A Star from Mosul

Najma, Thank you so much for the warm Thanksgiving wishes. Listening to you talk about how cold your water is and how you are still trying to study even though your school is not in session and having to make due without your usual luxuries reminds of another young girl who perservered against adversity. Her name was Laura Ingalls Wilder. She wrote a series of books about her life as an American pioneer in the late 1800's known as the Little House books. The most famous title was Little House on the Prarie and talked about a time when her parents moved from Wisconsin to Kansas to start a better life. The series chronicles Laura's life from when she was a mere 5 years old until she was grown and married with a baby. The one volume that I am thinking of in reagrds to you is titled "The Long Winter". Laura's family was living in South Dakota and were experiencing one of the worst winters ever to be recorded in history. They had continuous blizzards for 7 months and the town was unable to get food or supplies. The townspeople had to team together and contrive in order to survive. Their "winter" is similar to your "war". It was beyond their control and they had to get creative just to survive. Some here may think that the "Little House" books are for a younger reader than what you are, but I would definitely recommend those stories if you are able to get them. There were nine books in all in the series and even now, as a 38 year old woman, I find there are great lessons there.
Take care and keep studying, you are a smart girl.

Hi Najma,

I posted a letter yesterday in that other place but I'm not sure you read it. I'm posting it again below, in case you care. But today, actually all I wanted to say is, maybe the opposite of what I said yesterday. I just want to say, don't worry too much, try to live your life, all these things - politics, war, groups figthintg - is not important. What's important is that you be safe and have a nice life. All the best. Sleep well.

[My letter from yesterday]
I'm from Brazil, very far away, but I've been reading iraqui blogs for some time.
I was against the occupation of Iraq in the beggining, not because I supported Saddam, but mostly becauseitt was done in a reckless way, I thought that it could end in more terrorism or even civil war. Even it this seems partially correct, now I changed my views about it a bit. I think it was a good thing to end Saddam's rule, and I think that it is about time that Arab countries become democratic and stop supporting terrorism. It would be better if there was no need for a war to do that, but now it's too late.
I think that there is no way now that Iraq should be left alone to fight terrorists, Islamic fanatics and other people who do not want democracy in Iraq (the US leaving now would probably result in more chaos). In the end, democracy will be good for Iraq, perhaps not only for some groups that are losing part of their power (Ba'ath and Sunnis).
The American soldiers are not perfect, the US made many mistakes in the war that made it lose its popularity, and also, Iraquis didn't chose the war, the US did. Also, I'm sure that there are many groups competing against each other, it's not only Zarqawi's Army of Darkness vs. US army, that's an illusion. But you, also, should have no illusions: there is at least a group of people who are religious fanatics and wouldn't hesitate in killing innocent people, even Iraqis. Who is putting all these bombs? Why? Why all innocent foreign workers killed while asking for "occupation troopos" to go away? I don't know if they're the "Jihadis" or what you call vandals, but they are not acting just for fun: they do not want democracy, they want a dictatorship, and they will kill not only Americans, but all that are in their way. Iraqui muslims included. Car-bomb explosions in busy markets don't chose victims.
As for foreing agents, if they exist, I think they're coming mostly from Iran or Syria.
Of course, I don't want to say that I know more than you, because you're there and I'm here. But I just don't want you to lose hope, or start to think that it was better if Saddam was back, or even support the "insurgents". I would like you to vote, then again, I think that if I was there and there were explosions all the time and there was an actual danger of dying in the process, well, I suppose I would think twice about it.
I understand that it is a very different thing for us who are arguing here in the Internet if the war was morally right or not, from so far away, in the comfort of our homes, while you are ther in the middle of a war zone, hearing bombs and explosions. So I will not judge you. I hope you keep safe, and I really hope that the situation gets better and that Iraq becomes a peaceful and stable democracy. Nobody said it was going to be easy.

Najima--You might enjoy the "Harry Potter" series of books. Even as a leathery, tough as nails, forty year old guy, I sure did....

To warm cold water without electricity so it doesn't hurt your teeth, put some in a plastic bag and then hold it between your thighs are under an armpit.... It will warm to body temperature soon enough...

Please be safe...

Nahjma

glad to hear things are getting better

alan

There are so many things I would like to say to you after reading your last posts,but I don't want to add to the conflict or confusion.You are an inteligent person,and I think as time goes on things will get better.Though I am a Christian,I am not very religous.There is a saying I like,"Spiritual people inspire me,but religous people scare me." Often people fear what they don't understand. I hope the Internet can promote more understanding and less fear. I wish you well,and Gods blessing on your house.

To warm cold water without electricity so it doesn't hurt your teeth, put some in a plastic bag and then hold it between your thighs are under an armpit.... It will warm to body temperature soon enough...*shudder*... that sounds like a prank some people used to play when I was a child: putting a cold can of soda, or an ice cube down the back of your shirt or into your pants to make you scream.

