Inside Iraq: Iraqi family typical day

http://washingtonbureau.typepad.com/iraq/2007/06/iraqi_family_ty.html

June 17, 2007
Iraqi family typical day

I’m sure everyone would love to have a vacation but to make it clear for everyone I’m talking about everyone all overt the world but not in Iraqmy wounded country. I was forced since last Wed. to have a compulsory vacation. I stayed home because of the curfew that was imposed after the explosions of the holy shrine in Samaraa city north of Baghdad. I lived the daily suffering of my family for whole three days (I didn’t count Wed because I spend most of the day out). So, I spent full three days with the family started from Thursday until the midnight of Saturday. Here are the activities of me and my family since 8 am until midnight. Its something I can call an Iraqi family typical day.

* The first thing was the daily suffering of the breakfast. My mother were telling my sister and my wife not to waste the cooking gas and to do breakfast for everyone at the same time to save gas because the propane gas cylinder is too expensive (about 30 thousand Iraqi Dinars = 23,8 $ for the cylinder which is really very high price for a propane gas cylinder that lasts for only five days or a week as a maximum period.

* The second activity of the day is the daily cleaning of the house which is a very difficult job because of the lack of water. We had to use the water in the small water tanks that we have which automatically causes a crisis because of the water shortage. I couldn’t have my bath until they finished the daily cleaning which is for my mother more important than my bath. So, for the sake of the family interest, I delayed my bath until after 2 pm.

* During the time since I wake up until 2 pm, I had to live a daily suffering because of the hot weather. We have no electricity and the temperature is about 45 degree centigrade (113 degrees F). At 2 pm, the local power generator starts working for three hours. I could have my bath at last and enjoyed having a nap with my son. I just put him between my arms and slept trying to enjoy the moments of having cool air of my room air cooler in spite of the bad smell of the swage system that flow over. The power generator lasts until 5 Pm. We had it back at 8,00 pm until 12 including a 30 minutes rest for the generator. During the 3 hours, we have to refill the tanks of water and of course, I have to check the tanks to be sure that water flows in order to avoid any crisis.

* From 5 pm until 8 pm. I didn’t know what to do. We didn’t have any electricity power. The weather is too hot to go for a walk with my friends. I kept reading one of the books I have until 8 pm. It was a compulsory reading because it kept me busy and I could avoid thinking about the hot weather.

* From 8 pm until midnight, the whole family watches TV especially the news channels to know the last update about they situation in Iraq. I avoid sitting in the same room with my father who insists to watch the news while I want to see a comic movie or a song just to forget for a while the terrible situation of Iraq.

* The day ends when all the family go to sleep on the roof of the house because the owner of the power generator turns it off at 12 or 12,30 am and its impossible to sleep inside the rooms.

I can say that my three days vacation deserves to be No.1 worst vacation because I experienced the typical Iraqi day.

what a typical day in Iraq was like before we destroyed their country......