It's been five weeks since I ran away from the plantation and now I'm back. I haven't yet seen a single farmer nor I have dressed up in my dishdasha and head gear yet. I can't imagine having arrived without anyone noticing so I suspect that some farmers will be coming in an hour or two.
Fozzy and Nahida have been here in charge of things all this time. A month without Nahida has been great. They seem quite well. Fozzy didn't get sick this whole time which is a miracle. The crops they tell me are looking good. Fozzy told me that the farmers have been asking him in whispers when will I return.
Fozzy and Nahida are giving me the impression that all's well. But I'm finding that hard to believe. I'm still trying to expect the worst. This now is supposed to be the least busiest of times of year for the plantation. So whatever went wrong went wrong and that's that.
Friday, July 24, 2009
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4 comments:
"nor I have dressed up in my dishdasha and head gear"
One of the things that makes your blog so interesting to read is the way you operate in two different cultures. It is like living in the 14th and 21st centuries simultaeously.
Don Cox,
To wear a Dishdasha does n't mean the Iraqi people live in the 14t century. Al Dishdasha is specially advented by our grandfathers to suit our hot weather. Also, because of its practicality, the Iraqis wear it in the farm. You know we have two rivers and we are a nation of farmers since the time of Sumerians and Babylonians who succeed wearing the Iraqi Dishdasha to build the first well-established civilisation in the history of man kind .
"To wear a Dishdasha doesn't mean the Iraqi people live in the 14th century."
I was thinking of the whole landowner-tenant-peasaant setup. The local costume is onlt part of it.
On a related point, this garment is as you say suited to the heat; but I always wonder why Iraqi houses are no longer built with the cooling towers which were so effective. Using electric air conditioning is very wasteful by comparison.
The use of electric air conditioner is totally another matter!
It's related to the invasion of technology which takes place everywhere on our planet.
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