…can’t you drive a car if it’s not registered in your name? Say if it’s your parents’ or spouse’s? I CAN’T DRIVE MY DAD’S CAR BECAUSE OF THIS STUPID NEW LAW!!! ARGH!

It’s been around eight years since I left Mosul. I never visited again. I lost touch with all my friends, teachers and everything, and it never really occurred to me that I might hear back from anyone ever again. I guess I was wrong. After starting a book drive to help fund the University of Mosul’s Library, it happened that my contact person is related to one of my best friends back then and knows many other acquaintances. We are still talking and discovering we know fulan and fulan person. It’s simply amazing. I’m just wishing for the day where I can actually go back and see everyone again.

1. “So we are waking up tomorrow at 7 am to watch the final match, OK?”

2. “WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

3. “That Zaidan kid is the most conceited boy ever”

4. “Dinner with Rashid Khalidi on Feb 29th”

5. “Not RJ again!!”

6. “SHAWERMA REEM IN 26 DAYS”

7. “Prions are very evil”

8. “I am germophobic; even from myself, I don’t drink from the same spot twice”

9. “Lightning DOES strike twice.”

10. “Why am I always the only white person in a totally brown room??”

11. “Ski trip in Vermont in 2 weeks!”

12. “Menopausal women don’t make estrogen, because there are no follicles, and therefore, no aromatase is made to turn the ketone to an alcohol”

12. “I miss fuddruckers”

13. “I reeaaaaalllly hope I get the internship in Brussels”

14. “Istanbul with the coolest people ever May 17-27 2008″

15. “Finally there is one decent Jordanian movie; Captain Abu Raed”

16. “College food sucks. A lot”

17. “When is that rambling hal going to put pics of new haven in her picture game? People have to see how gorgeous Yale is!”

18. “New Haven sucks. and forever will.”

19. “It’s Sex Week at Yale! The first lecture is on sex and chocolate!”

20. “More than words is the best song EVER!”

21. “Did you say Spice Girls performing in NYC? I thought those were extinct!”

…when it’s 5:09 pm and the sun is still up. Seriously. After living in Edinburgh for three weeks, where the sun rises at 9 and goes down by 4, this is PARADISE.

On another note, it’s the third week of school and I have TONS of reading. Not really looking forward to it. Why aren’t our brains like computers where we can put the book in and just have it stored?

I’m heading back to NYC in a couple of hours. For once, I really wish my flight will be delayed for a lengthy period. I could really use a few more days of holiday after the most intense semester till now.

My mom always used to tell me that we would go back someday. Someday. She never went on to more than that. Not being in that place was definitely not an easy task for a seven year old. My dad told me before we left, “In Iraq, you won’t be enjoying all the privileges you are currently enjoying.” The content of his warning belied the challenges I would soon encounter, and I was simply too young to know otherwise.

My first transition was to get over my childhood addiction: Macaroni and Cheese. I used to cry and cry begging for those delicious cheese-covered pasta pieces. The solution to the problem came out a bit simpler than I would have expected: Macaroni and red soup. Being my grandma’s favorite, the busy professor she was, she put the effort to make me a delicious dish of macaroni and soup. It was heavenly. For years, my mom tried to make it for me, but I never actually liked it. When I was sad, mad or sometimes even just hungry, I would ask grandma to make me her best dish.

My second transition was to start school. Arabic School. Although I was seven, I was able to realize that my new school was a “tad” bit crappier than my school in the US. However, that was the least of my problems; I had a new language to learn. I can vividly remember jumping on my bed crying while my mom was trying to soothe me and get me to wear the horrendous blue and white uniform for school. All I wanted is to go back. Go back to where we made delicious deserts in class and go play in our awesome playground. But alas.

Another important skill I had to learn was to “extend” to my extended family. For the past seven years, I had lived with my parents and my two younger siblings. Adding another 9 families to my life was overwhelming to say the least, especially when you are expected to perform well and behave. It didn’t turn out quite well. I broke the sink of my grandpa’s bathroom a month after I got there; I fought with most of my cousins, and gave the bad boy impression to almost everyone. It was quite embarrassing, especially for my parents, since I was “mraba terbayeh amreekiya” [American raised.]

Yet, my experience was not all negative. Iraqi TV, my only source of entertainment, was extremely crappy and full of Saddam being praised, boasted only two channels. I recently realized that it’s not a bad thing over all. I spent less time watching cartoons like I did back in America (you got to blame Nickelodeon for that) and more time exploring the strange new world of Family traditions, Arabic and Islamic culture and the costumes and rituals that I have never seen before. Moreover, I discovered it was possible to live without certain items I once considered indispensable to my happiness.

Twelve and a half years later, I am back. I am on the shuttle that is taking me to Fort Collins, Colorado as I write this. I’m excited and scared at the same time. I never expected this. It just happened. I guess mom wasn’t wrong after all.

This was written on Nov 18, 2007

…is in 13 days. Please come fast.

Details later.

“you tube صدر كبير

jordanian porn”

Yep, I found this today in my dashboard. I wasn’t in my best mood, but this definitely made my evening. Now tell me, what is so special about Jordanian porn? Are the people there super sexy or something? Not that I know of such a phenomenon or anything. lol. On another note, I found a new way of procrastination: youtube-ing cartoons. I just realized how much my perspectives on things have changed.

ps. Jasmine is hot!

Je suis malade d’école et veux retourner à la maison. Je manque beaucoup de choses, d’une manière plus importante mes amis et famille. Je souhaite que j’aie eu des images pour me rappeler les vieux jours, mais malheureusement j’ai oublié de les apporter avec moi. *sigh*