I guess it's normal that the longer we are here the more "normal" everything feels. Obviously that is one way to actually stay in a place different from your home country...you adjust and get used to it. Then there are the times when something comes at you and you remember..wow. This is different. Like the lunch with our new Lebanese Palestinian friend that I wrote about in my last blog...or like what we experienced this week....I told Mike it kind of felt like and out of body experience. You know, in your head you're asking yourself..wow, am i really sitting here having this conversation...
Robert was not feeling well this week. In fact, for a couple of weeks he has had this pain in his right side...waking him up at weird times from sound sleep or just popping up during the day... So, after some middle of the night talks with Marsha and my sister I took him to the doctor. :) (It's nice...a)to have wonderful medical friends and family..and b) that they are awake when all your neighbor medical friends are snoozing....:)) So, to the doctor we went.( I don't want to go into all the details...suffice it to say, haven't found appendicitis, place was very clean and we are glad to have a doctor's office we can trust. :))
But, here is what happened...the doctor who did the ultrasound spoke English perfectly..thank You, Jesus. But he was obviously Arab..."So, where are you from?" "Iraq" oh boy. what do i say now..."That's nice" great comeback, huh. "No, it is not nice. I am a refugee from my country. It is never nice to have to be a refugee. They tell me leave or die. They tell me leave or they kill my family..." Ummm... so I am standing there..my little blond boy is on the table and I am thinking Oh man..WHO is THEY???? Does this guy hate me? "I'm so sorry." How long have you been here. ?" Since March. Oh. "I'm so sorry." So is the family here? No. They all live in Jordan. Can't get visas to bring them to UAE. As you can see it is difficult here to know how to navigate certain waters...some hate us, some love us and you really don't know who's who... As we finished up I sat at his desk. I thought we were done..but no, he looked at me and said.."Mistakes are made...." ok, i can take this..."But Saddam Hussein, he hated all Shiites. I am a Shiite. For 22 years I was forbidden to leave my country. No explanation..just not allowed to leave. He was evil. When the troops came into Baghdad, I went to one of the American soldiers and kissed him. " With tears in his eyes he looked at me..and said. "Be nice to Iraqis" And, with tears in mine..."I will." As we left he said "God bless you." and for that I had an answer..."Yes, God bless you as well."
So, with that I could end my blog..but I can't because yesterday Mike and I ate lunch..a 3 hour lunch with 10 Iraqis. It was so fun. Mike's coworker and his wife invited us. and his brother was there with his wife, and his cousin and his wife, and some kids and his oldest daughter...and it was amazing. They were there when the tanks rolled into Baghdad. They were holed up in Falujah..because his father was a retired general and saw the writing on the wall so to speak...and for nine months they prepared a safe house. So once again, Mike and I are not saying a whole lot...love us or hate us? This guy is a wonderful storyteller and said how it wasn't blood in the streets...etc. etc...and how all his Iranian friends said.. We are so happy for you, Saddam is gone. Now if only they would keep coming and do the same for our country. " (uh, no, that ain't gonna happen....) So we sat for 3 hours with stories...and real life...and wondering is this for real? We talked about education...they are way more educated than we are...eek. Talked about family...and sons in college..his is in Cyprus because the UAE won't let Iraqis between 18 and 30 into this country. His daughter is going to Dental school in Falujah( imagine your 20 year old daughter in college in Falujah...whew.)She is just here until Oct. and lives with an aunt and uncle in Iraq,. We laughed about the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding...I told him that he reminded me of the dad...but for him everything is from Iraq...:) He laughed and said but yes, it's true. :) Several times he even used the words...you know where this word comes from? ..the Arabic...dah dah dah. :) What an amazing afternoon.
So we have new friends...and I just wanted to tell you about it.
Will keep you posted on Robert. Still don't know why he is having that pain...
Love you. Mattie