Wouldn't it be easier to just fill a container with tap water and leave it on the counter to let it warm to room temperature before using it?

Nice to see your daily life again! I agree with Shawn, though. When I saw the suggestion to put the bag between your thighs so it wouldn't hurt your teeth, I started laughing! I could see you jumping around yelling and everybody trying to figure out what's wrong.

But if the water is too cold for your thighs, you can put it in your mouth and keep it by your teeth til it gets warm there, right? Oh, wait a minute...

Jeff

Hello Najma,

I have been visiting Hnk's blog for a while and I have been reading yours more recently. I was sorry to see that she has decided to not accept comments anymore, but I understand. Some people left some very unkind comments.

I am very impressed with your writing ability. You are very talented. Considering that English is a second language for you, I am actually quite amazed at your skill!

Thank you for wishing your readers a happy Thanksgiving. I gathered together with many family members yesterday and we had a very nice dinner. I actually thought of people in Iraq like you, your sister, and Raghda of Baghdad Girl while I was eating. In America we have so much that most of us take for granted: food, water, comfortable houses, electricity, and perhaps most importantly, peace and security. As I wrote to Hnk, I am very sorry for what America has done to your country. But what has been done can not be undone. I can only hope that you will some day know the peace that Americans experience every day.

Please keep writing Najma, the stories that you tell are important, and they teach lessons to those who read them. I have certainly learned from you and Hnk. I hope that you are able to return to school soon.

Good Luck!
David

Dearest Najma,

I am away from my place and not in UK at the moment. However, I am still thinking of you and checking your blog time to time. I am very happy to hear that you are in a better mood. Congratulate your friend on my behalf too.

Talk to you soon. Best wishes,
Quizzer

Hi, I would like to thank you for the Thanksgiving greetings. I enjoy your blog very much. I also recommend Laura Ingalls Wilder's series of, Little House On the Prarie, books. I have read them at least 4 times. They are one of my favorites.
I have so many things I would like to ask you, about your country, but I don't know if I should. My son is in the US army, and I am so worried about him. Somehow, when I read your blog I feel close to the situation in Iraq.
I hope you can get together, with your friend, for her birthday. I also am praying that God blesses your country with peace and prosperity, and that our troops can come home ASAP...Cathy

I am one of your many admirers, too! Believe it or not, I think I see the time when there will be peace in your country. That said, I think there are still some bumps in the road.
Some other people suggested some books. I'd like to suggest one, too, only because several girls I know (when about your age) read and liked the novel, "Gone With the Wind," by Margaret Mitchell.

"I've forgot to congratulate you on the thanksgiving yesterday, but it seems like it last for a long time!"

Thank you
It is actually a one-day holiday celebrated on the last Thursday of November. Government, schools and many businesses are closed on Thursday and Friday making it into a four-day weekend.

I have always seen thanksgiving as being the starter pistol at a race. That race is shopping days till Christmas. The Friday following thanksgiving is the busiest of the year with all the stores having sells and giveaways to get shoppers into their stores. The entire holiday weekend is so important, that economist will discuss it at great length on Monday. Who won, who lost, what movies did people go see while they were shopping, and other things.

Thanksgiving is one day of thanking and three days of shopping

I read and appriciate your thoughts and concern for your family and friends. I am sure you wish that things would be better much faster than they are.

I am also sure that your Dad is very worried and afraid for the safety of his family. I am sure he is doing everything he can to protect you and to make things better for you that he can.

I love my children (they are all grown now) and my Grandchildren more than anything in this world. Especially my one and only Grand Daughter, Sarah.

She is three and three/quarters years old (3 3/4). Yet she seems to act about like she is 5 years old. She goes to daycare about 3 days a week. Her Mother works two jobs and is not home much. I am her babysitter the rest of the time.

I can not work anymore because of disabilities. I draw a small pension (retirement check) each month from the company I worked for for 28 and 1/2 years.

We don't have a lot of extra money, we live month to month and do the best we can. Christmas (if you know about that) is usually for the children, toys and presents. We usually don't have many toys or such, but we try and have a good Holiday anyway. Religion is not big in our family, but we do believe in a "God". We try and behave in decent ways and treat others like we would like to be treated.

My hope for the world and your country is selfish. I know that if peace and freedom do not win, my Grand Children will pay the price and suffer.

I can not stand to even consider my "Sweet Sarah" having to suffer or be denied her freedom and her happiness.

If I were 40 years younger I would join the American Military and fight to my last breath to protect my Childrens and Grand Childrens future. But, I am not, I am old and crippled and its all that I can do just to make it each day.

My Sarah makes me get up and to try to make it each day, to bring some happiness and joy to her life and to teach her that life is good but can be hard sometimes. To teach her to be self sufficient and to not depend on others. To teach her that she must educate herself and to prepare for her life. To make herself strong and to be able to adapt and perserve.

