Family in Baghdad, A

This blog is shared by a family of three sons and their mother. The father in this family did not want to contribute. They have been writing in this blog for a long time now, since November of 2003. When they started the blog, they lived in Baghdad. Since then, they have moved to Jordan. The family writes about both serious things regarding politics and the war, but also about what they have been up to in their personal lives. It is such a good example of how no matter where you are from or what language you speak, everyone is fundamentally the same. They have likes, dislikes, wants, and fears just like we do. They have jobs and friends and dreams. It is so amazing to think that there is a regular, everyday woman - a mother - sitting at a computer half way around the world writing a blog that I'm reading from my dorm room. It put a personal touch to the war, to the stories that we hear regarding that portion of the globe.
Recently, only the mother has been writing. She writes about her cat that brings her so much joy, about going to visit her son in Cairo, and about her job, to name a few things. She takes time out of her day to write long, detailed, very truthful posts that anyone in the world could read. It goes to show that we can all learn from each other.
In some of the posts, the tone is funny and light, in others it is very serious. Some posts are hopeful, some are full of worry and concern. The posts change with the moods and emotions of the writer. But in all of them the women seems like a very smart and strong person. She travels a lot and is very dedicated to helping people. I think that her posts are really a reality check for people who think that all middle-eastern woman are a certain way.
A sentiment that really stuck with me that seems to be shared by the whole family, and probably a lot more people, is that although they know that they did not have the best life before, that although they know that they were oppressed and that things that they deserved were withheld from them, at least they had a life. Now, they don't feel like they do anymore. They have to worry about stray bullets, bombs, and ambushes every time they leave their house. These sorts of blogs were written in the end of 2003 and the beginning of 2004.
Another amazing thing to think about is how much of their lives, and consequently, their blog entries, revolved around having/not having gasoline and having/ not having electricity. Neither of these things are available 24/7 like they are here. Although we complain about the prices of these things, at least they are always available.