Sunday, March 14, 2004
Friday 6/3
Happy news. The kidnapped boy has returned to his family last night. We will go to visit after lunch in order to offer our good wishes for his safe return. His family paid 20,000. That was the final price. They received the money from the father at a predetermined place and hours later released Ammar. Upon his release the kidnappers kissed him and asked him to deliver greetings to his father. We saw Ammar in the evening, he looked good and was smiling. They didn?t hurt him at all. He was locked up in a small room and he was fed well (kebab and chicken). He was held in a house outside Baghdad. We didn?t know if we should laugh or cry when we heard him talk about the kidnappers. In my heart I feel anxiety and fear. Who will stop these people. Till when? Who will be their next victim?
*******
The weather is warm in Baghdad, in fact it is hot. The summer has arrived suddenly. Some remains of cold might show up in the coming days. Then a short spring season will come. Then the summer will attack us. And the electricity outages. Oh God! I don?t even want to imagine that. I hope the electricity situation will improve this summer. Today we will remove some carpets in certain areas in the house, like hallways and such. In the summer we remove all the carpets from all the house including the dining room, the living room and the bedrooms. Carpets give a beautiful and warm look to the house. But the hot Baghdad weather makes us sacrifice the beauty in order to get the cold and naked tiles. I also have put away the warm and heavy blankets, then I will start a campaign of washing and ironing, this will last for several days. Then I will put the blankets into nylon bags to be stored on top of the closets for next year. God willing we will still be alive then.
*****
I received pictures of cities in Australia and the US. Beautiful and amazing pictures. I am so happy to get them. But then I feel sad when I see the destroyed Baghdad. What should I send back? I will look for pictures of Baghdad to place on the website. I hope things get better so that I could take good and beautiful pictures.
[translation by www.ihath.com]
Happy news. The kidnapped boy has returned to his family last night. We will go to visit after lunch in order to offer our good wishes for his safe return. His family paid 20,000. That was the final price. They received the money from the father at a predetermined place and hours later released Ammar. Upon his release the kidnappers kissed him and asked him to deliver greetings to his father. We saw Ammar in the evening, he looked good and was smiling. They didn?t hurt him at all. He was locked up in a small room and he was fed well (kebab and chicken). He was held in a house outside Baghdad. We didn?t know if we should laugh or cry when we heard him talk about the kidnappers. In my heart I feel anxiety and fear. Who will stop these people. Till when? Who will be their next victim?
*******
The weather is warm in Baghdad, in fact it is hot. The summer has arrived suddenly. Some remains of cold might show up in the coming days. Then a short spring season will come. Then the summer will attack us. And the electricity outages. Oh God! I don?t even want to imagine that. I hope the electricity situation will improve this summer. Today we will remove some carpets in certain areas in the house, like hallways and such. In the summer we remove all the carpets from all the house including the dining room, the living room and the bedrooms. Carpets give a beautiful and warm look to the house. But the hot Baghdad weather makes us sacrifice the beauty in order to get the cold and naked tiles. I also have put away the warm and heavy blankets, then I will start a campaign of washing and ironing, this will last for several days. Then I will put the blankets into nylon bags to be stored on top of the closets for next year. God willing we will still be alive then.
*****
I received pictures of cities in Australia and the US. Beautiful and amazing pictures. I am so happy to get them. But then I feel sad when I see the destroyed Baghdad. What should I send back? I will look for pictures of Baghdad to place on the website. I hope things get better so that I could take good and beautiful pictures.
[translation by www.ihath.com]
# posted by Faiza Al-Araji @ 7:34 pm 
