High Tea in Mosul

Today sees the withdrawal of the American troops from the towns and cities in Iraq.No one can say what will happen but i think most of the ordinary people are hoping this will be the start of things to come . I hope and pray that they will get what they have longed for, for so many years.I still feel with forboding in my heart that this situation will continue for a long time to come, and these bad people will take full advantage of the absence of the Americans to escalate the everyday violence to a new level,I truly hope I am wrong.
My daughter and Grandsons are here with me to spend this week with me before I leave for England, on Saturday. I will miss everyone at home and at the office very much but I feel I need this time for doing a lot of things that I really want to do and see, that I have missed over the many years I have lived in Iraq.The next time I write the Diary,IT WILL BE FROM COLNE
Susan (Pauline)

This last two weeks have been very busy for the International Relations Office at the University of Duhok , the office has been so busy welcoming visitors from all over the world. We have had guest from America ,NorwayGermany just to mention a few . I love to meet all these people they are so intresting and they all seem to leave with the same feeling ,they can’t wait to return to Duhok.
My friend came from Mosul on Friday and stayed till Sunday Morning . My other friend who is the Manager of the International Relations office treated my friend and I to a beautiful lunch and then a drive up into the mountains. it was very enjoyable and I know that I thanked her for the great day ,butI think it deserves another mention. Thank You Rund it was beautiful day much appreciated by both of us.
It wont be long now and I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends especially Glynis and Joan who I worked with in Burnley she will pick me up at the airport and take me home . Glynis will come down to Colne after a few days ,we have alot to catch up on after more than thirty years ,I am looking forward to seeing her again . So in two weeks I will be writing the diary from Colne .
Susan (Pauline)

For the last couple of months ,all the talk has been about Susan Boyle and with good reason. This unlikely singer showed not only Briton that she indeed can sing but the whole world . I watched her first performance on Youtube and for once in my life I saw the smug bigheaded look on Simon Cowells face knocked for a six. All of them were making fun of this lady which as become unfortunately a British norm to make fun and riddicule someone who may be just a little differant from others . I loved her and this week to my dismay she was let down by the British public when they voted for a second rate act instead of her. I think she has the voice of an angel and I truly hope that she will make her mark on the singing Industry.
Things are very quiet in Duhok but unfortunately it is not the same for Mosul. Last week my friend cancelled her trip ,there was a curfew in many parts of the city because two men had attacked a girls school ,trying to steal the salaries of the teachers . The head teachers quick action of locking her office door and telephoning for help may have saved many lives . There was a gun battle and one of the men was killed , but two girls were caught in the cross fire injuring both of them with one poor girl later losing her leg. all this sensless violence is on the increase again and once agin the ordinary people are the ones to suffer.
Susan (Pauline)

Last night Burnley football team beat Sheffield United 1-0 at Wembley,promoting them to the Premier Leauge for the first time in 33years. This is a great day for Lancashire against their rivals Yorkshire ,its just like the war of the Roses all over again.I wish I could have seen it ,but the taste of victory will have to suffice.
Here in Duhok the weather becomes hotter each day and to make it worse there is this continous haze of dust hanging over the city. Last night we had a slight shower of rain which cooled the temperature down but this morning the heat was back with a vengence.Today I will give the final exam to the ten students from the latest English course. I would just like to say that I have enjoyed teaching these students and although they are just beginners they have made me proud because they kept up with the course never giving up even if they found it difficult and I hope all of them will be sucessful.I will miss them and hope they will go on to a further level and acheive their goals. Good luck to all.
Susan (Pauline)

Duhok as usual seems to be very busy ,everyone is running around tending to their own buisness. On Monday ,the staff at the International Relations Office all went out for lunch to a restaraunt called Shendohka. We had three guests with us all from America and two new members of staff and this meal was a welcoming invitation to be part of this great group of people .
Today (Wenensday ) we have to say goodbye too two of the American gentlemen one who is returning back to the States and the other who will spend the rest of his time in Iraq in Erbil. we are sorry to see you go Ben and Chris we hope you both have safe journeys on to your next port of call.The other American gentleman Charles will stay in Duhok for some time, so it will give us a chance to get to know him. It is always so nice when we have people from other countries staying with us , I am so happy in my work ,getting many oppurtunities to meet up with these special visitors.
I think my friend may pay me a visit next week and then we can spend some time together shopping and buying small gifts to take home with me,for my family and friends. I am really looking forward to this holiday,it is five years since I have seen any of them and although I speak with them on the phone to me its not the same has being with them.I will miss my friends in Duhok,but no matter where I am they will always be with me in my thoughts.
Susan(Pauline)

Once again the pomegranate trees are in full bloom and I just can’t believe that one year has passed since i wrote about the beautiful sight of the fruit trees.

