In December 1972 my life life has been started. I was born in Wasit city at the south of Iraq. My country is also called (the country between the two rivers). It is the land of the Arabian Nights, and of love stories that became fables far and wide. In these stories, in the traditions of which they were born, the lover thought nothing of giving up his life for a beloved. But no one thought death would come to this land under the present circumstances. Every day I am exposed to the nightmare the Iraqi people are living through "“ but also to their fortitude and resilience. In Iraq we lost nearly everything along the way. Many ordinary things have lost their meanings, we became without dreams and the days that have passed are more reassuring than the ones to come. In Iraq, like almost any other country in the world, you can't get anything done without having a certain bias in your life. Without biases, we are not really conforming to the human nature, which as far as I know, is "natural." Everyone has a bias, sometimes we prefer to drink a certain kind of juice or eat at a certain restaurant just because "we feel good about it," just because we feel comfortable with it. Many times we don't really have a reasonable justification for what we're choosing to do, and most of the time these are personal choices that probably do not really affect other people. We lost even the decision of choice in Iraq and lost the hope too. But I love my country, I am proud to be an Iraqi we have a long peaceful history; we are a truly multicultural nation; and we are, all in all, a great people.

Childhood covers a short period of our life, but it has a tremendous effect on the rest of our life. Or maybe we remain a child all our life. After all, curiosity and a desire for mischief never leave us. As a child we play many roles to dream about our future. When we grow up, we repeat these acts; only, these acts now represent 'reality'. We are constantly under pressure to live as adults but as soon as we are alone, we become children again. We gaze at the stars in wonder. We crave for playfulness but restrict ourselves. You are an adult, the society tells us and we try to shut the world of fantasy inside us. When I remember my childhood years, I remember that the sky was so blue, the sun was so bright, the water was so sparkling, the leaves were so green, the flowers were so lovely, and we were hearing such singing-birds and seeing so many butteries, that everything was beautiful. When it rained, I loved to watch the falling drops, and to smell the fresh scents. When it blew, it was delightful to listen to the wind, and fancy what it said, as it came rushing from its home for driving the clouds before it, bending the trees, shaking the house, and making Tigress River roar in fury. But one day, all these things lost their essences when Iraq "“ Iran war has been started and we heard the shouts of fire and the high dreadful sounds of warplanes which came to kill people and fire the cities. War was not going to disappear overnight. Every night the sounds of the guns come closer to me, my body was shaking and we ran and ran to the place where there is no smell of the army. Each time we hear the news that army is coming closer we wanted to crawl and hide ourselves in the dark corners. The war killed my childhood. Every night I thought that the Iran warplane will kill me or my brother or my parents. When we heard the noise of the warplanes at night, my mother put me and my siblings inside the cupboard and under the bed as her hands are shaking and her eyes are watering with fear. Her hands are tied as her options are blocked to save her sons and daughter. My father and old brothers told us not to say anything to anybody regarding the government as they will be killed if we asked questions or say something as many times our father and brothers think that they are responsible for us. Our future turned dark and many people lost the hope and themselves too due to the effect of war. When we pray God we feel that even the God did not hear our cries or wounds. Few years later, my uncle was killed in the war. His killing is the event which I still recall in vivid detail. Therefore, I don't remember much from my childhood beautiful days. The horrors of war often have a lasting effect on everybody in my country. I was born in December 1972 in the south of Iraq and don't come from a wealthy family. I have a big family 8 siblings 7 boys and one sister. In the school, my teacher taught me that everything is based in science "“ everything has a reason. I am still wandering about the reason of killing people in my country.

When I was too young, I was thinking that simplicity is everything. I thought that, when I have a family and a good health, then I have everything.
And when my parents are pleased about me, then I am the happiest person ever. Our house was always the gathering spot for the neighbors and the neighborhood kids. Every one of them was talking about his/her stories and may be adventures. I couldn't be associated with any of them even with my brothers.
I remember when I was a small boy in the early tweleve; my parents wanted me to be hard-working and responsible. They wanted me to realize the value of labor. One day they summoned me and said: "Today, we want you to go out and earn money, failing which you won't have your meals tonight." I was callous and not used to any kind of work. That demand by my parents scared me. That time there was no one to help me out; therefore I was forced to go to the market in search of work. I failed to get a respective job in a restaurant or a shop, therefore I forced to working as a water seller. I worked and hated the job I did. When I came back to home, I was crying. My elder brother heart melted at the sight of tears in my eyes. He grew restless, but he told me that some of the life's best lessons come from the hardest situations. In a bid to help me he gave me some money to buy needs for work. I worked for three months, and then I spent so many years working in piecemeal jobs. I tried to do the things other have done to have the same success. Then, I realized that to be happy and successful doesn't mean I have to believe in my models' thoughts or live like other lives to achieve the same, but, I can have my unique way to succeed and add their experiences to mine, and learn from their patience and strength.
When I was fourteen years old, I have worked in a women fashion shop. I met many girls and women during that period. Most of women I met have lost their husbands to Iraq "“ Iran war. And most of the girls were the daughter of killed soldiers. Most of them were coming not to buy but to pass time or having romantic moments.
There are many memories of my younger days that I can easily remember, even though it was many years ago, I can remember them as if they were yesterday. I think this may be the first time I've ever spoken out about what truly happened to me during my early younger days.
In the school, I was very clever student. I always thought twice before saying anything in class or writing anything in my exams. I never jumped into conclusions. Unfortunately, this over thinking of everything became a way of life rather than just a studying strategy. I over thought the simplest decisions. Sometimes I feel that I can't take a decision in my life or persuade someone about my view. My father taught me a lot. He told me that we have to worry about our family; we have to worry about money or the lack of it, we have to worry about work, about where we live, about all sorts of things. These are all burdens - the things we pick up along life's path. I tried to do things the way he would have done them, live the way he lived. But when I had been eighteen years, I began to realize that there is a world out there much different than the one in which my parents lived. My first step towards a real life was started when I decided to study engineering, but unfortunately, I was forced to change my collage to a lower one when Iraq was a hell under Saddam regime. Then I lived as a candle burns its self to spread the light. Even the light seems to run from me like a rabbit from a fox.