Stormy (bucket list) day

Wednesday 10th of September

Today, H and I woke up late. She was sick, having pain in the stomach (she has already described what kind of sickness she had in one of her own contributions; I do not need to explain any further). I was just lazy to be totally honest. We woke up about 11, and when H looked out of the window she informed me that it was rain storm at that time. Can you imagine, about 30 Celsius and rain storm? I went to the window immediately to open it, and smell the air. Wow, it was a long time back I smelled something like that. I cannot describe it; a smell of perfection. It was like an ocean; I could not stop inhaling because there were new scents to discover. Have you seen the movie, or read the novel, Perfume? The fragrance the man produced in the novel made everyone in a city reach a state of mind, can almost be described as Nirvana. It was the same for me.

When we arrived the office in Ainkawa, everyone was asking about the sick girl, if she was ok etc. Talk about a collective society. After just attending one hour lecture at PDA, they said that lectures the rest of day were cancelled. We decided to pay a friend a visit in Ainkawa.
In the evening time, about 20.00 we were picked up at our hotel by some friends from Norway. A female friend, her husband, a male friend, H and I. The female friend was studying at the same university as H (UIO- University of Oslo- http://www.uio.no/), while the male friend was studying at a University college (Høgskolen I Oslo- http://www.hio.no/). All four of us, except the female friend`s husband, have some things in common; born in Kurdistan, lived in Norway for many years, and now returned back to our place of birth. I felt mighty proud of us sitting in the cafè resaturant 2B2. Who could ever imagine?

Our female friend moved back here for one year ago, got married to a local Kurd man and is teacher in English. We had a very interesting conversation with her. She informed us (as I knew from before) that those coming into Iraq for the purpose of working are getting twice the amount income as her. She has a higher education than some of the other teachers, and a Norwegian citizenship, and still gets paid as a local. The question is naturally, why? Just because of the basic reason, she is born her and considered as a local inhabitant. And though she has an undergraduate education in English language from UIO, it is not considered as good as the Americans or Englishmen or those with English as their mother tongue. So keep in mind that on this side she is looked upon as a local inhabitant. On the other side, the persons with a higher education diploma in Iraq have a right of 500 usd for serving the country. She is not entitled for this payment either. Why? The only reasons are because she is Norwegian and has an education from Norway. On this side she is considered as a foreigner. It is really motivating the young and newly educated persons like to move back to this country and serve it for a while, right? Should they not change such a policy when the country is in desperate need of expertise? Or am I just d… wrong?

As I have always claimed and will always do; Once a foreigner, always a foreigner.

I think it was an ode day. So much familiar faces, at the same time, such a strange day to experience a smell I have not smelled since way back in the year of 2005. It was like the movie I saw today at our friend`s home in Ainkawa, Bucket list with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholsen. They are acting as two old men (which they also are L), both with cancer and about to die. They make a bucket list over everything they want to do and experience before dying. I had such a day, without neither expecting it nor planning for it.

Thanks for my stormy bucket list, C- the proud foreigner- always and forever.