2005, What Did Thou Bring and Took With you?

Hello my friends,

This is my first post in 2006. I hope that all of you enjoyed your New Year's Eve, and I hope that this new year will be a better one for everyone. May all your dreams come true :)


Now, before I start, I would like to post a gift that I got from my friend and Fulbright-mate, Ardalan, and to share it in my blog! It's a nice and lovely painting from Kurdistan.

Thank you so much, Ardalan :)







So many things took place in 2005, some were good and some others were bad. It was a year of so many achievements for me. One day in January 2005, I was surfing the net at the enternet center of the university when I thought of sending an email to the Fulbright to ask about some information about the scholarship. I sent some emails before that time but I didn't get serious replies except for this time! I have to say that I didn't put much hope on that email and I didn't thought that I would get a reply either. But after one week, I got a detailed email about the Fulbright scholarship and the application's date and many other info. That was my start!

I went to Kurdistan to register for the TOEFL test cuz there was no Test-Centers in Baghdad yet. That was my first time I go up to the north of Iraq since 1989 which I barely remember. Then I went again in March to have the test, and that was my second time I go there.

I graduated from college with 81,34% on June 2005 and became a B.A. Holder :) My name was among the first ten names in the department, and I was number six in the list. I applied for the Master degree in my college in July and had a competitve exam with other 200 students! All were fighting for the M.A. studies, but only five were accepted!! Sure, I wasn't one of those five. I got the better thing in fact ;)


Then in August, I was interviewd at the U.S. Embassy for the Fulbright Scholarship, and then nominated for it in September, and granted the scholarship in October.

Also in August, I went on a trip to Kurdistan for the third time in 2005. I stayed there for five days and had the best time ever.

I played two roles in the past year: A Student of English Literature at College of Arts for the first six months of the year. A Housekeeper for the last six months! :)

I made firendships with so many people in 2005. I made this blog in April and I have been blogging since that time. I had anothe blog before this one in December 2004, but I forgot all about it by time, then deleted it and started with this one.

I applied for two visas in the year 2005; one for the U.S. of course! and it was via the Fulbright office in Baghdad, and the other visa was to Dubai which I didn't get!

I went through three elections, survived many bad times, spent the hottest summer on earth and the darkest winter of all times! I bought and read may books. I got a package and a gift from the U.S.A. and the U.K. via mail for the first time in my life. The package was from a friend I met on the Oprah Board, and the gift was from an Iraqi friend of mine who lives in the U.K. I was so happy with this and considered it as a VEY BIG achievement! Oh yes, and I also opened a P.O.Box account of my own in the university's postal office.

Those were the major events that happened to me in 2005. Thankfully, no bad or sad personal events can be mentioned! They either didn't happen, or I forgot them!! ;)

I may add to this post if I remember something.


With Love