Simple pleasures and heartbreak - all in a day’s work…
Talk about simple pleasures. Today, I made my assistant a big, sloppy Wendy’s-like hamburger and watched as he ate it - the first he’d ever eaten in his life. He pronouced it good and said that most Iraqis think because hamburgers are called “ham” burgers, they think they’re made of ham and therefore would never eat one. He was so happy to eat something new and different and for me, it was such a pleasure just watching him learn about something new. I told him that hamburgers seem to be one of America’s biggest exports and also one of it’s most dubious, health-wise. We had a chat about American culture and food and he said that if McDonald’s ever came to Iraq, they would make a fortune. In this climate unfortunately, it would be bombed by the extremists before ever opening. Perhaps not a bad thing!
This afternoon, we were looking at the statistics of schools that have recently been rehabilitated. I was interested in knowing how many boys schools vs. girls schools have been rehabbed. Given the current situation, I thought perhaps girls schooling would not have priority and therefore fewer would have been rehabilitated. I was glad to find out my thinking was wrong.
While discussing education however, my assistant began telling me that his father and his grandfather were both teachers and that he comes from a long and distinguished line of educators going back to the Ottoman empire. With tears in his eyes, he told me that the clerics are now influencing what Iraqi children are learning and that he fears my premise that educating girls would decline as time goes on will probably become reality unless something is done to stop these “madmen”.
I asked him how things are going right now in Baghdad. He told me that yesterday “only” twenty dead bodies were found. This down from the usual sixty to one-hundred that are usually found scattered around the city on any given day. He said the worst thing though, is that while things are getting better, he believes those that have been carrying out this violence are simply waiting for the US to pull out because our Congress has said we won’t stay here…
He along with every Iraqi I’ve talked to are just sick about this. They don’t want us here forever - but they do want us to stick around long enough to give them time to get things right. Iraqis are stoic by nature and to see him sitting here with tears running down his cheeks was heartbreaking.
I would ask that you continue to put pressure on the Congress and media to do the right thing. This situation appears to have become so politicized pretty much it seems along party lines which is very sad to me. Continue to pray too for wisdom for our leaders both in the States and our military here.
Peace to all!
