Back to Baghdad
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(Before the Trip) >>> The first call to my home phone number
Yayeeeeeee .... the first time since 27/3/2003 I managed to call my home phone number after a couple of trials. I tried to call others but without any luck.
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bahirjala :: ١٨.١.٠٤::
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(Before the Trip) A call to baghdad
The family is fine. The petrol crisis is settling down, but the gas bottles and the kerosene problem is still there. I asked him about the Saddam capture event. He said that everyone was celebrating the event "Ayamkum Saidah" the Eid's greeting was the greeting at that date but they put Saddam’s issue behind.
My brother M. is going to visit Iraq in March, may be, for some time.
My cousine Salah has visited Iraq after a 25 years of absence and came to see his aunt (my mum).
The phone lines are back but there are difficulties in making international phones or getting them. The mobile phone saga is in chaos. I asked him to wait until everything is confirmed and when mobile phones become a standard commodity.
The dinar value is climbing over the dollar.
I later called my aunt Zahra and asked her about the family. That was my first call to her in 4 years. Her eldest son is working as a trade person, and the youngest one as a civil engineer with the UN in Nasyria. Her son in law was killed in one the American raids on the insurgent camps. I don't know the guy but I think that he was one of the Salafies that I already reject as a way of life and thinking.
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bahirjala :: ١٦.١.٠٤::
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(Before the Trip) The New Year Break
I couldn't blog for the past days. I was working through the xmas/New year break so nothing exciting. I managed to get hold of K. to arrange my seminars in Baghdad. No rigid dates for the trip yet.
As for the news, I can recall
- The bombing of Nabil restaurant in Arasat/Baghdad and the death of 8 Iraqis.
- Um-Altubool Mosque demonstration after ceasing a cache of weapons and arresting the Sheikh and 20 of wahabi followers.
- Many people coming from Iraq mentioning that the trip is safe but getting tedious at the Jordanian boarder.
- I had a call from an old friend (Hazem) , late 70's friend, who managed to find my number!! He is Denmark and doing OK
Posted by
bahirjala :: ٧.١.٠٤::