Your life now is not as good as it may have been or that you want it to be. You must adapt and perserve.

You will have to depend on your family but you must now start to depend on yourself.

By the way, get yourself a big pot and warm water on the stove. It can be used for many things. My mother always had a big pot of water on the stove and warm bread in the oven. We were very poor and didn't even have an indoor bathroom unill I was twelve years old.

We raised rabbits, chickens and always had a garden. She didn't have an education, (she had to drop out of school when she was 12 year old) to go to work to help her mother when her dad was killed in North Africa in World War Two.

My Dad, went into the U. S. Army when he was 17 years old and made it for the D Day Landing in Normandy. He was wounded pretty bad but survived. He was disabled but worked as a truck driver for almost 50 years.

They were very poor and I was born late to them. But they tried to make sure I had everything I needed and some of the things that I wanted.

We didn't own a home or a house until I was almost 15 years old and only then because of a very generous man that my Dad had hauled cattle for for several years left my Dad an older house in the country when he died. Inn his will he said that my Dad had become a good friend and that he had always done a great job when he worked hauling his cattle to the market and other odd jobs he had done. He said that his daughters had loved and learned alot from my Dad by seeing the way that he worked and raised his one and only son (me).

So you see that I am grateful for all that my parents taught me and gave me. I know that you will be as grateful and love your parents as much as I did.

The situation you are in is not good, noone would like it but be grateful for the things that you do have and try and make do with them as best as you can.

You must continue your education and continue to learn as much as you can about life and the world. Do not close your mind or be hardened by your hardships.

My hope is for all children in this world to grow up and have a good life. A good life much, much better than I or your father has had or our Grand Fathers had.

But it will not come easy or cheaply.

This is my post

Papa Ray
West Texas
USA

I read and appreciate your thoughts and concern for your family and friends. I am sure you wish that things would be better much faster than they are.

I am also sure that your Dad is very worried and afraid for the safety of his family. I am sure he is doing everything he can to protect you, and to make things better for you, that he can.

I love my children (they are all grown now) and my grandchildren more than anything in this world. Especially my one and only granddaughter, Sarah.

She is three and three/quarters years old (3 3/4). Yet she seems to act like she is 5 years old. She goes to daycare about 3 days a week. Her mother works two jobs and is not home much. I am her babysitter the rest of the time. Which I enjoy and cherish.

I can not work anymore because of disabilities. I draw a small pension (retirement check) each month from the company I worked for, for 28 and 1/2 years.

We don't have a lot of extra money, we live month to month and do the best we can. Christmas (if you know about that) is usually for the children's toys and presents. We usually don't have many toys or such, but we try and have a good Holiday anyway. Religion is not big in our family, but we do believe in a "God". We try and behave in decent ways and treat others like we would like to be treated.

My hope for the world and your country is selfish. I know that if peace and freedom do not win, my grandchildren will pay the price and suffer.

I can not stand to even consider my "Sweet Sarah" having to suffer or be denied her freedom and her happiness.

If I were 40 years younger I would join the American Military and fight to my last breath to protect my children's and grandchildren's future. But, I am not, I am old and half-crippled and its all that I can do just to make it around each day.

My Sarah makes me get up and to try to make it each day, to bring some happiness and joy to her life and to teach her that life is good but can be hard sometimes.

To teach her to be self-sufficient and to not depend on others. To teach her that she must educate herself and to prepare her for life. To make herself strong and to be able to adapt and persevere. That is what I am going to do if I live long enough.

Your life now is not as good as it may have been or what you want it to be. You must adapt and persevere.

You will have to depend on your family but you must now start to depend on yourself. You can do what ever you believe you can.

By the way, get yourself a big pot and warm water on the stove. It can be used for many things. My mother always had a big pot of water on the stove and warm bread in the oven. We were very poor and didn't even have an indoor bathroom untill I was twelve years old.

We raised rabbits, chickens and always had a garden. She didn't have an education, (she had to drop out of school when she was 12 year old) to go to work to help her mother when her dad was killed in North Africa in World War Two.

My Dad, went into the U. S. Army when he was 17 years old and made it for the D Day Landing in Normandy. He was wounded pretty bad but survived. He was disabled but worked as a truck driver for almost 50 years. He did not own his own truck until he was 40 years old.

They were very poor and I was born late to them. But they tried to make sure I had everything I needed and some of the things that I wanted.

We didn't own a home or a house until I was almost 14 years old and only then because of a very generous man that my Dad had hauled cattle for for several years. He left my Dad an older house in the country when he died. In his will he said that my Dad had become a good friend and that he had always done a great job when he worked hauling his cattle to the market and other odd jobs he had done. He said that his daughters had learned alot from my Dad by seeing the way that he worked and raised his one and only son (me).

