Life in Baghdad

Second letter dated at 1 July 03

Dear friends,

If you wonder why I haven't sent you anything lately; well, I started writing a long letter a week ago but while describing the extremely bad situation we were in last week (All Baghdad stayed without electricity for more than 3 days with very weak water or none in some places, plus a big fuel shortage for generators and cars), I was listening to the coalition broadcasting for the Iraqi people. They ware talking about all low priority stuff like printing "New passports" for Iraqis, Mr. Primer attending a Symphony for the Iraqi Symphony group, and such stuff, without any mentioning of the fact that about 5 million people were living under a temperature of 47 degrees and without electricity and water for three days :-/ You know, I reviewed my "dream list" back then; there was no "New passports" in it. It just contained three simple wishes: Electricity, Water, and Security.

(This will make a nice motto instead of the old famous "Unity, Freedom, and Socialism", I might as well start a party of my own with this motto. It will sure make me very popular).

Are such wishes to much to ask in the new millennium, and when you are under the occupation of the greatest power in the world?

If you say be patient. Well, apart from the last 23 years, remember the ex-regime has fallen for about three months now.

Back to the letter I intended to write. So while listening to these great news, I felt so desperate and frustrated (Not from the Americans actually, but from the situation we are in), that I simply tore the message.

The situation here is getting more complicated. You are hearing about the killing of the US soldiers every day. Neither me, nor anyone I know agrees to this.

This should not be the way to solve thing. It is only making things worse. US soldiers are getting so tense in dealing with people. If such acts are not stopped, we will never have peace.

There are also the destructive acts being done by unknown groups. They are destroying vital resources like electricity, water, and oil pipes.

Some say they are people loyal to the ex-regime, trying to make things so bad to make people hope for its return.

Others, say they are from Iran, just damaging the country.

Some even say that they are done by the Americans to keep people busy with such stuff (A policy that the ex-regime used to follow).

I, personally, am getting more convinced by the first opinion.

What depresses people here is that there seems to be no short-term solution to all this. Electricity, water, and oil pipes are an easy target and hence we will always feel threatened, specially when we think of July and August ahead. "The true heat is yet to come".

Nevertheless, we have no choice but to wait and see if the promises being given to us will be fulfilled, and lets only hope for the best.

As for other aspects of our life here:

- Do you know that the number of newspapers reached 73 and the count is increasing. The same for Parties. We have two persons claiming the throne (if there will ever be one). People here have no respect for almost all of these parties. Most of them just took the buildings they like illegally and make them their centers. Imagine a party steals a building when it starts and expects to be respected.

- The best job for anyone now is selling cold Pepsi on the road. The customers are often US soldiers trying to survive the heat. The amount of Pepsi trucks you see being unloaded everyday is incredible.

- Finally, the mobile network, which is being installed by MCI, has started working. It is still limited now but it is supposed to extend to public use mid-July. Thy funny thing is that our code is the same as New York. So we are considered as if we are in New York!!!!!!! I will try to get a mobile soon. Then you can call me with very cheap prices because international calls to the US is always the cheapest and as you know - We are in NY :-)

Regards,