Days of My Life

Talk about daily life of a teenage girl in Iraq, and days of suffering and success. My nick name will be Sunshine..

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Another Ramadan without spirit ..

Hello friends.. I couldn’t publish a post for a while I was busy with my book, it is done now and was edited three times, we also signed the contract with the agent, I hope we’ll find a publisher so that my voice will be heard more in the world, and more people will know the truth about our life in a war zone, our sufferings, the good and bad events, our traditions and life style before and after war ..
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Ramadan changed since the war began, or I can say lost its old spirit, just like everything else in our life . .
People here desperately want the old days back, even if they have to lie at themselves and pretend everything will be ok . people started to go to the markets in the evenings, I can't believe it, it is crazy! If we don’t have security during the day, how can they guaranty their safety during night? in the dark streets?? !!!!!! and we also have curfew !!! beside the terrorists won’t allow this situation to continue they’ll terrorize people and force them to stay home.


And that's exactly what happened terrorists bombed car bombs and mines in the markets, and many people were killed while they were shopping preparing for Eid.
I was hoping that Ramadan will bring peace, but it didn’t, the kidnapping is more now, specially for teenage girls, which makes me feel terrified and worry a lot whenever I leave the house to attend a class.
few days ago I reached home at 4 pm, feeling so tired I throw my books on the bed and went to wash my face with cold water, I heard sound of shouts and yelling, I thought the teenage boys in the neighborhood fought with each other , but it appeared that terrorists kidnapped a man in front of our house, they were armed and no one could say a word or defend him, and what makes me really mad is soldiers were one street away, didn’t they hear the noise? Or it is not their job ?!!!
I felt so afraid because the terrorists were already there when I reached home! Thank god because if I came 5 minutes later I’d witness the kidnapping!
I don’t know when we’ll have a peaceful life...

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Few days ago I saw an interview with the minister of electricity, the interviewer asked him about the lack of electricity and told him how people feel frustrated because of that. He replied “the lack of electricity started two weeks ago .”
I said “WHAT ???!!!! TWO WEEKS? “ Oh my god what a liar?! What about all nights I stayed up studying in the dark carrying a book in a hand and a torch in another? What about all hot summer nights that I couldn’t sleep in when we didn’t have electricity and the humidity was high ?? what about all the nights I froze in winter and couldn't feel my feet. What about the icy water in winter?…. …
We live in darkness, prepare food on torch lights, study, take showers, pray, clean, etc, life without electricity is unbearable, the last thing we need is someone say “their was electricity till the last two weeks”
I wish one day I’ll wake up and hear we got a new honest government..
Sunshine…
Note : my grandparents will come to Mosul to spend Eid with us, i didn't see them for about a year and I can't wait till I give them a huge hug.
And school will start on the fifth of October , I hope I'll be able to go to school easily, and have electricity to study, and the most important thing I pray that the situation will get better so that I can finally concentrate and think about studying only, I'll definitely do the best I can, it'll be my last year in high school :D I am excited…and I'll keep in mind there's difference between being the best and being the best I can so that I don't exhaust myself and effect my eyes and health..

13 Comments:

At 5:33 PM, Blogger John said...

God bless you Sunshine -- please stay safe -- If there's ever anything that your fans can do to help you or your family please let us know!

 
At 3:43 PM, Blogger Captain Jarred Fishman, USAFR said...

You have to remember Sunshine that your neighborhood in Mosul is not the ENTIRE country of Iraq. There has been progress all over the country- unfortunately Al Qaeda is strongest in Mosul. It would help if more of the citizens turned against them like they did in Anbar, Baghdad, Diyala and like the Shia turned against the Mahdi in Basra and Amara. It comes down to your neighbors throwing out the terrorists and depriving them of a place to stay. Why are there no Sons of Iraq in Mosul but there are 100,000 in the rest of the country fighting Al Qaeda?

 
At 5:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am happy to hear that you are ready to publish your book. I hope I will be able to buy a copy. I'm also happy to hear that you will be able to see your Grandparents. I live in Mexico and it has become the kidnapping capital of the world but I have never had a experience like you just did. Please be careful as I know you are.

 
At 7:58 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sunshine, you're a wonderful girl! really! God saves you, Sunshine. I'm Orthodox but I think God is single and everybody is equal. I wish you to be high-hearted! God saves you & your family!

Nastya From Belarus

 
At 11:23 AM, Blogger Rachel said...

Hi sweetheart. I'm so happy that you wrote again. I've missed your posts!

I'm so sorry that your Ramadan has not been the way you would have wished. I am sorry that you are sad -- and I am sad with you --

but at the same time, knowing that a young lady as sweet, smart, and caring as you exists makes me hopeful and happy.

Hugs from Northern Uganda!

 
At 4:14 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Sunshine:

I attended a poetry festival in New Jersey with nearly 100 poets from all over the world and thousands of poetry fans. A poet named Naomi Shihab Nye mentioned your blog during one of your readings and I was so glad because I had never heard of it. I'm sure many others who attended the festival will soon become your fans like I am. Thank you for being so determined and for telling others about what it is like to live under such difficult conditions. I'm sure many people have a hard time understanding what it is like. Perhaps we never will, really, but with your voice available to us, we can at least begin to form a picture in our minds that is different from what we get from television or the internet. Your work with this blog is so important. May you and your family stay health and safe.

 
At 7:37 PM, Blogger Ripama said...

Sunshine,

Good to hear you're making progress with your book among the other things you're dealing with.

Can't wait to read it.

 
At 10:43 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

As always I am very moved by your blog and the situation in which you have to live. I have no doubts you will find a publisher. I am sure many of us (your readers) could assist your agent if you wanted a publisher in the UK or USA. In any case, I will buy a copy of the book when it appears and I'm sure my teenage daughter will want to read it too! Wishing you well, Michael.

 
At 1:58 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I work at a college Sunny so when you get published, I'll see about getting your book into the library. Keep your bright sun shining. Solo

 
At 6:58 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear that your Holidays are not as festive as they had been. I wish there was more I could do besides pray for your safety and happiness.

 
At 7:23 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are such a strong girl. I enjoy reading your blog very much. It has enlightened me to many of the things going on in the Middle East. It provides a human aspect to it that I can relate to. Congratulations on your book. That's an amazing achievement. May God bless and keep you. I'll be praying for you and all Iraqis. Thank you for your blog and your continuous faith and hope.

Your friend in Minnesota,
Sarah

 
At 8:31 AM, Blogger David said...

Hi Sunshine, I am really sorry that Mosul is still such an unsafe city! When you talked about people going out and shopping for Eid, it made me think of parents who wanted to buy nice gifts for their children. When I thought that someone would want to murder these loving parents, it made me both very sad and angry. I do not understand how someone's heart could be filled with so much hate.

I hope that you will enjoy the Eid with your grandparents.

Take care and best of luck with your book!

 
At 4:56 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hope you had a great Eid! I can't wait till your book is published, I definitely want to read it! Don't worry. A safe city, a safe country and a safe world will one day be created.. perhaps by our generation. =] Stay strong and good luck with school! <33

 

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