Monday, March 16, 2009

Washing Concrete

Hi folks!

Today marks the anniversary of the Halabja massacre in 1988, when Saddam used sarin gas and killed over 8,000 Kurds.

Guess who sold him the sarin?

Good old Uncle Sam.

During the Iran-Iraq war, we provided all kinds of instruments of destruction to Saddam.

We had a five-minute moment of silence this morning to remember the dead and their families. Sirens were blowing all over the city and traffic was stopped.

In the meantime, I wanted to write about a particular Kurdish habit: Washing concrete.

For some reason, the Baji in our office insists on washing the concrete apron around the building every day. She enlists our office-boy, the Pesh-Merga guards that protect our property, and anyone else she can find. So they go outside and spray down the concrete.

Maybe it has to do with cleaning the blood from the many slaughters the Kurdish people have endured. Or maybe it just has to do with cleaning the mud that I drag in when I go out exploring around the office building...

Whichever way, it is a constant process of cleaning concrete.

I guess if you wash it enough you will eventually get to China....

Never been there....might be a nice place to visit!

Go Baji, go! Hose and mop and bucket.....

Meanwhile, I need to balance my books and make sure this center opens on time and in the right way.

Love and Peace to all!

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