Monday, January 16, 2006

About Folksy Games

Iraqi girls kids have many things to play if you ask any girl kid in Iraq about folksy songs you will see every girl know many songs, so how do they know these songs? Every girl learns from other girl specially summer nights little girls gather they sit making circle and sing or each other holds their hands making circle turning around and sing. Some times one of them sits in middle of circle and turn around the one in the middle at end every girl goes back home. Where did come these songs? There are many ways, as you know we have many nationalities in Iraq that creates different traditions so one way comes from tradition second way comes from some people publishes in small books most of publishers are from Baghdad, Basra, Mosul and Dehuk. Some teachers buy these books and teach songs all songs will be known all over Iraq. Also they draw big rectangle divided into five rectangles on the ground and small stone they hit with their single foot can’t use their two feet and hit the stone if stone went out of big rectangle, stone stopped on any line, stone passed next rectangle, some one stepped on any line or used both feet will be lost for that girl. This continue until one of them finishes 5 rectangles if any one finishes 5 rectangles she has right to occupy any one of rectangles she chooses, if she occupied one of rectangle has right to use both of feet, how many girls can play five rectangles? Only two girls, how do they start it? They write numbers on every single rectangle 1 to 5 and two girls stand out of big rectangle close to number 1 and throw stone to the fifth rectangle the one will play first whose stone stands in fifth one if both of two girls stone stand on the fifth they try again and again until start one of them then one who has right to start stands out of big rectangle close to number one and throw it to first rectangle then jumps inside rectangle in single foot and hit stone to the second rectangle then jump to the second like until finish fifth one then stands out of big rectangle throw it to the second like that until finish five times after that has right to occupy one rectangle if finished two times has right to occupy two etc.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Lovely Halima

Selma and his sister Halima were living in old house with their father, mother and grandmother when Selma was 6 years old and Halima was 4 years old. Father was mute (can’t talk) he was working pulling band wagon to transfer stuff in the market he comes back around 7 pm to home every day Selma and Halima like to ride band wagon their father pull it. They are very poor and they don’t have relatives in the city. Selma goes to school but Halima cries every morning she wants to go to school but her age is not enough to join school, she doesn’t want to leave her sister she likes her too much.
Two girls play (5 stones) it is play for children collect 5 round stones and play in one hand specially girls play it some times young girls too. Halima has small hands so she can’t overcome her sister but their mother always tells Selma to let Halima overcome her to be happy. When Halima overcomes her sister in 5 STONES she becomes very happy goes to tell her grandmother “ I overcame I overcame Selma” she tells her mother sometimes she goes to neighbors, neighbors know her she is lovely girl they congratulate her, Halima can’t wait her father to tell him. Halima collects papers to play with it she likes school but she doesn’t know too much about it. Halima waits every day 11 am in front of house her sister to come back from school to carry her school bag “ Selma always says it is heavy for you but she insists to carry it “. Halima does same thing at 7 pm for her father.
When Halima doesn’t find any one to play with she sets beside her grandmother and her grandmother starts to tell stories every new story she hears from her grand mother she goes immediately to tell neighbors kids about that story. Halima likes ice cream too much but her parents don’t allow her because she gets sick, one day she followed her sister to the school nobody in her family knew about that but she lost her sister and lost how to go back home she started to cry there was old woman walking and saw little girl crying old woman too her to home and gave food and candy she quit crying, old woman said “tell me hat is your name?” she said “Halima” old woman said who’s daughter? Halima said my father’s and my mother’s daughter old woman said what are their names? She said my father’s name is father old woman knew little girl is lost and doesn’t know any thing. Halima told old woman she was following her sister to the school her sister’s name Selma.
Old woman took her to school to find her sister, they found her sister headmaster said she can stay until you go home and take her with you. When they went back to home they found their grand mother and mother are looking for Halima they became very happy when saw Halima.
But funny days for Halima didn’t continue her mother died in begetting new baby, next year his father found killed nobody knew who killed him, after Saddam’s regime fallen terrorists came to the city. One day Halima was setting with her grandmother in front of house terrorists came and killed her grandmother nobody knew why.

Friday, January 06, 2006

SMALL CAVE

Lokman is kid 11 years old he has 8 brothers and two sisters, he is living with his family in their own house they have small valley in front of their house and there is small cave in the valley, Lokman uses that cave for his dogs he brings any homeless dog he sees to take care to them he has many dogs then if any one needs dogs he gives them but people here likes puppies to take care grow up them to use the guarding, shepherd dogs and pets. Lokman built small bulkhead in front of small cave to protect dogs from flood in the winter because it rains too much in the winter. Lokman’s family situation is not good enough so every one works together to provide living money.
Lokman has donkey pulls a cart Lokman works on it to transfer vegetables from farms to the market and any thing to transfer with his donkey pulls a cart.
Every day 7 AM he takes his donkey and wait work in the market and comes back home 4PM to play and take care on his dogs and play with other kids other kids love Lokman and every one has a dog Lokman gave them, kids around Lokman help him to look after the dogs. Lokman walks more than four kilometers to bring food to his dogs from out of the town there are growing up chickens in big houses and they throw dead chickens away Lokman puts dead chickens in big bags and takes it to his dogs, he has no other way to feed those dogs.
Bad kids come to beat and hurt animals they know Lokman loves and takes care of the dogs so they attack small cave to torture dogs, Lokman knows this and he knows head of this group named Hamido, (Hamido is nickname for kid his real name Husam) Husam is bad kid, more than 6 kids follow him. Hamido’s group goes to market to steel stuff so every body hates them, Lokman very careful from this group, one night Lokman’s father was accounting his boys in beds because every night Lokman’s father accounts his sons on bed before he sleeps in that night he found just 8 boys one missed he asked Lokman’s mother we have one kid missed, Mother said lets see who is missed they knew Lokman is the one who is missed, Mother said lets go and check small cave they found him hugged small puppy and sleeping, Lokman’s father carried him with small puppy and took him to his bed, Lokman and his small puppy slept in warm bed till morning.


One day Lokman was waiting work at market saw one of his friends running toward him (gasping) his friend told him Hamido’s group is walking around small cave when Lokman heard this went to the small cave directly, he found them intending to attack dogs there happened big fight between Lokman and Hamido’s group Lokman didn’t know they prepared for him and for his dogs during the fight Lokman was crying and shouting two of Hamido’s kids attacked small cave they took two puppies to kill them when Lokman saw this he attacked two kids to save two puppies but they were more than 9 kids ( nobody were at Lokman’s house because they were at work Hamido planned for this ) they prevent him to save two puppies in this time other kids and people arrived to the fighting location to save Lokman but before this Hamido stabbed Lokman and two kids killed two puppies when help came to Lokman bad kids ran away , people took Lokman to the hospital to recover his injury.
Whole his family came to the hospital; Hamido went to the jail for two years. After six months Lokman became well and he continued his life and Hamido never came back to attack dogs.