The team I am working with are an incredible bunch of people who articulate themselves well, but one thing stands out – all have been touched by abuse of human rights in Iraq. This is not theory for them.
a place in the sun
I didn’t really “travel” much yesterday. It was more an exploration of minds, as I spent the whole day confined to camp and in the main hard at work (apart from a brief excursion to the British Embassy to meet a human rights officer who was smart in more ways than one).
Most of my time is spent inside these tin can cabins beneath rattling air conditioners, so I don’t get to experience the 50 degree heat that much. Early morning and evening sun is lovely and the photo shows the spot I found this morning to dry my hair and have a sneaky read of Private Eye before the day properly woke up.
Funny…I realise that I don’t feel much like writing today. I think it is because this chirpy travellers tale won’t really do justice to the depth of experience I am having here. I am tasked with helping develop media campaigns that address human rights issues. The team I am working with are an incredible bunch of people who articulate themselves well, but one thing stands out – all have been touched by abuse of human rights in Iraq. This is not theory for them. Through this work, I am slowly learning their own stories, of displacement, of the loss of loved ones, of torture, of imprisonment – and it has knocked me down to earth a bit.
So I think I will leave it at that for now and write more later, inshallah. For now I leave you with a quote from my time in Basra, “if a path to better there be, it begins with a full look at the worst” (Thomas Hardy). And a link to Path to Peace – an early blog entry reflecting on my time in Basra three years ago http://4nomadic.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/path-to-peace/
May Peace Be Upon You
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