CPTnet
July 12, 2003
IRAQ: Letter from Peggy Gish
[Note: the following letter, sent on July 6, has been edited for length.]
Greetings from hot and sunny Baghdad!
Two of our team members, Rick Polhamus and Maureen Jack, just left this
morning, leaving two women, Anne Montgomery and me, to take care of the
work until more team members arrive.
I thought I would write a bit about the living conditions in Baghdad.
Evidently public utilities and services have improved in the past few weeks,
but the electricity is still off and on for hours at a time each day and
most areas of Baghdad do not have running water in their homes, because the
water pressure is too low. Most people go to places around the city where
there are faucets or breaks in the water lines on the streets where they can
fill up their water cans to take back home. We are more fortunate than most
Iraqis in that the apartment building from which we rent, has water
delivered and put in a huge tank, so we have running water most of the time.
Also, our apartment, and many businesses, hotels, and some institutions,
have generators that click on a minute or two after the power goes off. I
feel uneasy about being a privileged American living more comfortably than
most. We are still exploring the possibility of renting a house and moving,
but are eager to make decisions about our long term location first, since
that could mean leaving Baghdad and going to another city.
We have a two-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and a living room at the
Zaharat Al Khaleej Apartments on Sadoon St. Breakfast and lunch are on our
own, but we rotate cooking a simple supper meal that we eat together.
Because it is considered more dangerous to be out and about after dark, we
have our group worship time and meeting after supper, and do most of our
outside work in the morning and afternoons. There aren't as many gun battles
going on in Baghdad, yet there are still some robberies and looting. We have
not personally felt in a lot of danger walking the streets, but try to use
main streets when possible, or not go certain places alone.
Right now we are able to buy apples, grapes, plums, lemons, bananas, and
melons, as well as potatoes, onions, garlic, zucchini, bell and hot peppers,
eggplant, tomatoes, and carrots. Many Iraqis can't afford to buy them,
however. We have heard that by the end of this month, the first distribution
of food baskets to all families in Baghdad by the World Food Program should
be complete.
Without phones to make appointments and with many homes without a precise
street address, finding people and places can be a challenge, usually taking
much longer than expected. So as usual living and working here is a lesson
in
patience and perseverance.
Much love to each of you, Peggy Gish
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