Sunday, January 22, 2006

Blogging on Paper!

Hello everyone,

It's been quite a long time since I last posted something here. I had a constant run of bad luck with blogging since I posted about Friday 13th!!! Isn't that scary?! I couldn't post since that time. There were many reasons for this; one reason was the internet server which used to stop working every night when I got online during the past week! Another reason was that I became a full-time housekeeper since Wednesday cuz Mom left to Dubai on her two weeks vacation. I SHOULD BE THERE WITH HER BY NOW! BUT WHAT TO DO WITH THE BAD LUCK!!! A thrid reason was that I was busy working on papers for some directions; papers of a seven-days diary for the Diary Project, and pepers for the Fulbright.

I got an email from the Fulbright lately asking to submitt another writing sample and a copy of my resume, and to update my application file acording to some points they wanted. I had a difficulty thinking of a topic to write about for the writing sample. I was afraid that if I wrote about a certain subject they would have thought that I got it from the internet or something like that! But guess what? Somebody helped me with this and gave me a clue about what to write. This somebody is an American soldier from the Green Zone whom I talked with on the phone! Don't ask me how did that happen. It just happened. Believe it or not; this is the first time I talk with an American person on the phone. I have talked with very few Americans in person before. They were actually only two times; the first time was almost two years ago during an interview with a CNN journalist in my college department. The second time was in the Fulbright interview. And it's obvious the third time was on the phone.

But there is a fourth time coming this week! It's on the radio!! I will talk on Skype with an American radio reporter this week about the higher education system in Iraq. Interesting!

Many things happened during the last week. Let's see... Yea, I went to register for the GRE Exam on Friday. It was a shock for many of the Fulbrighters to know that we would take this exam. We all hoped that if it would be canceled or anything like that, especially when most of them had just taken the TOEFL exam few days ago! But what to do, we have to take this one in order to move on with our big dream.

Meeting the Fulbrighters, or some of them, for the second time was fun. This meeting was way better than our first one at the Convention Center. It was at Babel Hotel, and it lasted for about two hours as we all sat together and filled our registration forms. And, while I was there, I saw someone.. and guess what? It was Treasure of Baghdad !! I was looking and thinking that I've seen this guy before and wondered if it could be him, but I didn't have the courage to go and ask him!

I finished the Baghdad-Diary project now, and I will post it some time soon inshalla cuz I'm so busy right now of taking care of everything at home.

I didn't check any spelling or grammar mistakes. Pardonez-moi!

16 comments:

Hajar Zamzam Ismail said...

Good luck talking to Americans in person. ;) We certainly are a mixed bunch; as is every other nation.

programmer craig said...

Hi Morbido :)

You're so busy these days! Glad your interent is working again at least. Seem like most of the Iraqi blogs are quiet now, hardly anyone is posting! I'm glad you did.

I love skype, I never use the mobile phone anymore if I can use skype instead. The sound is so much better, and... it's free! You might have the line dropping a lot during conversations (that happens to me when I chat with a friend in the ME a lot) but when it works, it really works well.

Good luck on your radio interview... if possible, could you let us know when it will be broadcast? Or do you want to be anonymous?

Morbid Smile said...

Hey Hajar, glad to see you here again, and thank you!

Hello Craig :)I, too, noticed that the Iraqi blogs are quiet these days! Maybe cuz of the deadly feezing weather! And because some of the bloggers have mid year's exams these two weeks, so they can't blog, I guess.

About the radio interview, I'm sorry I forgot to mention further details about it cuz I was in a hurry. It's on War News Radio. I will talk with the reporter on Skype tonight, but I don't know if it's going to be broadcasted live. I will ask the reporter and post about it here as soon as I know. You can listen to the station online on www.warnewsradio.org

Mad Canuck said...

Hey, MS,

Exams seem to be a common theme for many of my friends over there. I expect to start hearing more soon - there's so much to write about these days.

programmer craig said...

I'm listening to the streaming audio version of today's report now :)

programmer craig said...

That's not a bad news program, they were doing the kind of direct interviews we don't hear much on US news! I liked it a lot. They closed the current broadcast after talking to professors, and said they'd be talking to students next, so that will probably be you :)

Original_Jeff said...

Good luck on the GRE exam. I have not taken the GRE but from similar tests, I know it is often helpful to read about the test format and to take practice tests. I'll bet the GRE company even provides some of this info free of charge.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Miss, good to see a new post. I check almost everyday to see what's new with you. Good luck with all the hoops they are making you jump through to get your scholarship...it's almost over, I promise.

Hope you like the music I sent you. Talk to you later.

Captain Jarred Fishman, USAFR said...

Good work MS!

Could you post a link to your interview in a few days once it is up on the internet? It would be interesting to hear.

What is the feeling in Baghdad about the Ramadi/Samarra Sunnis turning on Al-Queda? I think this is a huge turning point..

Anonymous said...

Lt. Fishman, did you see the article in this month's Time magazine about the insurgents turning on Al-Queda? Ms. Morbid Smile, you can probably view it at www.time.com. Not too long of an article, but very interesting. It's a good thing if it's happening, but don't think we can totally just rely on that to solve our problems.

Are you serving over there right now/previously. Just curious. Take care.

attawie said...

That's the girl I know..
Keep it going.
The GRE is not that hard.. You can pass it easily.. I had GRE practice but all on paper. you need to take care of literary terms. Focus on literary criticism.

I got a job in Dubai and I will tell you all about it.

I still want your mom's phone no. I have to contact her.

Take care

Morbid Smile said...

Hello everyone!

I think exams will be over in a week here, Mad Canuck. All I know is that mid-year's holiday is delayed for universities cuz they started late this year. I guess many of the Iraqi bloggers (examinees) will write about this soon.

hey Craig, so you are listening to the radio station? I like it alot too although I couldn't listen to all of what they broadcast cuz my internet connection broke down (that's usual these days!)

Hello Jeff, thank you for wishing me good luck on the GRE! I got some practice materials and I'm trying to study and get ready for the exam. ETS provides all materials for such exams.

Hey, Jason! How are you doing? I'm still alive fighting with the Fulbright papers! I got some other papers to do now!! And I got some new information; leaving to the U.S. will be on late July or ealy August!!! But I still don't know about the university placements. Thanks for the music, I liked it alot :)

A salute for you Lt. Fishman! Sure I will post the link to the interview once I get it! I haven't talked to the reporter yet, he is not appearing online for some reason, but I guess it will be next week!

About Ramadi/Samarra Sunnis turning on Al-Queda, everyone in Iraq is happy with that. I hope that this is a sign of ending the terrorism in Iraq and everywhere else! This might lead to more positive progress in this issue.


Attawieeee! I miss you so much my friend. I'm practicing on the GRE now, and also all on paper. You know all the exams in Iraq are paper-based ones, so we are used to papers ;) What did you need the GRE for? I'll send you Mom's number. Congradulations on your new job!

Melantrys, I started to get those popups as well! I got them twice so far and I have no clue where they come from!! But I haven't inserted anything in the blog to make those popups come out. I checked the site meter, but I'll change it and see if the problem still as it is :)

programmer craig said...

Hmmm... you play computer games, Melantrys! You can't be all bad :)

Captain Jarred Fishman, USAFR said...

MS-
Just keep us posted with when you are coming to the US and we can stay in touch. I have some pull in Washington :)

cooper said...

gosh I am sort of afraid of the gre. I know I should just take it now, but it will be so much work to prepare for it. neat post.

attawie said...

Hi Smily..
I got the no. and called your mother today and will see her this week.
Do you want me to tell her anything ;)

take care