness in which we dwell. I know someone out there understands me???
Firefly
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
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