2008 Woodie Awards
Inside Iraq
Hassan Kharrufa
Issue date: 2/17/06 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
First, I want to say Happy Valentine's Day to all of you. Although we do not celebrate this day in Iraq, from what I hear, it is a very big day in the West. I saw many American convoys today with red flags on their cars.
My mid-year exams, which lasted for two weeks, just ended. During those weeks, my life was very different from usual, from getting up so early in the morning that it was still dark to long studying sessions. Before the war, almost everything in Iraq worked only for members of Baath party. The higher member you were, the more things you could get without having to do anything other than make a phone call. For example, anyone could become a teacher, but to be a principal, you had to be a member of the party.
After the war, things changed. Everything is more competitive. We no longer see the sons of government employees in the best universities in the country. You do not get extra credit if you are a relative of the president. Recently, officials at my university decided that only the top students of every year have the right to pursue master's degrees or doctorates. For the first time, I feel that if I do my job well, I will get there.
For the next two weeks, I have no studying to do, but my outdoor activity during this break is very limited. Although the security situation is a lot better than it was two years ago, it is still not safe enough for me to spend the day outside. I can still go out with a few friends, and have a nice time, but not for long. I prefer to be home by late afternoon. Today for instance, three of us went to a take-away restaurant near our house. Then we walked around our main street, looking in stores. However, by 4 p.m., each of us went his own way, home.
That usually leaves me too much time to spend inside my house, generally in front of the TV or at my computer. Right now I spend at least six hours a day on my computer.
Since the war, the Internet has become very popular in Iraq. You can get it either by dial-up, using a land line, or you can register through a wireless service provider. You can get fast service through these wireless gateways, but the downside is that you cannot get the connection if you are more than one mile away from the main host.
That is why providing Internet serve has become a very popular job after the war. The majority of young Iraqis now spend their evenings on the Internet.
Even if we are not able to be with each other physically, at night my friends and I are all online.
Hassan Kharrufa is a Hawk columnist who lives and writes from Iraq. E-mails to Hassan can be sent to thehawk@sju.edu.
My mid-year exams, which lasted for two weeks, just ended. During those weeks, my life was very different from usual, from getting up so early in the morning that it was still dark to long studying sessions. Before the war, almost everything in Iraq worked only for members of Baath party. The higher member you were, the more things you could get without having to do anything other than make a phone call. For example, anyone could become a teacher, but to be a principal, you had to be a member of the party.
After the war, things changed. Everything is more competitive. We no longer see the sons of government employees in the best universities in the country. You do not get extra credit if you are a relative of the president. Recently, officials at my university decided that only the top students of every year have the right to pursue master's degrees or doctorates. For the first time, I feel that if I do my job well, I will get there.
For the next two weeks, I have no studying to do, but my outdoor activity during this break is very limited. Although the security situation is a lot better than it was two years ago, it is still not safe enough for me to spend the day outside. I can still go out with a few friends, and have a nice time, but not for long. I prefer to be home by late afternoon. Today for instance, three of us went to a take-away restaurant near our house. Then we walked around our main street, looking in stores. However, by 4 p.m., each of us went his own way, home.
That usually leaves me too much time to spend inside my house, generally in front of the TV or at my computer. Right now I spend at least six hours a day on my computer.
Since the war, the Internet has become very popular in Iraq. You can get it either by dial-up, using a land line, or you can register through a wireless service provider. You can get fast service through these wireless gateways, but the downside is that you cannot get the connection if you are more than one mile away from the main host.
That is why providing Internet serve has become a very popular job after the war. The majority of young Iraqis now spend their evenings on the Internet.
Even if we are not able to be with each other physically, at night my friends and I are all online.
Hassan Kharrufa is a Hawk columnist who lives and writes from Iraq. E-mails to Hassan can be sent to thehawk@sju.edu.