So you see that I am grateful for all that my parents taught me and gave me. I know that you are as grateful and love your parents as much as I did.

The situation you are in is not good, no one would like it but be grateful for the things that you do have and try and make do with them as best as you can.

You must continue your education and continue to learn as much as you can about life and the world. Do not close your mind or be hardened by your hardships.

My hope and prayer is for all children in this world to grow up with an education and have a good life. A good life much, much better than I or your father has had or our grandfathers had.

But it will not come easy or cheaply.

This is my post

Papa Ray
West Texas
USA

So, how do you like fame? When even your friends are impressed, you've made it! And people all over the world read you every day, and wait for your next words of wisdom or casual comments. Pretty soon you'll start believing you're special, and then get snooty and no one will be able to stand you! Unless you get rich, of course. ;)

Brian H asked Najma, So, how do you like fame? When even your friends are impressed, you've made it! And people all over the world read you every day, and wait for your next words of wisdom or casual comments. Pretty soon you'll start believing you're special, and then get snooty and no one will be able to stand you! Unless you get rich, of course. ;)I am sure that Najma would swap her "fame" for security, for not living in a war zone, for being able to return to school without fear, and for having her dead uncle (shot by Americans) restored to her. Her "fame" is attracting also some pretty determined and insensitive attempts by American service family members and others to "groom" her mind to accept what are viewed among Muslim peoples as the decadent values of the West (and especially of America).

In passing, I would say that Gone With the Wind is hardly "literature" and not at all suitable reading for a devout, well-brought-up, young Muslim girl. Faiza, of The Family in Baghdad blog, seems to know quite a lot about English-language literature: she would be a better person to suggest appropriate reading for Najma.
Rachel

Here is a decadent U.S. Military website that has infomation on the coming help for Iraq.

http://tinyurl.com/459kg

This is my decadent post

Papa Ray
West Texas
Decadent USA

"In passing, I would say that Gone With the Wind is hardly "literature" and not at all suitable reading for a devout, well-brought-up, young Muslim girl." (Rachel)

I'm a bit concerned about this observation, specially the "suitable for" and "devout Muslim girl" in the same sentence. What should she read, only the Koran? Books that are not "immoral"? I'm sure that's not what you meant, Rachel, but that's what it sounded like. And "Gone with the wind" might not be "Anna Kareninna" (which is a good book, not sure if for Najma's age), but maybe it's fun. I don't know, I never read it and it's not really my style, although I saw the film a long time ago.

My own suggestions for reading? Humm... I don't know. Alcott's "Little women", Lewis Carrol's "Alice"... When I was your age, Najmaa, I remember having enjoyed books as "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", by R. L. Stevenson, "Call of the Wild" by Jack London, Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn", Poe's and Cortazar's fantastic short stories, Agatha Christie's and Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books, and some science fiction (Asimov, Douglas Adams). But I admit a boy's tastes could be different from a girl's...
And, since I don't believe in any kind of censorship and I think that the language of literature is universal, regardless of race, creed or culture, I would also suggest more "polemic" readings such as "Anne Frank's Diary", Orwell's "1984" and/or "Animal Farm", and Azar Nafisi's "Reading Lolita in Tehran" (altough this last one is probably better for a later age). The other two I read when I was 16. As for Eastern literature, well, I don't know much, but some of the stories from "The Thousand and One Nights" are fun for readers of all ages. Who doesn't like fairy tales?

Najma

well if your looking for something good to read you should try reading lord of the rings, which is a personal favourite of mine even before the films recently which were excellent.

alan

Books "...from authors like Shakespeare, Poe, Dante, as well as well-loved favorites like the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Tarzan and Mars books of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Alice's adventures in Wonderland as told by Lewis Carroll, and thousands of others" are available online at Project Gutenberg

Hey Rachel, have you noticed that Nagma appears to want to step away from the war zone once in a while and talk about the good things in life. Why do you always have to attempt to bring her back? Have you considered that it might be possible that the Americans have no other motive than to step away with her? In other words, if she wants to step away why don't you just let her. And, if you can't add anything positive to the conversation, my suggestion is that you remain silent during that period. Its all about human decency (which I am not convinced you have any concept).

Good to read your words again. Stay safe and hopeful.

"Watership Down" by Richard Adams is, I think, one of the best books I've ever read. It is about the adventures of a group of rabbits - but it's not a little kid's fairy tale. It is very moving - I have read it several times and find different things to admire and think about each time.

"Catch-22" is one of the best American novels of the 20th century, and I think it's very funny.

Since I'm a guy, I might not know what a young girl would want to read. Whatever you read, enjoy it!!

God give you and all Iraq peace and freedom.

Hi, strykeraunt,

Your comments about Rachel does not make you look any better. Practice what you preach, Auntie.