These times are not so upbeat, to be honest, but the amazing thing about us Iraqis is that we try to find the funny stuff no matter how difficult the times may be.
I was visiting my paternal uncle's house and slept over there. Because one of my cousin's husband goes out to work very early in the morning, she had to come with him right after sunrise, so that he drops her at her parents/my uncle's house.
Because of the ongoing Iraqi dilemma, my cousin and I have not met since late 2003, then she got married and moved elsewhere.
Now in that morning, my other cousin/her brother was sleeping much deeper than me, and we were both in a room very close to the main door of the house, and the woman's husband had dropped her at the door and left.
It was around sunrise time when I heard knocking on the window. I looked (without my glasses), saw her and knew she was her. I went to open the door, without the glasses, with my short hair, and unshaved-for-a-couple-of-days beard.
When she saw me she said:
- "Excuse me but, who are you?"
I was shocked, and was still sleepy.
- "Who am i?"
I said my 1st, 2nd and 3rd names, with a half-smile.
She apologized, and said:
- "Hi, how are you? How's uncle?"... etc...
After i opened the door, i went back to sleep for another 2 hours, before waking up. After that i had breakfast with those who woke up late, and we were all talking.
She explained how she didn't know me by saying that i have become skinnier, had shorter and less hair, and was without glass, in addition to being at unexpected place and time.
It was something to laugh at, but it is still sad; because Iraqi families used to frequently meet, and now, because of the terrible conditions, nobody knows their first cousin if they see them by chance. I also felt sad because it really seems that i have changed.
Eeeeeh, as an Iraqi song once put it:
"Oumur wit'adda litlatheen... La ya flan..."
Roughly translated as:
"Alas, for we became old, older than 30!"
And as Jackie Chan once said:
"Who am i?"
:)
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