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►Iraq
Leaving Home
September, 2007
Baghdad Burning
... I'll meet you 'round
the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can
mend...
Two months ago, the suitcases
were packed. My lone, large suitcase sat in my bedroom for
nearly six weeks, so full of clothes and personal items, that
it took me, E. and our six year old neighbor to zip it closed.
Ara Ashjian
I write these
words while I say good-bye to you, my beloved Baghdad. I say
good-bye while the pain and the grief tear my heart and fill
my essence and feeling. You are the city which embraced my
father and other Armenians who survived the Armenian Genocide
in 1915 and provided them with shelter and means of living and
comfort.
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►Baghdad
Burning
Thursday 31
March 2005
Daily car
bombings keep many Iraqis off the streets
A young Iraqi woman, who was one of the
first to start a blog on conditions in the wake of the invasion and
occupation of Iraq, tells Aljazeera.net how life has changed since the
first bombs started falling and martial law was imposed.
Identifying herself as Riverbend on the blog she calls Baghdad Burning,
the 26-year-old computer specialist became distinct from other bloggers
because she offered a refreshing woman's perspective of events in her
city, Baghdad.►Baghdad
Burning
.. I'll meet you 'round
the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...
Thursday, September 06, 2007
river
Leaving Home
Two months ago, the suitcases were packed. My lone, large suitcase sat
in my bedroom for nearly six weeks, so full of clothes and personal
items, that it took me, E. and our six year old neighbor to zip it
closed.
The trip was long and uneventful, other
than two checkpoints being run by masked men. They asked to see
identification, took a cursory glance at the passports and asked where
we were going. The same was done for the car behind us. Those
checkpoints are terrifying but I’ve learned that the best technique is
to avoid eye-contact, answer questions politely and pray under your
breath. My mother and I had been careful not to wear any apparent
jewelry, just in case, and we were both in long skirts and head scarves.
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