Today, Oct 27, 2008 is a special day for two of my Iraqi friends, Omar and Mohammed. They leave on a flight to America to start a new life! I know it's a day of mixed emotions for them. I can't imagine leaving my homeland for what may be the last time. I can't imagine the bad experiences they've had here in Iraq, and I can't imagine the uncertainty that they must feel.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you about these guys. Omar has been working here in the Embassy for as long as I've been here. He appears to be about 25 years old. His "office" space has been in a hallway, in a bit of a cubbyhole under a flight of stairs. He has managed our version of "kinko's", a little space equipped with 4 copy machines. Whenever we need copies, we head down the stairs and sign them in with Omar, and he dutifully makes all our copies. He always greets us with a smile and a friendly nod from across the counter. When he's not busy with copies, we see him studying his Arabic-English Dictionary. He speaks very good English, it's evident that he has studied hard.
Omar lives in Baghdad with his mother and 2 younger brothers. His father is dead, a victim of the violence in Iraq. Every day Omar gets up at 5:30 am so he can report to work in the Embassy at 8:00 am. You see, he has to be very careful as he comes to work, or else he could be targeted by the anti-American insurgents who have killed hundreds of Iraqis who have worked with/for the Americans. Omar, his mother and 2 younger brothers will be leaving for America today, together, to start a new life. He has studied "business administration" in Iraq and hopes to continue those studies in America.
Mohammed has been working in another office where he's been the "jack-of-all-trades". He did everything from wash the cars to repair our computers. Unlike Omar, he's been living in the Green Zone, with a greater degree of safety for several months. He made a sign for me, with my name and title in Arabic and English. It sits proudly on my desk today, and will return home with me in a few weeks.
Both of these young guys head off to America today. I don't know many details, but some agency or non-profit will be waiting for them in the States. I think they are both headed to Atlanta. Their sponsor agency will meet them, and help them get started. I can't imagine how they feel today!! There must be a huge mixture of hope, anticipation, uncertainty and sadness.
It makes me think now of my ancestors who sailed across the ocean to start their new lives in our great land of freedom and promise. America has been a beacon of hope to people from all over the world for centuries. It makes me appreciate, even more, the fact that I am an American.
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This is such a great blog! I have a friend in the 1/25th ID operating out of Diyalah Province, it's so awesome to read first-hand eperience in development there. I'm in a Civil Affairs unit in the Army; we trained with the 1/25th at NTC this summer and I know they'll be doing a lot with development. I would love to chat with you about your experiences working with the Army, particularly CA- we're always training and working on ways to improve. My email address is on my blog.
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