Blog from Baghdad - Aug 12 - Come work in Baghdad and get 169 paid vacation days

[spindoctor]

I found this blog from what appears to be a very normal guy trying to get by in Baghdad. Thought it interesting and did an English translation for you people here.

Curfew

As you know, I am a civil servant and I have to work, or should work five days a week. Well, that doesn't happen in our new Iraq.

I'm not to blame and neither is our government. We put the blame on democracy. Because this is how democracy operates over here. Doesn't democracy mean the majority rules? Well, our majority doesn't want to work more than a hundred days! How is that possible? Allow me to explain.

You know that our leaders all have a religious background. In other words, people vote for them because they are members of the clergy and ayatollahs in the most democratic fashion (elections). And there we are...the results for the whole world to see.

Let's return to the question why I and all other employees don't work five days a week. As it happens, we have a whole string of grandchildren of the prophet, who we must honor by contemplating the days they were born, went to battle or died. Then there are the prophet himself and some of his cousins.

All these sacred men should be roll models for us. We should follow in their footsteps and halt in their memory. The elected government decided to give each of those saints their own national holiday. Shouldn't the government be loyal to these priests? Why not? That's the reason for their election. It's the only position they take, it's the only reason people vote for them. These days our dead priests are more important to our leaders than the living Iraqi.

We have 169 holidays in Iraq and some of them are so important that they require a security plan to have them take place in an orderly fashion. This means instating a curfew to prevent car bombings and suicide attacks, and that means more days off, like today in Baghdad.

Another memorial day for one of our infallible saints is coming up and all the big shots are talking about this event. It is considered more important than the real problems this country is dealing with, like the shortage of electricity, water, gas, education or safety. The success of this holiday is more important than anything else. All other problems can wait or go to hell.

Today is my third day of sitting around the house doing nothing, watch tv and write. Thank God I had the good fortune to buy fuel, food and fruits one day before the curfew. Others were unable to buy these things because the most democratic government in the Middle East lies to its citizens. How? They announce there will be a curfew as of 10 PM on Wednesday, but then they suddenly move it up to 7AM. For safety reasons. Long live this freedom!!! And unfortunately people will miss the boat. God knows how they manage.

If you want to work less than four months in a year and still want to get paid full-time, you are very welcome in the New, Democratic and Liberated Iraq.

My wife

Baghdad, August 7 - I spoke about many things here. It is time I write about the life my wife is living here in Baghdad.

I will write exactly what she said. No more, no less.

"Actually I didn't want to live here under these circumstances. What's more, at first I refused to go to Baghdad. But I also hated not being with you. I couldn't stand the thought of you living in Baghdad, where people die like vermin for no apparent reason, while I was in Kirkush. I tried to stop you, but you had no choice because of your work. I praise God you have a job, so I won't complain. I know what the Iraqi go through."

"All day I am home. I work, clean and cook. Especially the mornings are long, because I am alone, without distraction. We don't have electricity, so no tv. Sometimes I listen to the radio. But this gets me down: Nothing but depressing news. And then there is that deadly heat. I can't turn on the generator by myself, so I have to wait for you to come home. The whole time I call my family from my cell phone. But they don't have anything uplifting to report either, because they live in the same hell."

"When I am done working, I try to get some rest. You can't call it rest. I think a lot about my life. My head is filled with questions. When can we leave Baghdad? When can we go outside without fear? How long do we have to wait for this hell to end? And most importantly: When will I be a mother? All my life I wanted to be a mother. I understand that you don't want kids now. But you should consider my feelings."

"I want a baby more than anyone. People don't know why we don't have kids. They think we can't have kids, I can see it in their faces when we talk to them. That hurts. We have so many problems, why make it worse?"

"My life in Baghdad is so empty, especially when I am home alone. When you come home from work it is the start of a new part of the day. I prepare supper, we talk about your day, about what I did, to who I talked and the latest news from Kirkush, because every day I call with my family. What else we do depends on your mood. When you're in a bad mood, forget it."

"For that reason, but other ones too, I pray to God for your safe and happy return. Every day I hope to hear you tell me: Hey, let's leave Baghdad!"

Dear readers, tell me what I should do. She is completely right, but I feel helpless. Should I quit work, stay at home and get sick? Should I flee Iraq? Should I meet her wish and let her have a baby in this hell? Please, answer me!


29 year old Al-Attar blogs from Baghdad. In a country on the verge of collaps, he is a true Iraqi. He has Kurdish, Turkmanian, Suni and Shi’ite blood.

[spindoctor]

1. Shameless self kick.

This one went over the fold before most of you were awake yesterday.

I know its not all blood and guts but this guy paints the real picture of day to day life in middle class Iraq today.