What's happening?

Monday, June 22, 2009
I finished my finals last Thursday.. Finally finished the third year at college. I can confidently say that this has been a really bad year for me, only education-wise. I had my disagreements with my lecturers and had no confidence in most of what they say. There was a big gap between me and my books, and me and my lecturers.. and the more I tried to fill the gap between me and either, it would grow larger with the other.

It was a big challenge to deal with this whole thing and I still haven't really found a solution.
Now I'm just glad it's over.. and I don't even want to see the results of the struggle.

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A project called Waedoun (translates to The Promising), the superior students care project, is being done in Iraq to care for the superior students in Iraqi universities.
A week ago I received my Waedoun ID and a credit card that I can use to draw my salary! I actually have a salary now :) and a CREDIT CARD.. IN IRAQ! The project has more things planned, but they're still at the beginning. It's a promising start.

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In less that two weeks, we're going to go to Saudi Arabia! My parents, HNK and I are going to do Al-Umrah inshallah. This is going to be really exciting. This time I'm not going to ask you to pray for me, but rather it would be me praying for you! :D

I'll try to write again before I leave inshallah.
 
posted by Najma at 7:30 PM, | 12 comments

Day 35 and Counting

Thursday, May 07, 2009
It's been 34 days since the last time I've seen my fiancé, my older sister and the kids.. Bookish left to Germany to study for a Master degree, and my older sister left with her family to Baghdad where her husband will be studying and practicing for two years.

My sister hasn't been around much in the first place; she'd been living in the suburb for a while before they left to Baghdad. She's also still relatively close and will visit every month.
I have been occupied by missing Bookish so much that I don't have time to miss the kids!
For a while I was happy just to know that some people will be around tomorrow and won't leave.. Now I'm adjusting with the situation and finding all sorts of ways to stay in touch so as not to feel very lonely.

I had my second term exams in April.. My birthday was during the exams as usual. I've turned 21 already!

Looking back at this year's photos I feel like it's been forever since the beginning of my third year in college.. This year was hard especially because I could not adjust with my lecturers.. but now the final exams are approaching and soon enough I'll be busy preparing for these.

This year was full of changes but I'm happy with most of them, and more than happy with the most important change of all :)

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posted by Najma at 11:26 PM, | 13 comments

The beginning of the rest, and the best, of my life

Friday, April 03, 2009

The single most beautiful thing in life must be to love someone who loves you back.. It changes everything; the world is suddenly pink, you feel happier and safer than ever, and want to live every moment forever.

Tomorrow is the second week anniversary of my engagement to the most amazing man.. They were two weeks in heaven.
My fiance is actually a blogger (link) and I don't want to bother you with the details (not that they'd bother you, or bore you.. I'm just not planning to share ;) ) of how it all happened.. all you really need to know is that I've finally found the bright side of my life in Iraq, and that I've never felt luckier!

Everything feels different now.. I am different now.. this is the beginning of the rest, and the best, of my life.

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posted by Najma at 9:40 PM, | 43 comments

Update on The Book Project

Thursday, April 02, 2009
This is the first package of books we've bought with the donations money.. It's quite a good collection. It took a really long time to arrive but it finally arrived in perfect condition. I received the books about a month ago but was too busy to report that.

An Iraqi in Malaysia bought the books and donated some of his own. Books in Malaysia are very affordable as they have international copies.. the amount of money used to buy the books was approx. 300$.
I'm taking the donations button off the blog since I'm not sure how long it'll take me to spend the rest of the money, we have 621.40 USD left!

Thanks all for all the efforts!

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posted by Najma at 9:35 PM, | 3 comments

What's happening?

Saturday, February 28, 2009
I sat in mom's room in college on Thursday and wrote a long angry post regarding my exams.. then I thought maybe it isn't worth it.. Maybe I shouldn't keep fighting.

"Choose your battles wisely".. one of the best advise I've been given. I'm a fighter, and I tend to get involved without much consideration of how much it's worth to fight for what I'm fighting for.
I chose to fight this one silently. I deleted the angry part and was left with a tiny bit (that's completely irrelevant by the way) of a more pleasant subject:

My friend got engaged few weeks ago. She's the first in the group which makes this the most pleasant and exciting news as we're observing everything closely *evil smile*
I spend most of my time in college with her.. she's much taller than me and I can only imagine the remarks people say about us. With her fiancé's presence though, I don't think people will even notice me ;)

It's been raining in the last few days.. We went to Duhok yesterday but I couldn't take photos outside because of all the rain. I was dreaming of shooting photos of the sunset but there wasn't a sun to set in the first place.

