The following are stories written briefly during my visit to Baghdad between October 27th and November 2, 2003, They arew ore reflective and observatory describing some of thing things I noticed. I thought to share it with many of the people that are interested in the situation in Iraq.

Arriving in Baghdad

I just wanted to send you my regards on day 1 in Iraq. The trip went smoothly and a little excitting, as the charter started landing and you get a sense your on a cheap roller coaster ride at a lutanic partk :)I must say the heart felt welcome was a little unsettling as I was received with one of the most difficult days in Iraq since the occupation forces presence in May. 4 car bombs at least 34 people dead and 232 injured and the list goes on.You must have all heard the reports by now. This is not to mention all the other unexploded car bombs caught before they took few other casualities. So you can imagin the panic as well as the hysteria and fear running in people's lives. Luckly or perhaps unfortunantly for my partners, my presence is a little unsettling as they have to deal with another life to
take care of. The results, office and hotel bound going strictly from the front door, to the car and from the car to the front door of the hotel and so it goes on. It seems people have been living on this kind of routine for over 3 weeks and some for that last few months with minor excursion beyond the walls of the two cells.

I am staying in a low key hotel located in heart of bagdad. The orient they call it. It used to be something of a place I imagine as we you look over the parade of old line of arab singers and actors from Um Kalthoum, Abdel Halim and others. For the first night in three weeks, I was told the local pianist was absent from his place and as few of the only residents we were left to the light of the candels at peace with our wonderful out of Iraq
meals. I feel, I am in one of those movies and images of past experiences keep coming to mind. The nights are long as you are confied to your room counting the mosquitos or looking relently at the TV. Yes we have a TV and
it has four TV stations one of which is LBC, Al Arabyeh, BBC and MBC. It is kind of irnonic as they have restricted it to important faces of our media world. So if any of you was watching last nght any of those channels I was
do. I celebrated my night with a view of friends as I yawned to sleep at 2 in the morning. Only to wake up and again the day so they say begins.

I think one of the things that most struck me so far, is the amount of dust around and the complete shagginess and ihmal the city looks in. The drive from the Airport to the MECC office looks like a nana land with nothing in
the peripheries except broken date trees, occasionally weaponed police officers, few pedestrian hurrying around and long long and keeps getting long wall barrier constructed by the coalition forces around the sity. I was told that this 2 meter cemented wall was recently constructed because of the number of bombs and suicide attacks taking place against the occupiers. It was never there, but driving through it, I remembered the suffocating tunnel built along the Ousazi which was created la hajb al anthar from the shagginess of the city except imagin if it was all over Beirut and people have to live within and with that for security place. As some one mentioned, Bagdad has become one big prison so what's a smaller cell to a less moderately bigger one. I must say, being here for a week will definantly put things for perspective. I hope somehow over the next few days, i can make contact with some groups and others working in the field or at least see and meet
the families of some friends of mine.

Salam
from Bagdad