perspective piece

I just wanted to share with you a part of a nomadlife Blog post I read from a another girl's blog, Sarah, who is doing a traineeship in Istanbul. The entry is from this past March.

PS> For the Americans getting this email, a kind of interesting aspect of my life: I take a shuttle to work everyday with about 8 co-workers who start at the same time as me. Two of them are brothers and are from Iraq. One of them has lived in Turkey for 12 years, but the other just arrived from Baghdad about 5 months ago. He wanted to leave earlier but because of the regime, he wasn't allowed to. We have talked a lot about what it is like to live in Baghdad now. I have always just imagined the city in ruins, but the way he explains things and living there, it's amazing how they live daily life and work and go to school or what not and how 'used' they all are to war surrounding them. We talk also a lot about their opinions on the war. Both of them are mixed about what is going on and how it will work out and what is right...and they say, the people are just so confused, after years and years of mess, they do hope for restoration of the country and standard of living and growing economy. Well never-the-less, it's great to get to know them, they are smart and intelligent and so nice.

I've met quite a few people from the eastern part of Turkey, but only one guy from Iraq, and I met him in Istanbul. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to talk because I had to catch a bus and he was really self-conscious about his English. Okay, so it wasn't that good, and we couldn't really have an in-depth conversation; but I just wanted to second Sarah's compliments, because of how personable he was.