Tomorrow starts the second term in college.. I'm feeling lost and odd.
Mom's been happy to have me around keeping her company for the last couple of days but now I'm going to get back to studying again. She's feeling very lonely and would be happy just to have me sit with her even if I don't talk.
I'm thinking of changing my priorities.. I'll try to finish studying earlier to get to spend more time doing other things.
 
posted by Najma at 7:28 PM, | 13 comments

The Not So Usual

Sunday, February 01, 2009
It's been a long time since I last updated.. I haven't been feeling very chatty and not much was happening (other than few fights, and a fall on the stairs, and well, my lips swelled very badly.. but that's the usual!).

Last week, the spring break started, but this year is different in that the mid-year exams will be after the break for our college and few other colleges, which means I'll have to spend most of the so-called-break studying.
I've been planning to start studying on Thursday, two days ago, but I caught the flu and had fever, and well, I thought I was going to die.. but here I am writing a post, and obviously, alive! (I know that I will eventually die but that's not the point!) I'm still not fully recovered though.
I wish I can get myself to be more serious about studying, but being 15 days from now, it's actually not very easy.

Last week was a busy week, we went to Erbil with my uncle and my aunt's families, we visited many houses in Mosul, and attended a wedding where I met many friends..

Erbil was nice, clean and relatively advanced.. We had much fun and I LOVED the food.

I bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ18 from Erbil. I've been reading and educating myself about photography ever since but I'm going to have to switch my attention to studying now..

The day before yesterday a car bomb exploded close to our house, but we were warned and expected it so there were little damages (a single window). No human losses in the neighborhood, thank God.

Oh, I almost forgot what this post was supposed to be about :)

Yesterday I finally got to vote on something without having a fight (that something being Ninevah's Provincial Council's Elections). I was feeling dizzy, and it pretty much felt like going to an exam without studying, and I proved quite dumb at the voting room: I was about to put my ID in the voting box instead of the voting card, I didn't know which finger to put in the ink pot, and finally, I almost took the voting pen home! but I FINALLY DID IT and voted! Now I have a violet finger and it shocks me every time I see it, until I remember..

Problem is, there has to be a closure.. and wish me luck is the easiest.. so..



WISH ME LUCK!
 
posted by Najma at 4:44 PM, | 30 comments

The Usual

Monday, January 05, 2009
I'm fine.. Stressed because of studying and can't believe the state of the process of teaching and learning this year.

I don't want to bore you.. and I'm tired of repeating the same old, same old.. and I'm short of words to explain just how tired and disappointed I am this year. So, I'll spare us all some time and cut it short this time.

Wish me luck, much patience, and the power to survive this without seriously hurting anyone.

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posted by Najma at 6:00 PM, | 27 comments

Happy New Years: 1430, 2009

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Bye Bye 2008 -> Welcome 2009 :o))))) !!!!., originally uploaded by Ragstatic.

I wish you all a happy, peaceful, healthy, peaceful, successful and peaceful, new year..

Oh wait, did I mention peaceful??


Let's all pray for a peaceful new year..

 
posted by Najma at 6:22 PM, | 15 comments

What's happening?

Friday, December 19, 2008

This week went much better than expected.. Only two professors showed discontent about the days we skipped before Eid, but only one of them considered the lectures he had planned to give as given and done..

We had a microwave exam few days ago, I didn't do well but I can't care less! I'm done with damage control of the material we have taken but I still can't memorize few really long and complicated equations that are actually scary to look at.. Mom was surprised to see that we were required to memorize them and told me not to, and I'm more than willing to follow her advice for the moment!

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Yesterday was the introduction party of the new first year students but there were no prizes unlike last year. One of my classmates and a dear friend brought me a bubble from the party after my whining about wanting and expecting a present :D Which was very cute but I didn't know what to do with it and ended up giving it back to him.

Also yesterday, mom invited us for lunch in the Science and Literature Forum: one of Saddam's palaces near the university, now includes a restaurant, a conference room, and few rooms for CISCO lessons.. I'm not sure since I've only been to the restaurant.

So, dad came and picked me up from college to the restaurant where mom and HNK were waiting.. Upon arriving I realized that a BIG number of my professors, and the dean, were gathered in the restaurant for lunch too.. Quite a coincidence :)
I wasn't comfortable eating but was absolutely the happiest person in Mosul (let's not exaggerate and say the world, though it's also possible)..
Now mom and dad just WISH they didn't bring me to the restaurant for I've grown so big-headed the house can barely fit me :D
If I recite the details one more time the keyboard will go on a strike :D So I'll surprise the keyboard, and mom, and keep them to myself this time!

******

And also yesterday, my sister and the kids came for a visit. Aya has started learning Kurdish at the preschool in the suburb. Ayman is extra cute, he speaks very nice and so gently! Anas hasn't learned to walk and has very few activities, smiles the whole time, rarely ever cries, and is very squeezable :) That's a photo of him at the top of the post.

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posted by Najma at 2:13 PM, | 27 comments

Shoes put to a better use

Sunday, December 14, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7782774.stm
LOL
This made my day :D
 
posted by Najma at 11:23 PM, | 19 comments