The weather here in Duhok is becoming hotter each day and soon again it will be time to switch on the air conditioning. I don’t like the hot weather at all and this year I will spend the two hottest months here in iraq in England instead am looking forward to seeing all my relatives and friends who are eagerly awaiting my arrival.It is so nice that people are fighting over who should pick me up at the airport or who I am going to stay with when I arrive in Colne.My friend from Tyne and Wear will come to stay I have,nt seen her for thirty years or more we lost contact when she left Germany and she made a big effort to find me and I am so glad she did . We had some beautiful moments in Hannover and even though we lost contact neither of us forgot anything of the times we spent there.
Here in Iraq ,things are pretty much the same Duhok is very busy all the time and we hear from the news and our friends in Mosul what everyday is like,some days are very good while others can be frightening. Noor and the boys are well and so is my good friend Walla ,she has been very busy her niece as just had a little boy ,i hope he will be good for her . For everyone in all the world the cycle of life goes on and we should learn to take advantage of the things that are given to us and not take them for granted
Susan(Pauline)

Thursday with stay with me forever. We travelled from the International Relations Office at the University of Duhok to this very special place up in the mountains about an hour and a half away from the city of Duhok.There was about twenty of us and we had a special guest with us ,an American gentleman who is visiting the University for about three weeks.
We arrived about 3pm and the sight that awaited me was worth waiting for , the mountains on there own hold a special place inside my heart but when I saw the town of AMADI perched on top of this mountain surveying all what lies below. I am amazed how the houses have not fallen ,some of them just hang over the edge.We left the town keeping guard over the beautiful land and travelled further into the mountains ,twisting and turning down the country lanes until we came to a picnic site with a small stream where they children had a great time,throwing small sticks into the water and watching to see which stick would reach the bridge first. The meal which was organized by Ennas and Reving was a feast, with cloths and mats to sit on we all enjoyed the meal set before us.
Later with music playing we were treated to watch a display of Kurdish dancing ,something not to be missed . For me when the dancing starts to gather pace and they are in one line moving to the beat of the music River dance has nothing on them . At about eight oclock we travelled back to Duhok and with the memory of the day and the picture of the mountainsides a blaze with the color of the red poppies,this picnic with be a day to remember. Thank you to all at the International Relations office for allowing me to part of this event.
Susan (Pauline)

Last week I was honoured to be asked to interview candidates from the University of Duhok for the chance to win a Scholarship to study in Europe next year.The process took about three days and i really enjoyed the time I spent with these people who talked to me about differant aspects of their lives. Also with me was an American man who I have the pleasure of working with at the Training Centre here in Duhok.Tomorrow there is another round of interviews so I am busy preparing questions to ask them.
On Thursday the staff from the International Relations office here at the University will go for a day out up in to the mountains ,They asked everyone where they would like to go and I said I would like to see a town called Amadiya, (sorry if the spellings off but I did my best.) I have seen pictures of this beautiful place but never visited and one of the staff who is recently married ,Hi Reving ) showed me a phoograph of the house where his new bride’s family house is. I am looking forward to going very much.The people in this very special office have become like familyto me , they have accepted me like one of their own and for this I am truly grateful.I may have said this before but these kind people have given me back my live ,before I was in the house most of the time and it can destroy ones soul . So again I say a big thank you to all of them.
Susan (Pauline)

Noor ,the boys and my friend arrived later than planned yesreday ,they were supposed to travel early in the morning but their area was closed off due to a bomb scare and they were not allowed to leave the house till mid day. For the last week Mosul was very bad ,one incident causing the deaths of five American soldiers and the wounding of many civilians. my family arrived safely and although the weather was bad we had a nice day ,first we met up with some old friends and had a very nice lunch where we talked of old times and later in the afternoon we went shopping to the new shopping center and bought lots of things for the boys. Today Laela, my friend and the boys will go to town but I am at the University working so i will miss out on the trip.
Duhok is very peaceful but yesterday it was very crowded. A lot of families from Mosul come every Thursday and stay over the weekend ,I feel very happy when I see them enjoying themselves even if its just for a short while before they leave for what may face them again in Mosul.
Susan ( pauline)