One country with two flags and many contradictions..

When war began in 2003, I remember a speech on TV. Promises to be impressed within 6 months, as a kid at that time, the first thing I thought about was "Disney land", bright future, supermarkets, and big playing yards and similar things, I had many dreams and ambitious of a developed country, I believed in politicians as kind people, I believed we'll be the 51st state, and such lies!!
Now after 6 years of living in a war zone, I didn't see any good thing happening in my life,.. it breaks my heart to see the good people getting killed or leaving the country and the bad ones taking over the control stealing and doing horrible things that makes the Iraqis reputation worse, it kills me to hear the politicians lying and mentioning how many millions they spent so far "rebuilding" , they lie publicly and don't feel ashamed ..
The huge changes in my life since war are horrible, it makes me sad to see the Iraqi cities destroyed and it's people are living in horrifying situation, the politicians tempt poor ,uneducated people by giving them food and blankets. They encouraged people to perpetrate some rituals like weeping in "religious occasions" in order to distribute backwardness, to camouflage them , make them busy and not pay any attention to the country robbing.. the people in the world don't understand that those people don't represent the Iraqis, and think we are responsible in somehow, but the truth is, we are powerless, no matter how we try to change the situation we can't make a phenomenal change..
Anyway, Iraq is in a tremendous chaos , destroyed, but not in the northern part in Iraq, is developing, I feel happy whenever I see Kurdistan al Iraq (the northern part on my country), but in the same time my heart ache because I didn't see the same thing happening in the rest of Iraqi cities. all the good things happened in the Kurdish cities, and all we got is fear, death, hunger and blood , war took place everywhere except Kurdistan, we hope and pray all the cities will be developed the same..
Health issues :
The hospitals in Iraq witness lack in electricity, medicines, and staff, as the doctors were threatened and went to Kurdistan, or left Iraq ..
The patients lay on the dirty floors, even those who are dying, in our hospitals kids who need operation lay on the floor waiting for their turn, you'd see long queue of kids, sick, thin, and poor ..
The hospitals are so dirty and full of insects, many sick people can't find a bed and lay on the floor, even those who just had operations and need comfortable positions, there's no good staff , and lack of every necessary thing, there's no respect for humans..
While in the north of Iraq (Kurdistan), most of our good Drs. Had to work there, the hospitals are so clean, have great equipments, and electricity the whole time, the patients are treated well and have a good care.
People believe that The Drs. Who were threatened, were threatened by Kurds " either you work in our hospitals and we'll provide you with money and good life, or you'll get killed " many refused to be forced to live in Kurdistan in this way, even if they'll get high salaries and left Iraq .. we lost many good Drs.
Education
Our students suffer a lot, in winter we freeze, and in summer we can't tolerate the high temperature without electricity.. without air conditions and heaters, without even a light . adding to that, the crazy situation, the killing and threatening, it is so hard to concentrate while there are so many things going on around us !
Don't forget the closed roads and bridges, sometimes we have to walk for long distance. The educational staff is not good at all, the teachers are out of temper (most of them), and sometimes explain in a wrong way, and we (the students) correct for them. We have no computers, laboratories, good desks, we have no electricity at school, no heaters or fans, no water in WC !! everything is horrible and make it even more harder to concentrate . the windows in our classes broke during many explosions, so sometimes in winter the rain wet us and our copybooks!, and when there's sandstorm students inhale the sand.the same thing in collages, our professors are not good, the good ones left to work in Kurdistan ..
My relative is a professor. He got an opportunity to work in Kurdistan but he refused, after couple of days he got a threaten to leave his city!! Everyone knows those threats are on purpose, so our good professors and doctors leave to Kurdistan .. everyone knows that ..
In the 6th grade, our students most get about 95% par to go to medicine collage, and our curriculum and questions are really hard, and you know through my writing how much did I study in order to get high par ..

While in Kurdistan, the staff is good, they have electricity, security which is the most important thing. They don't have to worry how much they'll have to walk in order to reach school, and don't even think if they'll miss school because of a curfew..
Everything is going smoothly for people in Kurdistan. My friend is Kurdish and lives in Kurdistan, she said " you are living in hell, thank god we don't live like you guys otherwise we would leave our schools !
The students need only 86% par to join the medicine collage, their curricula easier than ours, specially Arabic and religion curricula they are sooooo easy
The Kurdish students can study in our collages, while Arabs can't study in their collages (every year only 2 students can join their universities).

the people who graduate from medicine, dentistry and pharmacy have to serve for two years in other cities far away from their cities, and if they take the certification or MSc. they have to LIVE in other cities fore ever, this is the new system , but Kurdistan have different set of laws..
Entertainment:
Our kids and youth feel bored, there aren't any safe place they can express themselves in .. there are only few play yards with simple toys in few neighborhoods. There aren’t any entertainment cities (the one we have doesn't work, no one look after the toys or fix the old ones), there's only a swimming pool (which I don't find clean, it's for boys) , we don't have malls like Kurdistan, and the amusing places we have are few. And kids spend their time playing in streets or watching TV.
Someone must look after those young women and young men, they are the people who'll re-build Iraq, someone must guide them and provide the city with youth centers..
In Kurdistan, there are fabulous restaurants, play yards, children cities, wonderful malls and swimming pools, stadiums, and gorgeous gardens ..

(kurdistan's pics)

(Iraq's pics)
Economy
At least 25% of the Iraqis are under the poverty line, can you imagine that?? in the richest country in the whole world.
In Muthana city the people who are under the poverty line form 49%, in babil they form 41%, in salah al Deen the ratio reaches 40%.. while in Dhook it is only 9%, and in both of Arbil and Sulaymaniyah it is 3% (the source is middle east journal) ..
I noticed the huge difference between our financial state and theirs, when I visited Kurdistan the majority of cars models were2009 and 2008 !! so expensive. And the prices there are also high, which means their salaries are much higher than the salaries here..
Policy
Iraq has 18 governorates, as a united county we must have one constitution, one flag, one government, and the same loyalty, for Iraq .. but the northern part of my country have it is own president and government, different rules and different constitution, and different flag !
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The Iraqi citizens (Kurds and Arabs) love each other, and both of us are unhappy and not satisfied for what's happening ,I am sure they sympathize with us and want us to live peacefully and happily like them . I have lots of Kurdish friends, some of my relatives married to Kurdish women/men, I love their culture a lot, and find them very simple people.. I am frustrated from the GOVERNMENT which is trying to separate us by making such huge differences between our life and theirs.
But you know what? They won't succeed, because the Iraqi citizens will always remain united, we feel glad to see the Kurdish citizen the way they are right now, we'll be even more happy to see them better, and wish one day Iraq in general will be free, developed and nice ..
Sunshine