My Trip to the U.S.A. Treasure of Baghdad’s Diary

December 11th

I woke up this morning at 9 a.m. after a long day in Manhattan. I took a shower and went out with Ivan to have breakfast and then go for a new tour in the city. Ivan suggested having breakfast in Café Lalo, between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave. From the outside in, the mood at Café Lalo is decidedly pseudo-European-light-strewn trees announce its presence on a brownstone-lined block and fin de siècle posters brighten the interior, though Central Perk-style oversized mugs and a track of throbbing house music give this meeting spot a decidedly youthful spin.

We had our breakfast and then went to a place where I really wanted to see during the day. It was the area where the World Trade Centers located. It was very cold to the extent that it was really hard to take off my gloves and take pictures. But I did it. When I arrived the metal fence surrounding the areas, I was really sad. I felt my heart sinking. Being familiar to violence and people crying for help, I imagined how these towers were falling and how horrified the people around them were. I kept asking myself, why?why?why? why there is no peace in this world? Damn you Osama. Damn you Zarqawi. You are bringing destruction to the world. But you will be finished, sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time.

Silent and sad, people gathered to look. They were like me, angry and sad. I was gazing and I noticed the Cross which was made out of the rails of the underground station. Oh my God! How many people died on this piece of metal that day. I prayed to the souls of the dead and the souls of those dying everyday in Iraq. Tears fell over my frozen cheeks. They were burning, really burning. Even now, I am writing and tears are surrounding my eyes. I just can’t believe what happened. They were civilians, just civilians like those who were killed by a bomber when they were having breakfast in a restaurant in Baghdad.

After that sad scene, we went to an adjacent clothes store, Century 21 department stores, also known as New York’s Best Kept Secret, which has more than 15 departments of sensational quality and designer merchandise at 25% to 75% off retail prices. It was huge and has almost everything with reasonable prices that I won’t even be able to get in Baghdad. I bought a Jacket, a wool scarf and a T-shirt. They cost me 70$ while if I bought them from other stores, they would cost me at least 140$. Ivan also bought several things. He said he didn’t have time to buy them until I came. After that we had lunch and returned back to his apartment to take my luggage and move to the new room the CPJ booked for me. We took the subway and arrived at 7 p.m.

Built in 1898, this 4 story Victorian Brownstone offers charming guest room style accommodations located in the heart of historic Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. The room is very big and comfortable. The most important thing for me was the bathroom. It was very good.

Then, Ivan and I went out for dinner and to show me the road and the area where I am going to meet with Joel Simon, the CPJ deputy head to go to work together. We had dinner and then I returned back to the hotel. I thanked Ivan a lot for his generosity in making me staying in his house for four nights. I feel that what Ivan did and still doing is greater than “thank you”. He is a good man and I really respect him and hope one day I can help him at least half of what he did to me. I believe it is really rare to see people like him and it seems that I am so lucky to have him as a friend in the first place.

I returned back, took a shower, checked my emails and went to sleep preparing for a new busy day at the CPJ.