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An Average Iraqi

An Average Iraqi is just a fictional character whose....well, fictional. I will use this character to make a comparison between him and real human beings like myself or any one else.

Name:Hassan
Location:Baghdad, Iraq

My name is Hassan Kharrufa. I am a 20 year old Iraqi student. I study civil engineering at the Department of Building and Construction at Al-Jami3a Al-Taknologia (The Tecknology Univirsity), Baghdad, Iraq.

Iraqi Bloggers BiographyUpdated November 11

Thursday, December 15, 2005

The Carnival of Voting

     It was not a normal day. Since the second I woke up, I had one thing on my mind. VOTING. Some of our relatives had already awoke early and went to vote. They said it was very safe, and so far no violence had happened. They also warned us not to take anything with us, except for IDs. So we left even our watches behind and went out to vote. There were four of us, plus two who had already voted. It was like Eid. Everyone was happy, people walking in the street saluted us even if they did not know us, we did the same. Even my 85 year old grandfather, who had much trouble walking, came with us to cast his vote. Although the walk was very hard on him, but he pulled himself together and managed to reach the poll centre. Later I went home, and took my camera. Going back to the poll centre, I took some pictures from afar so I don't get in trouble with the National Guards who were guarding the place.


You can see in this picture how many people are going to cast their votes.



Not my best shot, but yet worth going online.



These are our fingers. From left to right, me, my father, and my grandfather. My mother and grandmother voted too, but they have already found ways to wash the ink off. Women!!.



This is my 85 year old grandfather. He was treated like a king there. He sat in a chair, and they brought the pen and ballot paper to him. He chose his list, gave it to them, they folded it, and put it in the box. Then they brought him the ink pot.


     Now there is nothing more we can do. Except sit down and wait for the results. I have fulfilled my duties.



Note: This post has been emailed to my Email List subscribers.

35 Comments:

Blogger Raghda said...

Great photos, I enjoyed reading your post, thank you..

3:17 PM  
Blogger Original_Jeff said...

Wonderful pictures and descriptions! Thank you so much for posting them. As an American, I have alternatively felt guilty, sad, proud, and happy about our actions in Iraq. Today is a day for happiness and optimism.

4:19 PM  
Blogger Hadia ( pseudoname) said...

Oh grandpa, Isn't he cute??

4:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your Granddad Rules , he is the star of the day. Tell him I love him .

4:39 PM  
Blogger Faiza Al-Araji said...

please say hello for your grandpa, he was my best teacher in the university of Baghdad 1975, he tought me irrigation structures design, he is one of the best Proff. in Iraq.
I hope we can go back home to meet him, and I hope to hear from him the history of Iraq, and I wish we all can live to see the shining future of our country done by our hands...

6:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations to everyone, especially your grandfather. He is obviously a great man. I hope he wrote a book about irrigation, so that people can still learn from him.____Beautiful photos. Maybe they should ban cars permanently.

7:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your people have embraced what so many Americans take for granted..the right to vote. I am so proud of you and your countrymen and women. I hope that your new found freedom brings you joy and a better life. Also remember that the American people are behind you 100%. God bless!

10:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, Hassan, and congratulations on doing what citizens do in democratic countries like Iraq. (It felt really good for me to say that!)

The photo of your grandfather, and the story of his morning you told, is important. This shows what happens when the people control the vote.

The Iraqis are a brave and noble people, and I am very proud of you and what's happening.

3:21 AM  
Blogger programmer craig said...

Very nice photos, Hassan. Your neighborhood doesn't look much different from some of our neighborhoods in southern california. And I could see how happy and proud people were in those pics. Thanks for posting those.

6:02 AM  
Blogger Mad Canuck said...

Hey Hassan, I finally get a chance to see a picture of your grandpa. I've heard so much about him. Please tell him I said hi.

6:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i love the image of the three generations..
I love that one that best.
m

9:25 PM  
Blogger Sean Dustman said...

Congrats on voting, great post!

9:50 PM  
Blogger Bassam Sebti said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

10:51 PM  
Blogger Bassam Sebti said...

that was wonderful Hassan!! Miss u alot. i am in St. Joseph's University right now and i met with the staff of the "Hawk". They all say hi to you and gave me something to give to you when i go back to Iraq.

10:52 PM  
Blogger CharlesWT said...

How My Grandfather Became King of the Polls —An Average Iraqi
MY family woke up about 9 a.m. on voting day. However, we stayed home; we watched the news, looking for any violence that might have happened in our area. Safety is still our main issue in Iraq, and if the security conditions had not been good, we would not have voted.


When we did not find any news of violence near us, we decided we would go out and vote. Since there was a curfew, no cars could be driven, so we walked to the poll station. There were three of us, the streets were crowded with people coming and going. All the voters greeted one another, even if they had not met before. It was a very happy day. Workers at the poll station were very friendly, and the security around the poll stations was tight.
[...]
Blogging the Vote in Iraq: The Op-Ed page [New York Times] asked several young Iraqi bloggers to write about their experiences during the parliamentary voting on Thursday - and to share their thoughts about what the election will mean for their country's future.

8:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

cool. The Iraqi blogger community is so important to those of us in the USA who support the effort. Please keep blogging.

11:43 PM  
Blogger Jack B. said...

Congrats for getting in the NY Times, Hassan. Both you and Najma at the same time. I bet your family is proud of you both.

The pictures are great especially the one of your grandpa. I wonder how long its been before he voted in a real election (obviously it would have been before Saddam).

The high turn-out each time Iraq has an election (and the low level of violence this time) gives me hope for the first time in awhile.

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Blogger ihath said...

Your grandpa looks lovely. Such an expressive face.

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